Published on the 25th April 2019, the Chief Medical Officer Annual Report is about Personalising Realistic Medicine.
From a Public Health perspective there are many reasons to welcome this report. Firstly it is about personalising care for those who need it most which is an important issue in Highland given the rural and remote nature of this Health Board. Secondly by perusing this approach it ensure that resources are used efficiently, variation across Highland is reduced and waste is eliminated from the system which will then be of benefit to everyone. Thirdly, the ‘NHS Near Me’ is given as an example of an innovative service and can be found on page 10.
Near Me is a new digital service providing outpatient appointments closer to home using video consulting. It was created in response to patient demand to reduce travel to appointments in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. This involved co-design with patients, clinicians and other NHS staff for six months before a process was agreed for scale-up. NHS Near Me scale up began in September 2018. Clare Morrison is the lead for this project.
The report can be accessed via the Scottish Government website.