NHS FORTH VALLEY and other health boards across Scotland are ramping up their use of a ground-breaking system that allows clinicians to consult with patients remotely.

Developed and tested in 2018 and 2019, the Near Me video consulting service was initially used mainly in the Highlands, where distances can be an issue.

Now, its use is being rapidly escalated across Scotland as part of the Covid-19 response.

Remote consultations are being carried out in the first instance by telephone, but Near Me is used if a video link is felt to be more appropriate.

Patients offered a Near Me appointment at home will need to have a device for making a video call, such as a smartphone, tablet or computer with webcam, and a reliable internet connection.

As with any other appointment, patients must first contact their GP practice and it will arrange for an appointment to be booked in the normal manner.

While Near Me is being rolled out in general practice, it's also been used in other disciplines.

In NHS Forth Valley, one of those who has championed Near Me is physiotherapy team lead Nicky Butler.

She has been using the system for the past year but she and her colleagues are now using it for all consultations other than those where face-to-face contact is absolutely necessary.

She said: "Covid-19 has completely changed the way we work but we are finding that our patients totally understand why it's necessary to have video consultations.

"As physiotherapists, we obviously can't touch patients but we can get them to move around so that we can see their range of movement and, obviously, we can give them advice and exercises to do at home.

"At the start we thought that we would have face-to-face consultations at the first appointment, but we now find that is not necessary. Near Me works well and we will be using it more and more as the Covid situation continues."

General information about Near Me can be found online by visiting nearme.scot