Minister Daly at Sligo University Hospital for the ‘Attend Anywhere’ Pain Clinic

Sligo University Hospital welcomed Jim Daly TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People, to the hospital this week to view the new ‘Attend Anywhere’ Pain Clinic in action which allows patients to connect directly with clinical staff from the comfort of their own home.

Patients and doctors at the hospital can now connect online using a secure platform to discuss their condition just as if they were attending the hospital for their appointment.

Dr Richard Skelly, Pain Clinic SpR who was involved in introducing the ‘Attend Anywhere’ technology said, “We are the first hospital in the country to use this technology to help our patients. It has been used extensively through the UK and Australia and allows us to talk to our patients and even connect by video.

“The catchment area of the hospital is very large and many patients have long distances to travel which may be difficult for them. The aim of this initiative is to alleviate the strain of long-distance travel for patients who need to attend for chronic pain clinic appointments and to reduce the frequency of their visits to the hospital.”

Grainne McCann, General Manager, SUH said, “We were delighted to welcome Minister Daly to the hospital this week to see in person how technology can be used to improve patients’ access to the hospital and the clinical staff and also has the potential to be used by other services in the hospital, once it has been fully established in the Pain Clinic.”

Photo caption:
Minister Jim Daly TD visited Sligo University Hospital to see the ‘Attend Anywhere’ Pain Clinic tele-consultation in use. From left: Dr Mai O'Sullivan; Mr Tony McLoughlin TD; Mr Jim Daly TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People; Dr Therese O’Connor; and Dr Richard Skelly.