Thousands of people in northern Scotland have already used a new health service which lets them speak to their doctor remotely.
The Near Me telephone and video-calling scheme has been in use in Grampian and the Highlands since 2017, and has now been implemented at every GP surgery in the country.
It means patients can discuss health concerns without the need to travel long distances for an appointment or meet face-to-face.
Plans were already in place to roll out the system nationwide this year, following success in the north, but these were severely escalated as part of the country’s Covid-19 response – instead taking place over just one week.
Clare Morrison, who helped to introduce the system in NHS Highland, now co-leads the national Near Me programme.
She said: “The aim was to improve access to services for patients.
“This included reducing travel to appointments, minimising the time taken off work to attend and making it easier for people who found it difficult to leave home.
“All these aims remain important, but obviously the current focus on the use of Near Me is to reduce infection exposure.”
Patients offered a Near Me appointment need to have an internet connection and device capable of making a video call, such as a smartphone, tablet or computer with webcam.
Assessments are carried out over the phone in the first instance, but a video link can be used if it is deemed more appropriate.
NHS Grampian has been using the service, first known as Attend Anywhere, since late 2017.
Large numbers of patients, including those in Orkney and Shetland requiring appointments with specialists in Aberdeen, have been taking advantage of it.
Gastroenterologist John Thomson, the health board’s digital lead, said: “In my department, prior to Covid-19, our patient-focused service gave the patient choice as to attend by video or in person, with around 20% of consultations by video.
“A survey of the service in in 2018 found that 37% of the patients were taking annual or unpaid leave for an appointment.
“The video service avoided this significant burden on their lives by saving time off work and health miles for travel.”
Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership offered GPs its first training session on the new system last month.
Last week it was used by 1,450 people across primary and secondary care services in Grampian.
Chief officer Sandra MacLeod said: “I want to thank our staff and our partners for supporting the rapid roll-out of Near Me across our services.
“They have all worked together at an amazing pace to get the implementation completed.
“By doing so, they have brought positive benefits for patients and the wider public and helped take a significant amount of pressure off the people who are striving so hard to deliver our services.”