Episode 228 - Podcast – Jessica Hollingsworth & Nick Sharples – Digital group consultations

Group consultations are a relatively new concept in primary care, but one GP has taken this a step further and in the wake of the pandemic, has introduced digital group consultations at her practice. Dr Jess Hollingsworth of Linthorpe Surgery in Middlesbrough, in partnership with podcast favourite Nick Sharples of DNA Insight, saw that there was a need to better support patients recovering from Covid. Together, they decided that giving patients access to an online consultation, in the company of other individuals also struggling with the long term impact of the virus, might offer some much needed insight into its effects, whilst giving them a safe route of access to an individual consultation and to a potential network of support going forwards. Here, they talk to Ben about how the idea came about, the preparation that is required, how the consultation works in practice and what the impact has been overall on the patients that have taken part.

 

Introductions (34 secs)

 

Making the transition to virtual group consultations (55 secs)

 

The definition of a digital group consultation and its structure (1 min 29 secs)

 

Timings and patient consult allocation (2 mins 25 secs)

 

Which patient group/s were targeted and why? (2 mins 53 secs)

 

What preparation is required? (3 mins 21 secs)

 

The role of the facilitator (4 mins 7 secs)

 

Governance and consent (4 mins 46 secs)

 

Recommended group size and numbers (5 mins 56 secs)

 

A group consultation in practice (7 mins 21 secs)

 

After care (8 mins 26 secs)

 

How social prescribing link workers can help (9 mins 40 secs)

 

Patient feedback (10 mins 30 secs)

 

Reflections from a practice perspective (11 mins 40 secs)

 

Technical challenges (12 mins 34 secs)

 

Which online platform works best and why? (13 mins 19 secs)

 

Lessons learned (14 mins 36 secs)

 

Advice from Nick for practices who are in setting up a digital group consultation (15 mins 43 secs)

 

The Personalised Care Institute and the support and training on offer (17 mins 12 secs)

 

Where can I find out more about virtual group consultations? (18 mins 28 secs)

 

Further support for patients recovering from Covid-19 (19 mins 14 secs)

 

A link to the case study on Linthorpe Surgery’s digital group consultation pilot (which Nick references) can be found here