Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, together with Health and Care Videos, are spearheading the way in which healthcare professionals are implementing the use of video as part of their chosen treatment pathway.
This successful partnership has provided the Trust with an extensive range of digital resources available on their public facing website. No other trust in the UK has access to such an extensive amount of digital healthcare information.
There are over 200 videos linked between 25 specialties and departments within the Trust and this number is increasing as other departments commission Health and Care Videos to produce even more. These videos are a valuable tool for all who work within the Trust and provide support for patients and carers.
Patients can easily find all of the Trust’s videos on their website by going to the main Services page, where a ‘department’ called ‘Videos’ links all the departments and specialities that have videos in their treatment pathways.
Video provides simple messages and guidance to help patients understand their treatment programme in an easily accessible way. Patients can engage actively in their care by accessing the information wherever they are on their Smart phone, tablet or computer, at work, home or within the care environment, in a way that they can understand.
Some of the specialties within the Trust are using links to videos on their patient appointment letters whilst others are showing their videos on screens in reception areas.
The Trust’s Fracture Clinic uses video alongside their Virtual Trauma Triage service, and the Healthy Lifestyles team are looking to initiate automated video emails as part of the Diabetes Education Programme.
Not only are the videos supportive in patient-centred care, but a range of videos are also being used within the teaching environment as aids in the classroom. Teaching staff have access to videos in areas such as diabetes, tissue viability, the hip and knee replacement service and occupational therapists are using videos, not only to teach staff, but carers and patients.
All the videos produced have the option to switch to online subtitles, and there is currently one maternity video ‘Your Schedule of Care’ with Polish subtitles, which is proving very popular with pregnant mums in the Trust’s Polish community. There are plans to produce more videos with Polish subtitles in the future.
The Trust’s maternity team have also linked up with GPs to ensure that videos, within the maternity series, are shared with mums-to-be as early as possible in their pregnancy.
The Trust are currently working with GP practices, trialing a test referral system, to enable GPs to be able to use video at the point of referral or diagnosis.
Further future plans, for the Trust, include using video in conjunction with Patient Knows Best (PKB) for the whole of the Breast Care Service.
The Trust have illustrated how video can be utilised effectively with such a vast range of uses and methods of implementation within treatment pathways benefiting patients, communities, healthcare providers and Trusts.
With ongoing plans for the future success of the Trust’s digital development with Health and Care Videos not only highlights video’s diversity, accessibility, simplicity and cost-effectiveness but its power and its relevance today, enabling patients to be better equipped to lead themselves towards a programme of self-care.
If you’re interested in using video in your own Trust, then take advantage of our ‘6 months free‘ offer where the library can be accessed and videos personalised for you to test within your organisation.
