{
  "abstract": "Background The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the uptake of virtual outpatient appointments. Five years later, however, many specialties lack consistent criteria for determining when care should be delivered face-to-face versus virtually. Without a clear framework, services risk reverting to pre-pandemic processes, limiting opportunities to bring care closer to home ( figure 1).Methods In September 2024, a pilot programme invited specialties to co-design criteria for virtual versus in-person appointments. Surgical and medical teams participated in onboarding workshops to map current processes, establish real-time dashboards, and identify decision points in patient pathways. Alongside localised improvements, pan-Trust priorities emerged to enable sustainable virtual care, including safeguarding guidance, flexible booking templates, improved interpreting services, MDT support, and functionality within MyGOSH for patient self-booking. This work has been co-designed with patients and families through GOSH Voice and PREMs, while aligning closely with the Health Inequalities Programme and Complex Patients QI Project.Results A resource package has been developed to support consistent, patient-centred adoption of virtual care. The Cystic Fibrosis team designed a triage tool, with EPIC integration planned for October 2025. MyGOSH self-booking for virtual anaesthetic pre-operative assessments will pilot in September 2025, potentially allowing up to 80% of APOA appointments to be delivered virtually thereby reducing administrative burden. Alongside this, we are working with families to shape safeguarding guidance, co-develop patient education materials tailored to virtual settings, and refine booking templates to better balance flexibility with equity of access.Conclusion This project demonstrates how virtual models extend specialist care beyond hospital walls, supporting families in their own homes and communities. By embedding clinically led decision-making and co-designed solutions, virtual appointments can improve access, equity, and patient experience, whilst reducing travel and increasing efficiency. Spreading these improvements Trust-wide will help sustain high-quality, family-centred care and deliver on national priorities for care closer to home.Abstract 57 Figure 1",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Rhiannon Follett"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Caitlin McGovern"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Nick James"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Alastair Hill"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Catherine Peters"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Duncan Shepherd"
    }
  ],
  "title": "57 Creating clinically driven and patient centred criteria for virtual appointments",
  "uid": "9485c286-2048-5f2e-ba09-a3aeccba4bb9"
}