As part of Better Care Together, Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC) has created a short film introducing the new virtual out of hours GP appointments that can be offered by a state of the art video link between Millom Community Hospital and Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC) headquarters in Carlisle.
This development for patients in Millom is thanks to work done within the Millom Alliance including a partnership between Better Care Together and Cumbria Health on Call (CHOC).
Susan Blakemore, Chief Executive for CHOC said: “CHOC is delighted to be leading on technology enabled care for patients living in remote and rural areas during the ‘Out of Hours’ period. This is Innovative and patient focused and it means that patients can be treated as near to their own homes as possible.”
The new video technology based in Millom Community Hospital means that on Saturdays between 9.00am and 1.30pm, suitable patients can be offered the option of a consultation with a CHOC GP via a video link.
By using technology based on a high definition video screen and webcam, the 'Out of Hours’ GP from Carlisle can assess the patient without physically being in the same room as them. The aim of the service is to provide the public with fast, secure access to health care professionals, without having to travel in order to do so.
Using video technology to deliver healthcare not only reduces the amount of travel time and effort required, it potentially means that CHOC are able to see an increased number of patients per day. The short film has been produced to promote the service and to ensure the Millom community are aware of this exciting development that’s right on their doorstep.
The film explains how people can access the service, when it is available and what type of conditions it can be used for. Susan Blakemore added: “This short film will help to promote the new service and will support a wider rollout of telehealth consultations for the population in Cumbria.”
The film is available on the Better Care Together YouTube channel at