CASE STUDIES - QUESTIONNAIRE
LEAD ORGANISATION (contact) + PARTNERS
NHS Grampian
1. Which Organisation is
responsible for the project?
2. Who can be contacted for Cathy Dorrian, 01224 558 481, cathy.dorrian@gpct.grampian.scot.nhs.uk
more information?
3. Which other partners were Consultant Neurologists, IT, Telemedicine staff, Finance, NHS Belfast,
South Eastern Health Board (Ireland), NHS Orkney, Patients
involved, if any?
PROJECT TITLE + DATES
4. What is the project title
and when did it start and
finish?
5. If still in progress, what is
the current status and
expected finish date?
North of Scotland Telemedicine Outpatient Service for Neurology
July 2005 – May 2006
The project has finished but the innovations put in place are continuing to
benefit patients in Aberdeen and Orkney
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
6. Briefly describe the project To test the potential for new ways of working in Neurology which maximises
access and the use of technology to remote and Island communities whilst
reducing waiting times for services.
To achieve this the project team introduced a tele-neurological link between
4 sites and developed specialist nurses in NHS Aberdeen and NHS Orkney
to assist with this process and treat patients with specific neurological
conditions.
7. What are the principal
objectives of the project?
Provide a Neurological Tele-link between Aberdeen, Belfast, Waterford
General Hospital (Ireland) and Orkney
To reduce neurological waiting times in the North of Scotland
To improve access of neurological services in a rural setting
8 If available, estimate cost
of project
9. Include or attach any
important technical
information
£136,500 revenue start up costs
The telemedicine link required extensive technical support to link to the
three sites outside of Aberdeen. Technical equipment was also required
but much of this was already in place.
“GOOD PRACTICE” FEATURES
10.
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

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The innovative use of an IT solution to address the needs of a patients in remote areas. NHS
Grampian provides all consultant neurological cover for NHS Orkney and so it is reliant on either
patients travelling to Aberdeen or the consultant to Orkney. The Tele-neurological service allows
consultant appointments without the travel and patient and staff satisfaction surveys demonstrate
that this is a preferable option. It reduces both the time and the cost of providing these services.
Building of a partnership between all four centres. Communication between the four centres was
extremely difficult and had to be address in a systematic way. The project team arranged face to
face meetings for staff to learn how to use the equipment and regular video conference meetings.
They also facilitated the contact of respective IT departments to ensure that IT equipment would work
during patient consultations.
Involving the patient at all stages of the process. The project tested a new form of consultation
that patients would not have experienced before. The patients were selected from the waiting list
and contacted prior to the appointment. The project team produced information leaflets for those
patients that agreed to be part of the trial. The patients were then contacted individually to confirm
they were happy to be part of the process and they fully understood the process. Patients were also
offered a second face to face consultation if they wished and all were followed up.
Use of specialist nurse led services to deliver healthcare in the community. The project team
developed specialist neurological nurses in both NHS Grampian and NHS Orkney. These healthcare
professionals are able to provide specialists services in a community setting. Not only do the nurses
provide services in the community but they can be seen quickly as they have low waiting times. By
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CASE STUDIES - QUESTIONNAIRE
seeing appropriate patients they reduce the pressure on consultant services who would have
traditionally seen these patients.
LESSONS & BARRIERS TO BE OVERCOME
Communication was extremely tough and time consuming as the project
11. Learning Points?
timescale did not leave any scope for missed opportunities.
OPPORTUNITIES & LINKAGES
Any organisation that is implementing innovative services based on
16. Who else can benefit
assessing the needs of rural and remote areas
from this learning? How
transferable is this to other
organisations?
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CASE STUDIES - QUESTIONNAIRE
SUMMARY TO INCLUDE IN THE TOOLKIT
The North of Scotland tele-medicine service set out to reduce the waiting times for a neurological
outpatient appointment and improve access to services for patients in remote or rural settings. The team
set up tele-neurological links between four sites, NHS Belfast, the South Eastern Health Board (Ireland),
Aberdeen and NHS Orkney. The team also developed nurse led specialist services in Aberdeen and
Orkney to provide specialist care for a range of neurological conditions in the community. These new
services have helped to reduce overall waiting times for consultant appointments in Aberdeen but have
also led to specialist services being delivered in rural communities. This has reduced the amount of time
and travel for both patients and healthcare professionals.
More details of the project are from cathy.dorrian@gpct.grampian.scot.nhs.uk
This project demonstrates best value in
Responsiveness & Consultation
Sound management of resources
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