I’d be happy to help a bit with this. I haven’t much formal research to point to, but anecdotally have have done some fairly significant appointment transformation work in a few practices to date. I’ve introduced things like demand-mapped walk-in clinics on certain days, to support more prebookable appointments on other days, introduction of digital triage, and a more radical appointment system giving the GP complete control over appointment lengths each day based on their own digital triage in the morning (this was in a big practice with access issues). Happy to have a chat on the phone to see if I can be useful.

Hi April
I have a few ideas about c)

– My colleague and I shared a summary of evidence on video consultations pre-pandemic https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/blogs/building-the-evidence-base-on-video-consultations
– My colleagues in the Health Foundation have done some brilliant analysis of access to general practice using digital and online tools https://www.health.org.uk/publications/access-to-and-delivery-of-general-practice-services – let me know if you want to get in touch with Geraldine and Arne to discuss this work?
– I know your colleagues at HiS will have links with the NHS Near Me team. The research team they worked with on the evaluation of Near Me (https://www.gov.scot/publications/evaluation-near-video-consulting-service-scotland-during-covid-19-2020-summary-report/documents/) have also done a lot of research on use of video consulting in primary care and in groups. Their planning and evaluation framework is I think essential reading: Greenhalgh T, Rosen R, Shaw SE, Wood G, Wieringa S, Wherton J, Byng R, Rybczynska-Bunt S, Rushforth A and Husain L. (2021) Planning and evaluating remote consultation services (PERCS): a new conceptual framework incorporating complexity and practical ethics. Frontiers in Digital Health: special issue on Digital Health Adoption: Going Beyond the Role of Technology, Frontiers in Digital Health 3:726095. https://doi:10.3389/fdgth.2021.726095 The also published a paper on group video consulting 3. Papoutsi C, Shaw SE & Greenhalgh T. (2022) Delivering care in groups: the development, adoption and spread of group video consulting. British Journal of General Practice, online first, http://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0673 and they’ve just published another insightful paper on information infrastructures for this type of work 5. Wherton J, Shaw SE, Hughes G, Moore L & Greenhalgh T. The role of information infrastructures in scaling up video consultations during Covid-19: a time of opportunity, disruption and exposure. Journal of Medical Internet Research https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/42431

I’m not sure if that is exactly what you are after. I’m not sure if there is substantial evidence yet of which types of appointments are best done face to face, telephone or by video appointments as our assumptions about this went out the window during the pandemic as you and your colleagues well know.

Hi April
I’m the Improvement Lead in the Near Me Programme. Would it be helpful to DM me to arrange a chat with myself and colleagues involved in Primary Care? We’ve recently completed a deep dive in to understand the processes adopted by practices who are high user of video consulting.

Hi April
I work with Rosie. We have also been collating any research, evaluation, and surveys looking into appointment types across the UK. Happy to share. It would be good to chat to Rosie and we can see how we can hopefully assist.

Hi April!! – we now have a steady stream of quality improvement projects being undertaken in scottish primary care practices by medical students. Some of them are related to the issues and topics you highlight. One student had their work on using virtual consultations for dermatology published earlier this year. https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/11/2/e001789 Happy to connect you with my relevant colleagues for more detail if you wish – you can catch me via hs202@st-andrews.ac.uk

Hi April
You might be interested in what we are doing with community pharmacy in Scotland as well as the work with HIS on rheumatology. See Laura McIver at HIS or contact me.
Cheers
Euan

I wanted to thank everyone for your super helpful advice and signposting!! I am rushing about trying to get everything tidied up for going on holiday- long awaited 3 weeks visiting family in the US I havent seen since 2019. I am going to pass all this information on to one of my team members who will most likely be in touch. Thanks again. April