Readers panel: Are smartphone consultations a threat to traditional GP services?
A 24-hour service offering GP consultations via video link or smartphones has been launched for NHS patients in greater London. Nursing Standard readers have their say
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Stephanie Cumming is a practice nurse and trainee advanced nurse practitioner in Warwickshire
There is a desperate need to reduce pressure on traditional GP services, and I welcome initiatives to achieve this. But I am concerned that the introduction of smartphone consultations is simply papering over the cracks, and some patients, such as older people who may not be able to use this technology, will be discriminated against. With telephone or video consultations, there is also the risk that clinicians may not pick up on subtle nuances in the same way as in face-to-face consultations.
Rachel Kent is a mental health nurse in London
There will always be a
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