Patients and health staff across England are set to benefit from a comprehensive online health and care video library, originating from Torbay.
With the aim of making it easier for patients to access trusted health information and guidance remotely, the first ever national online library of over 600 health videos will benefit both patients and clinicians alike across England.
The Health and Care Video Library has been professionally produced by Health and Care Innovations (HCI), an innovative partnership formed between Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and Rocklands Media Ltd.
A six-month licence for NHS staff has been secured by NHSX, the organisation driving improvements in health and social care by giving people the technology they need, as part of their COVID-19 response.
The clinically assured videos in the library have been developed and signed off by NHS clinicians working at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and in health organisations across the UK. Each video has been designed to offer a practical alternative to written information and cover topics and conditions from pregnancy to podiatry.
The move to expand the library’s accessibility nationally recognises the value of video as an accessible resource to patients and health professionals during the pandemic, which has accelerated the adoption of digital solutions to managing health and care.
Phil Keeling, Consultant Cardiologist and Research Lead for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have found that patient information videos definitely help improve the quality of life for our patients. They do this by informing patients about their condition and enabling them to manage it themselves through safe the visual trustworthy and understandable professional advice.
“Patients and staff have realised that the videos are so useful that we’ve seen a reduction in the need for face-face sessions prior to cardiac procedures.
“In these difficult times patient videos also enhance the effectiveness of the contact patients have remotely with a specialist nurse over the phone or through online video apps. I anticipate a huge growth in this field over the next few years.”
Patients have also responded positively to the introduction of video with many commenting on the benefits of an easily accessible visual resource that can be revisited at any time.
Lily, Rheumatology Patient at Torbay and South Devon, said: “You can’t always retain information but if you’ve got in on a screen that you can get at quickly, it’s so helpful. We have booklets and information leaflets and you’re told by the consultant or the nurses, but it’s retaining that, and it’s finding the books, whereas everybody carries their phone around, or it’s in the house with them.”
Liz Davenport, Chief Executive at the Trust, said: “I am very proud of what we have achieved here in Torbay which is now recognised as a nationally important resource. I am really excited to support the launch of the HCI video library which is an innovative way of helping our patients and service users receive the right care at the right place for them.”
Richard Wyatt-Haines, Director of HCI, said: “We’ve seen great things happen in health when simple digital solutions are implemented effectively. Now, more than ever, we can help utilise our content to reduce outpatient demand, increase prevention and self-care and facilitate remote consultations. It is a joy for us as a partnership to share the resource we have created more widely so more patients can benefit.”
