Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has noted how the introduction of their digital cataract service has helped to “improve efficiency and increase patient satisfaction” through the use of video consultations and the digitising of non-surgical processes.
The trust’s recent evaluation assessed the treatment of 403 patients, with findings indicating a reduction in waiting times for operations by four weeks, despite there being a “greater proportion” of patients taken forward for an operation when compared with the national average.
According to the trust, only four percent of patients reported complications, which is “less than a third of the standard”, with the pre-assessment stage now taking “less than half its previous duration”, sitting at around 90 minutes. In terms of patient satisfaction, the trust has highlighted a 97 percent uplift, along with a 98 percent increase in punctuality, which is up from 50 percent for face-to-face appointments.
The digital cataract service was originally developed in 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the trust now adapting the video consultation tool to “gather more assessment information than traditionally obtained through face-to-face examinations”, which they have noted has “proven to take less time overall” while also freeing up space.
Evaluations of key digital services in healthcare
A recent evaluation of the Hospital at Home approach at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust revealed that 95.8 percent of patients prefer using virtual hospital models. The trust has also reported a “significant net financial benefit to the system” as well as a lower 90-day mortality rate.
Last month, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside reported seven million monthly patient log-ins via the NHS App, allowing patients to book and manage appointments through the digital platform. According to the trust, “almost four million patients aged 13+ in the North West have already registered for the NHS App” with “53,000 appointments being managed on the App monthly”.
An update from South West London revealed that 88 percent of care homes in the region now have digital social records in place, while 45 percent are live with the London Universal Care Plan. According to the ICS, these developments are contributing to a nine percent reduction in the number of residents taken to hospital by ambulance among the care homes using the system.
NHS England recently published an ADHD data improvement plan, setting out planned actions to improve data quality and introduce regular reporting. The plan outlines the importance of accurate data in helping understand patient experience, enable service improvement, and support work on tackling health inequalities.
