About the Course

This course explores the emerging technologies which have been shown to support patient care. Additionally, it considers the potential operational challenges of embracing new technology.   


This course is a fantastic support to help frontline teams in general practice and other healthcare settings develop their digital delivery of care. The course will explore the use of apps, video-consultations, Facebook or telehealth to provide different modes of clinical consultation. It will also explore how to empower patients to take more responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, thereby preventing deterioration of their long-term conditions or improving their lifestyle habits. The course also provides a platform for enabling patients to understand more about their condition through intelligent access to Patient Online or by interaction with trusted information about their condition or lifestyle, via apps or recommended websites.   


The aims of the course are:

  1. To enable patient empowerment of their long-term condition(s) or adverse lifestyle habit(s) via technology-enabled care services or TECS as we will abbreviate this to from now on.
  2. To overcome the challenges and persist with adoption of TECS as a mode of delivery for usual care.
  3. To strive to deliver best clinical practice via shared decision-making with patients.
  4. To learn from others’ experience of adopting TECS.


This learning resource underpins the digital quality standards we have established to recognise NHS delivery teams/organisations that have shown a commitment to adopt the use of TECS for patients/citizens in relation to their long-term conditions or lifestyle habits. 

This course approximately takes 3.5 hours to complete.

Personal Data Transfer Re

Please note that this course has been constructed in conjunction with the CliniTECs team, the Authors, West Midlands Academic Health Science Network and Redmoor Publishing. If you are undertaking this course as part of the CliniTECs training programme and have signed up with a coupon code, your personal data will be transferred to the CliniTECs Team. This will include:

  • Name
  • Sign up details
  • Course progression
  • Course completion


You are required to agree to these terms in order to progress with the course. If you have purchased this course outside of the CliniTECs programme, your data will not be transferred to the CliniTECs Team. 

Please note...

Whilst every effort has been made to include accurate and up-to-date information about legal requirements, IT infrastructure and other resources such as hyperlinked websites, knowledge and understanding are constantly evolving and being updated. So, use the content of this course to learn more about how you can adopt or enhance your use of digital healthcare and weigh up the choices, information and guidance for your own circumstances. The content is not a substitute for national advice and guidance from professional or regulatory organisations. The inclusion of named agencies, websites, companies, services or publications does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement.

About the Authors

Ruth Chambers

Professor, GP, OBE

Professor Ruth Chambers, OBE, has been a GP for more than 30 years. She has held many lead roles in academia and with the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Department of Health. Her various clinical interests have all focused on disseminating best practice in healthcare. Currently she is the clinical Chair of Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group and clinical lead for the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network’s Long Term Conditions Network.

Marc Schmid

Marc’s career has spanned over 20 years in media and communications. He has worked as a PR adviser to a member of the European Parliament and member of the UK Parliament with other senior level working across communications in local government and the NHS. He is a director of the social enterprise, Redmoor Health, and has delivered digital projects across education, the NHS and local government for the last 10 years. He has worked across the West Midlands and North-West England developing the use of social media in primary and secondary care settings, as well as training and developing health and social care staff to use digital modes of delivery as part of the transformation agenda.

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    1. About the course

    • Medics.Academy course outline

    • Introduction

    • About the course

    • About Dr Ruth Chambers

    • Context

    • About Marc Schmid

    • GDPR Transfer of data to CliniTECs
  • 2

    2. Technology-enabled care

    • Where we are now

    • Technology-enabled care

    • Virtual access to patient records

    • Telephone consultations

    • Email healthcare services
  • 3

    3. Person centred care

    • Person centred care

    • Digital Quality Mark

    • Key elements of quality mark- the 7 'C's

    • What does the quality mark look like?
  • 4

    4. Video consultation

    • Context

    • Clinician perspective - Dr Amit Arora

    • Video Consultations - Marc Schmid

    • Challenges

    • Skype: Clinician perspective - Dr Raju Valasapalli

    • Skype: Patient and clinician perspective - Dr Raju Valasapalli

    • Skype: Residential care - Helen Lingham
  • 5

    5. Apps

    • Introduction to Apps

    • NHS apps library

    • Pain app - Stephen Dent

    • Apps: looking forward

    • Expert perspective - Luke Bracegirdle

    • Manage Your Health app demonstration - Ann Hughes

    • Patient perspective - Dave
  • 6

    6. Social media

    • Introduction to Social Media

    • Social media strategy - Five ‘W’s

    • Creating advocates

    • Handling Criticism

    • Facebook

    • Atrial Fibrillation closed Facebook group: Clinician perspective - Jodie Williams

    • Multiple Sclerosis group: Clinician perspective - Nikki Embrey

    • Heart Conditions group: Clinician perspective - Sonya Lockett

    • Atrial Fibrillation group: Patient perspective - John

    • Multiple Sclerosis group: Patient perspective - Lyndsey

    • Managing Facebook groups
  • 7

    7. Telehealth

    • Introduction

    • Type and range of Telehealth

    • Flo Telehealth

    • Flo Telehealth: clinician perspective - Ann Hughes

    • Flo Telehealth: Practice perspective - Ian

    • Flo Telehealth demonstration - Chris Chambers

    • Flo Telehealth: Patient perspective - Dave
  • 8

    8. Wearable technology

    • Introduction

    • New technologies and devices
  • 9

    9. Assistive technology

    • Introduction

    • Telecare uptake
  • 10

    10. Conclusion

    • Disclaimer

    • Conclusion