Experiences with developing virtual clinics in a specialist centre

A challenge facing many ophthalmology departments is how to manage the increasing numbers of glaucoma patients efficiently without compromising patient care. There are a number of approaches to meeting the increasing demand for services. One is to increase clinic capacity, which is not a viable long term solution. Another is to implement community eye care schemes, whereby ‘stable’ patients may be discharged from secondary care to be followed up within the community. However, there will always be a number of patients who are not suitable for, or who do not want, community monitoring. These patients need to be managed efficiently within the secondary‐care hospital setting. The 'virtual clinic consultation' has traditionally thought of as a model to manage patients in remote areas, who have limited access to specialist care. However, as information technologies improve, there is scope for this style of 'consultation' to be used within the hospital setting. This talk will discuss the practical aspects of developing a 'virtual' service within a UK National Health Service hospital, the challenges faced, and overcome, when developing the service, and the overall impact the service has had within the Glaucoma Service itself.