NHS Digital rolled out the Microsoft Teams application to 1.3m users with NHSmail accounts between 16-20 March this year. The application can be used for virtual meetings, audio and video calls, as well as secure instant messaging.

Chris Parsons, who runs NHSmail at NHS Digital, said: “The use of remote messaging and meeting technology like MS Teams has proven to be essential for NHS organisations during the pandemic.

“Many doctors and nurses have had to work remotely to provide effective care, especially to those patients who have been self-isolating, and technology like this can help make it possible.

“There has been a seismic shift in how organisations work over the last few months, and these figures show that the appetite for digital collaboration has increased exponentially over that time, becoming part of the fabric of working life on the front lines.”

Last week, NHS Digital announced that the NHS has held 13.194 million meetings through the Teams app.

Nikki Jeffery, Urology Fellow at UCLH said, “Teams has brought our health professionals together, not only to help us abide by the current restrictions on meeting sizes, but as a practical tool to allow clinicians from many different specialities and departments as well as our multi-disciplinary teams to work together remotely. 

“This has allowed for fantastic teaching for junior doctors, has been ideal for allowing input from staff at multiple sites at once and, most importantly, helped us to provide a high level of care for our patients.”

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