Six new ‘virtual clinic pods’ have opened at the London’s Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead – providing a bespoke private space for around 600 remote consultations per week.
The sound-proof pods – located in the hospital’s new telemedicine centre on the ground floor – mean there is more capacity for face-to-face clinics in other parts of the hospital. Paula Moreira, assistant operations manager for outpatient services, said: “Until now, virtual clinics have been carried out in clinic rooms, which isn’t a good use of space. These new pods mean that clinic areas are freed up for face-to-face consultations. The pods are private and spacious, with natural light, as well as administrative support throughout the day, so we hope clinical colleagues will enjoy using this space.”
Royal Free Hospital CEO, John Connolly, officially opened the telemedicine centre on 20 November. He said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to Paula and the team, who have worked so hard to get the telemedicine centre up and running. It’s an incredible new space and frees up clinic space in other areas of the hospital. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement.”
