HSJ Value in Healthcare Awards 2016: Telehealth

Telehealth

Winner: Sunderland CCG

On studying emergency admissions and ambulance call outs to care homes in the Sunderland area, it was identified many residents could be safely managed at home if the right tools, training and infrastructure was in place. The CCG therefore introduced tablet computers into care homes, which help staff to effectively monitor residents’ wellbeing.

NEWS makes it possible to quickly identify when a person’s condition is deteriorating, and so intervene early

They use the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), which involves assigning a pre-determined risk score to a patient’s vital signs data and then calculating an overall score. Nutrition assessments and pain scores are also carried out.

NEWS – which is also now used by all healthcare providers in the local area – makes it possible to quickly identify when a person’s condition is deteriorating, and so intervene early. Its introduction has supported care home staff to move from a reactive to proactive way of working.

Judges’ comment: A high quality, well planned, innovative project established to meet the needs of older people living in residential care. High levels of integrated planning and inter-agency cooperation with positive outcomes for patients and the service overall, resulting in high standards of care and reductions in unnecessary admissions to hospital.

Highly commended: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board