21 December 2009
Northern Scotland - using technology to bring pharmacists together
Attending Pharmacy meetings for many Highland pharmacists and
pharmacy technicians is problematic - a six hour round car trip to
the nearest 'local' venue, lack of evening ferries and of course
'the weather' can all conspire to make many journeys
impossible.
To overcome this problem, individuals from NHS Highland and NHS
Western Isles are now videoconferencing into Pharmacy evening
meetings in Inverness. Despite early technical problems, the
most recent evening meeting was the most successful yet, with 40
participants videoconferencing in from 12 remote locations - the
largest videoconference yet hosted by the NHS Highland
Videoconferencing centre. Participants particularly valued
the direct contact with specialists and they in turn welcomed the
opportunity to deliver training to so many pharmacists and
technicians across the Highlands and Islands in one session.
As with any new technology, new ways of working are required
and we are all learning together, both how to deliver training and
how to be trained using this different technology.
This innovation is a collaboration:
With 40% of Scotland's land mass but only 6% of its population, NHS
Highland has invested heavily in the infrastructure to support
quality videoconferencing access for all its staff in remote
communities
Following on from this investment, pharmacists have started to
become familiar with videoconferencing facilities in their local
hospitals and health centres.
Joint working with the committee of the local branch of RPSGB /
Local Practice Forum
For those unable to access direct learning, videoconferencing
provides an opportunity to access the quality training provided by
Pharmacy. An evaluation of this way of working is
planned.
Attending Pharmacy meetings for many Highland pharmacists and
pharmacy technicians is problematic - a six hour round car trip to
the nearest 'local' venue, lack of evening ferries and of course
'the weather' can all conspire to make many journeys
impossible.
To overcome this problem, individuals from NHS Highland and NHS
Western Isles are now videoconferencing into Pharmacy evening
meetings in Inverness. Despite early technical problems, the
most recent evening meeting was the most successful yet, with 40
participants videoconferencing in from 12 remote locations - the
largest videoconference yet hosted by the NHS Highland
Videoconferencing centre. Participants particularly valued
the direct contact with specialists and they in turn welcomed the
opportunity to deliver training to so many pharmacists and
technicians across the Highlands and Islands in one session.
As with any new technology, new ways of working are required
and we are all learning together, both how to deliver training and
how to be trained using this different technology.
This innovation is a collaboration:
- With 40% of Scotland's land mass but only 6% of its population,
NHS Highland has invested heavily in the infrastructure to support
quality videoconferencing access for all its staff in remote
communities
- Following on from this investment, pharmacists have started to
become familiar with videoconferencing facilities in their local
hospitals and health centres.
- Joint working with the committee of the local branch of RPSGB /
Local Practice Forum
For those unable to access direct learning, videoconferencing
provides an opportunity to access the quality training provided by
Pharmacy. An evaluation of this way of working is
planned.