NHS doctors believe they should continue to work from home following Covid, as they are able safely care for patients.
British Medical Association, a union of doctors and nurses called for more remote work capacity in an investigation into how the Government handled the pandemic.
The BMA found the UK Government had ‘failed’ to support, protect and promote the medical profession. However, it cited the increased use of remote work as the ‘positive effect’ on the pandemic.
‘The ability of some doctors to work remotely at certain times in the pandemic should be acknowledged, and a hybrid working model for doctors more seriously considered within the UK health service,’ the review reads.
The BMA also stated that 22 percent of members had identified remote work as one of three top solutions for addressing the ‘long-term effects of the pandemic upon the workforce.
Commenting in the review was one GP who said that doctors could be transported between patients on hospital wards by a ‘computer-on-wheels’ which helped them manage their families.
‘Remote consultant ward rounds on a computer on wheels worked well for shielding consultants and the use of remote working had also helped to stem burn out hugely, especially for parents,’ they said.
This request to be flexible in working remotely comes amid an aggressive Government crackdown against the practice, which is meant to increase productivity and revitalize the country’s cities and towns.
According to 55% of doctors, working at home is one solution for increasing the number British medics
In the BMA Review, another GP stated that remote consultations were a great way to get help without seeing patients in person.
‘Remote consultation really helped to show how much can be achieved without face-to-face appointment,’ they said.
‘Contrary to the Government and media, this system was very effective way to triage and so option for the triaging clinician to work from home.’
Discontentment between patients and their general practitioners continues to exist because they have not been able to restore face-to–face attendance levels that were pre-pandemic.
In 2020, remote working programs for doctors and GPs were introduced in an effort to combat the Covid pandemic.
Some were created to assist medics who have health issues that make them more vulnerable to the virus.
Wales Online was told by a 2020 doctor, who had been shielded from Covid that he used a “computer on wheels” to diagnose Neath Port Talbot Hospital patients.
Other options were created to lower the chance of vulnerable patients such as elderly people getting the virus.
Some Cumbria doctors viewed patients at care homes via headsets that contained cameras.
BMA stated that doctors need to be advised about the possibility of remote long-term work.
“If doctors can be made more productive, even for disabled ones or caregivers, then it is worth considering,” they stated.
The union’s review came as official data showed the number of people waiting for routine NHS treatment in England has soared to another high and record numbers are facing ‘frightening waits’ in A&E.
One in nine people (6.4million) were waiting for elective operations such as hip and knee replacements and cataracts surgery by March — up from the 6.18m stuck in February.
Of these 306,000 have been waiting for more than a year for their operation, up 2 per cent and 16,796 have been seeking treatment for more than two years.
Separate data on A&E performance in April shows a record 24,138 people were forced to wait 12 hours or more to be treated, three times longer than the NHS target and the worst figure on record.
Seven out of ten patients received treatment within four hours from arriving at the ‘absolutely crowded’ emergency department. It is slightly lower than last month’s rate and ranks second in terms of patient satisfaction.
Topping 6.36 million people have been waiting in England for routine treatment. NHS data shows one in nine people were in the queue for elective operations such as hip and knee replacements and cataracts surgery by March — up from 6.18m in February
Separate data on A&E performance in April shows a record 24,138 people were forced to wait 12 hours or more to be treated, three times longer than the NHS target and the worst figure on record
Patients are also continuing to struggle to see their family doctors in person, with other NHS data showing just 62 per cent appointments were held face-to-face in March, far below the more than 80 per cent being recorded in 2019.
These figures reveal that almost one-sixth of appointments was completed in less than five minutes.
The latest BMA review comes just nine days after GPs voted against a radical motion to slash their opening hours to between 9am and 5pm following backlash over the plans.
Responding to the Union’s Review, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Care stated: “We are extremely grateful to NHS staff who worked tirelessly during the pandemic and went beyond and beyond in protecting the public.”
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister says it is a hinderance to productivity.
Johnson made the comments in support of Jacob Rees Mogg’s drive to bring civil servants back into Whitehall and to eliminate a culture where they work remotely.