The challenge
- When a care home resident requires clinical intervention, it can often mean visits to or from external care settings which increases infection risk.
- At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, North East London recognised that keeping residents safe and well in their care homes, and preventing avoidable hospital admissions and visits to care homes from external clinicians was a priority.
- The increasing pressure on the NHS means that it has become more important than ever to increase capacity in hospitals.
- Finding ways to reduce avoidable hospital visits and admissions, support earlier hospital discharge of patients and reduce delayed transfers of care in the confidence that patients’ needs will be met in the care home, can support this and ultimately support the NHS with elective recovery.
Solution
Inhealthcare’s remote patient monitoring service means that care home residents in North East London can be connected to their GPs using the latest healthcare technology.
It helps clinicians to identify patients at risk of developing health problems and intervene early with treatment, reducing the likelihood of hospital admission.
The service connects primary care networks with up to 215 care homes in Barking and Dagenham, City and Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.
Residents in care homes are often reliant on carers to communicate their needs to their GP but carers have mixed levels of medical knowledge.
The new service enables carers to gather vital signs readings from residents and submit these for automatic triage via the Inhealthcare Professional app. By routinely taking observations, care home staff gain a greater understanding of their residents.
Results
- To date more than 600 patients have been registered on to the service.
- The service provides structure to and improvements in clinical communications between care homes and GP’s
- Digitising the service saves time and frees up care home staff to focus on other tasks.
- By enabling earlier intervention, residents are at less risk of deterioration and hospital admissions will reduce.
- Avoiding unnecessary travel by reducing hospital visits and admissions, and visits by external clinicians to care homes, reduces carbon emissions and air pollution.