Despite substantial advances in medicine and technology over the last century, the modern outpatient experience remained largely unchanged, until March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced services to deliver care in new and innovative ways.

In this session, colleagues from the NHS England and NHS Improvement Outpatient Transformation Programme reflect on the transformation to date and the opportunities for further change that can not only support restoration and recovery, but also deliver long-term benefits to staff and patients.

Colleagues will share how NHS trusts across England rapidly rolled out video consultations in response to the pandemic and consider what else can be done to transform outpatient care, including how a patient initiated follow up (PIFU) approach can be used to empower patients.

This session forms part of the Protecting Health, Improving Health feature zone, which is supported by NHS SCW.