A significant minority of patients and staff have been unhappy with the rapid shift to technology-based consultations, according to a new study.

A Health Foundation study found that 33% of staff feel that new ways of providing care have reduced quality. Amongst NHS users, 42% said quality of care had been worse and this increased to more than half among over-55s.

The biggest shift has been to the use of phone triage and phone consultations by GPs and practice staff – with 40% of consultations by this means. While video-consultations have remained in the minority, phone consultations have often been supported by use of smartphones to take and transmit images to doctors. The Health Foundation study involved 4,000 British adults and more than 1,000 NHS staff, surveyed by pollsters YouGov.

Tim Horton, from the Foundation, said: “Given the immense pressure the NHS has been under, it is impressive that so many patients and staff reported positive experiences as new technologies were rolled out. However, the fast pace at which they were introduced means that important steps – such as evaluation and co-design with patients – will necessarily have been shortcut. As we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, the NHS must evaluate and improve these approaches before locking them in for the future.”

Mr Horton added: “While the speed of innovation has been hugely impressive, rushing to make these changes permanent without understanding more about their impact would risk holding back promising technologies from fulfilling their potential to improve care for every patient. Action is needed by the NHS and government, who have a critical opportunity to secure a positive health care technology legacy from COVID-19.”