A Liverpool hospital is leading the way with new technology which helps speed up the time it takes for neurology patients to be seen by a specialist.
Through its partnership with NHS England’s vanguard programme Neuro Network, The Walton Centre is pioneering a new system of ‘teleneurology’.
It will allow doctors in other acute hospitals to have consultations with neurologists from The Walton Centre at the patient’s bedside via a video link.
A pilot scheme was launched on Monday at the Countess of Chester Hospital, who are working closely with The Walton Centre on the project.
Dr Martin Wilson, Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Divisional Director for Neurology at The Walton Centre, said: “This is an exciting venture which will enable us to expand on the service we already provide in district general hospitals.
“With the help of Justin Griffiths and his team in IM&T at The Walton Centre, working with the project team in the Vanguard, we have built and connected two tele-consultation carts but also developed a web-based referral ‘hub’ where the referring hospital can see available consultation slots and complete the referral electronically.
“The hub will also act as a repository where the satellite hospital can access a range of Walton clinical pathways and other resources.”
Teleneurology allows for neurology consultations to take place remotely using Skype business, which is a secure and encrypted connection.
The doctor in the acute hospital logs on to the telecart system by the patient’s bedside and connects to the specialist who also has the equipment in his or her office.
A high quality camera on the cart allows the specialist to take a history and to examine the patient with the DGH doctor facilitating.
The camera also has a strong ‘zoom’ which even allows for the pupils of the eye to be looked at closely.
Dr Kausik Chatterjee, Clinical Director for AED and Acute care at The Countess of Chester, said: “The system we have now works pretty well.
“But we can’t be there all of the time. This is a way of bridging that gap.
“We provide ward consultations to other hospitals where we assess whether the patient needs to have tests, treatment, whether they need to come in to The Walton Centre or whether they are well enough to be discharged.
“The benefit is that patients get rapid access to the right treatment and advice and, in some cases, if they are well enough, can be discharged quicker.”
If the pilot is successful, there is the potential for teleneurology to be set up in more partner hospitals throughout Cheshire and Merseyside.