Video brings hospital care to village

THE advance of video technology mean patients living in Grassington can now see a hospital consultant in their local community centre.

They will no longer have to travel to Airedale Hospital at Steeton for their regular clinical appointments as part of a new tele-medicine outpatient service offered in the Dales village because they will be able to discuss their long-term condition with a consultant on screen by video link.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has placed the telemedicine equipment in a private room within the village’s new community hub.

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This will be used to carry out follow-up consultations with people who have a range of long term conditions starting with diabetes.

The new facility based at the hub at 2 Garrs Lane, Skipton, is opening its doors for visitors to the Grassington Festival on Wednesday, June 22 between 1pm and 3.30pm to demonstrate to the general public how its new service works.

NHS bosses say it has been successfully piloted with diabetic patients and the long-term plan is to develop clinics in other key locations such as Colne, Bingley, Ilkley and Keighley.

Tele-health technologies are being used widely to manage patients with long-term conditions such as diabetes, chronic chest disease and heart failure.

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The technology enables enable patients to be cared for while staying in their own homes, reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

As well as providing a more convenient service to patients closer to their homes, it saves time and money as they no longer have to travel to hospital.

Dr Richard Pope, a consultant and director of innovation research and development at Airedale Hospital said: “As a practising consultant I am really excited about how technologies will help change the way care is delivered in the future and offer better and more personal care to patients.

“I have seen first hand how my diabetic patients can benefit from telemedicine and live independently and safely, whilst effectively managing their health and wellbeing.

“We are able to see blood test and X-ray results as well as being able to see and speak with our patients.”

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