Tele-healthcare first for patients

Up to 120 patients will be recruited and will be split into a mixture of short term and long term telehealth monitoring.

Patients will take their observations in the morning each day and answer some simple questions about how they are feeling.

“These will be uploaded to a monitoring system where alerts will be generated if the patient’s observations or answers fall outside the agreed parameters set by their GP or consultant.

The Trust’s Urgent Care Desk will contact patients who generate an alert to complete a more in depth assessment and then follow an agreed care plan set by the GP or consultant.

The aim is to test the effectiveness of telehealth monitoring and health coaching, for patients with long term conditions, to support improved management of their condition in their own home, or within a residential care setting.

It will also aim to improve co-ordination of care for patients recently discharged from hospital, in order to reduce risk of re-admission.

Working in partnership with Closercare, this telehealth project is a first for an ambulance services in England and Wales and will run for a six month period until June.

An NWAS spokesman said: “This project will help patients to stay well for longer, promote greater self-care and enable patients to receive more personalised care closer to home.”