Remote health monitoring scheme is shortlisted for an award
A REMOTE monitoring scheme which has allowed hundreds of patients to be cared for in their own homes instead of hospital has been shortlisted for a national award.
More than 1,000 patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have benefitted since the project was launched in April 2020, as a reaction to the newly emerging pandemic.
Health chiefs claim the patients have experienced “better health outcomes for their long-term conditions” and reduced risks of catching Covid-19, while the NHS has seen reduced pressure on hospital beds.
The project is in the running for the HealthTech category of the HSJ Partnership awards, which champion joint working between healthcare providers and their suppliers.
The winner will be announced on March 24.
The project was a joint initiative between Leicester-based Spirit Health and the two major NHS trusts, University Hospitals of Leicester and Leicestershire Partnership Trust.
The patients involved had a variety of heart or lung conditions, or had been in hospital with Covid-19.
They were given medical devices so they could measure vital indicators such as blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels at home.
This was fed into digital technology platform CliniTouch Vie, supplied by Spirit, and then passed to clinicians. They could see which patients were doing well, and which needed advice or further support including contact with hospital specialists for an expert opinion if required.
In some cases remote monitoring meant patients never needed a hospital appointment. Others could be discharged back to their own home early
. The scheme saved more than 700 bed-days compared with conventional treatments. The oldest patient was 91, with the average age being just under 77.
The remote monitoring service was recommended by 92 per cent of patients.
Zoe Harris, cardio-respiratory service lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “Our approach is to always put the patient at the heart of this process.
“We haven’t thought about organisational boundaries but have instead tried to walk in the patients’ shoes as they move along the care pathway so we fully understand their perspective.
“As a result, I hope we’ve created a model that genuinely supports their needs.
“The success of this service is down to the excellent partnership working with Spirit Digital and the hard work every member of the respiratory, heart failure, rehab and admin teams have put into supporting patients during the pandemic using these digital pathways. Being shortlisted for this national award is a real credit to them.”