Near Me Video Consultations

Overview

The Scottish Government team behind Near Me has launched a major engagement exercise and public survey to find out what people think about the service and how it might be improved for the future.  Alongside this contact is being  made with a wide range of stakeholders including third sector, health and social care charities, patient and carer organisations, health boards, local authorities, health and social care partnerships, public sector organisations, professional bodies and staff who provide the service.

Why your views matter

The use of video consultations in Scotland has rapidly escalated since the Covid-19 pandemic started. Prior to March, there were around 300 video appointments using the Near Me system, by June, there were almost 17,000 every week, with around 150,000 in total.

Building on this and looking to the future the Scottish Government has produced a vision that all health and care consultations in Scotland are provided by Near Me whenever it is appropriate.

To raise awareness about the vision a major engagement exercise will take place across Scotland. The purpose is to find out what people think about having their appointments by Near Me and how it might be improved for the future. We already know quite a lot about the experiences of people who have used Near Me - from the popup survey at the end of a video appointment – but we are less certain as to the range of reasons as to why people have not used Near Me.

What happens next

We are hosting this consultation on behalf of Near Me, who will feedback through their website - wwwnearme.scot