Use of 'Near Me' by Community Pharmacy in Scotland

In this blog about the use of Near Me video consultations in Scotland, Marc Beswick (right) Digital Education and Adoption Lead in the Scottish Government's Digital Health and Care division catches up with Chris Boyle Pharmacy Manager.

They put a spotlight on how Near Me is being used to positive effect on Pharmacy Services in the North of Scotland.

Introduction

Early use of Near Me was tested in a community pharmacy in the North of Scotland in 2017. In a programme called ‘Pharmacy Anywhere’, the forerunner to the establishment of Near Me service as we know it today.

Near Me gives the people of Scotland the choice to attend health, care, and other appointments via video call. It is a web-based platform, nationally procured from Induction HealthCare, and freely available for public sector services. However, as Marc highlights there is variation in how it is being used.

“We continue to find that there is a lot of variation in how it gets used by specialties, different professionals, and across health boards. Pharmacy is a good example of where it has been slow to be adopted. Is that something you can relate to Chris?”

“Yes! Initially, the switch the switch to Near Me was alien. As a community pharmacist, even throughout the pandemic we are used to being patient-facing and it does take a bit of getting used to. But gradually I discovered, there were opportunities where Near Me could add value including improving our workflow with benefits for patients and the Practice.”

Community pharmacy workflow

“In terms of Pharmacy workflow,” Chris explains, ”Near Me allows us to manage our consultation rooms and branches more effectively across the north. We can book in patients and if the workload is heavy or we have unplanned absences, then consultations can be picked up from other branches. I can also get remote peer support from other branches for second opinions, or case discussions which is something that did not happen before our use of Near Me.

“We use our back-office spaces, which are private, for video appointments freeing up our consultation rooms and reducing delays for those that require or choose an in-person consultation.”

“Most patients are booked in advance so I can schedule them at appropriate times to manage along with weekly dispensary workloads. Using Near Me has also resulted in less pressure to consult, prescribe, and dispense for the patient all in one consultation.”

Minor ailments, medication reviews and vaccinations

Reviewing symptoms and recommending over-the-counter medications for common illnesses like colds, coughs, allergies, and skin conditions are other areas where Chris and the Team are making effective use of Near Me. Discussing medications being taken, addressing any concerns, and ensuring they are being used safely and effectively has also been found to be positive. It is safer than using the phone because the pharmacist can see the different medications and not rely on the patient to pronounce them.

Another area is providing support and advice for managing conditions like diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure. Support for pre- and post-vaccination consultations also works well. Assessing suitability for vaccinations, addressing any questions or concerns checking for any side effects, and providing appropriate advice can all be done by video consultations. But what do patients think?

Patient satisfaction and convenience

The Report on the development and current use of Near Me (January 2024) reveals 97% of respondents stating they would use Near Me again and 92% were either happy or very happy with the video call.

This mirrors Chris’s experience of use in Community Pharmacy.

“Near Me is easy to set up and use in Pharmacy and simple for patients to use too. The benefits for patients not having to journey to the pharmacy are obvious. We can review patients from their home, workplace, anywhere, and is especially useful for patients with mobility issues or not able to travel.”

“Patients have fed back that not having to take additional time off work to commute to the pharmacy is helpful. They can just take a short break at the scheduled appointment time, and it all works fine.”

Chris added: “Another example was where we recently did travel consults for all of Thurso (in the far north of Scotland in Caithness) surf club who were going to world championships in Brazil. We were able to arrange individual assessments for each participant by booking a video appointment at appropriate times.”

Chris Boyle is Pharmacy Manager working for the Independent Buchanhaven Group covering Lochardil (Inverness) and Alness (Ross-shire) pharmacies.

For wider use of Near Me

How could Near Me be used in your pharmacy?

If you are a Community Pharmacist in Scotland and want to get set up for Near Me video calls then please visit www.tec.scot/nearme or email [email protected]

Two eLearning modules have been launched recently, the first one is New to Near Me Videos Calls? followed by Near Me: video consultation skills