North West telehealth pilot cuts emergency admissions by 30%
EMERGENCY admissions have been reduced by 30% and patients have taken more control of their medical conditions following the introduction of telehealth technology in the North West.
The Halton and St Helens Division of Bridgewater Community Health Services has this week revealed the results of a 12-month telehealth pilot project run in conjunction with manufacturer, Tunstall, and Sefton Careline.
Involving 104 patients, the initiative aimed to enhance care provision for people living with long-term conditions such as heart failure, COPD and stroke.
And the results show that the number of emergency hospital admissions was reduced by 30% from 2,800 in 2009/2010, saving an estimated £2.4m.
Deploying the telehealth system for community-based care enabled us to empower patients, reduce anxiety and promote independence, improving overall quality of life
Patients also gave the scheme positive feedback, with 85% believing it led to a greater understanding of their condition, and 79% reporting increased satisfaction as a result of improved health management. In addition, community matrons revealed the number of home visits they made was reduced, enabling them to better prioritise their workload.
Mike Ore, head of service delivery at Bridgewater Community Health Services, said: “Deploying the telehealth system for community-based care enabled us to empower patients, reduce anxiety and promote independence, improving overall quality of life.
“Telehealth also educates patients to be aware of their symptoms and how to pro-actively manage them, reducing part of the pressure on healthcare providers. This can be seen as an excellent example of innovative partnership work.”
As part of the project, 60 telehealth packages were deployed to patients suffering from heart disease, COPD and stroke. These consisted of Tunstall's icp mymedic units and associated additions used to measure vital signs and symptoms. Each day, patients were asked to record their own blood pressure, oxygen levels, weight and temperature and answer a series of health-related questions. The results were automatically transmitted to Sefton Careline, where operators used software to review the statistics and provide support where necessary.
Telehealth has been a great benefit to me. I now know when I'm becoming unwell and it is acted on immediately
David Cockayne, health and social care director at Tunstall, said: “Telehealth provides a vital service to patients with long-term conditions and the excellent leadership by the community health providers and commissioning teams has proven key to its success in delivering a truly first-class service that improves quality of life and helps to maintain independence.”
Following its success, the budget for the project has been increased, with plans to develop it further across more patients.
One man who took part in the trial said: “Telehealth has been a great benefit to me. It helps me manage my condition on a daily basis whereas before if I became unwell I would wait another day to see if my condition improved. Sadly, it never did and I would end up in hospital for long periods of time. I now know when I'm becoming unwell and it is acted on immediately.”