Isle of Wight NHS Trust’s Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Team, alongside project management colleagues and the Care Home Support Team have won an award for the ‘Best Covid-19 Remote Monitoring Solution’ at the 2020 Health Tech Digital Awards.
The award celebrates and recognises the rapid implementation of Telehealth remote monitoring and Attend Anywhere, video consultation software, across the Island.
The teams have helped to support the continuation of care for the Island Community throughout the pandemic where people were unable to visit their GP or come into hospital due to the risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
Rollout accelerated
Before the pandemic the team had been working hard to gradually implement the use of Telehealth and video consultations within various services in the community including local care homes, community nursing, speech and language, respiratory and services.
Following the announcement of a national lockdown the team accelerated the rollout of both technologies to try and reduce the risk of transmission of Covid -19 to the most vulnerable Island residents. All nursing and care homes on the Island were given the Telehealth equipment and training to monitor patients remotely and take part in video calls and reduce the need for clinicians to visit in-person.
Edgington: Team really maximised use of TEC
Jen Edgington, Head of Nursing and Quality Community Division, said,
“Our TEC team had already made some great progress in supporting the delivery of technology enabled care prior to the pandemic.
“However since the start of Covid -19, the team have really been able to maximise the use of TEC to support staff and patients.”
All care homes were supplied and trained in Telehealth, a system that allows care home staff to remotely monitor their residents on a range of biometric measures, helping clinicians to identify and treat early signs of deterioration. Following the Covid-19 outbreak the number of care homes able to access Telehealth increased from just 19 to 80.
Martin: Can spot signs of early deterioration in a patient’s condition
Brian Martin, Technology Enabled Care Manager, tells us about just some of the ways technology is changing the way we care for people for the better:
“Tech Enabled Care, has meant that teams can now work remotely whilst being able to provide the same level of care to people in their own homes or in the community which is great news for our patients as they no longer have to come to hospital for their appointment.
“Our clinical teams are able to now spot signs of early deterioration in a patient’s condition, so we can either provide them with advice there and then so they can start to self-manage or advise them to get further advice from their GP or community nurse. So not only is this a better experience for our patients it means they are getting the right care at the right time as well as reducing a potential avoidable hospital admission.”
Alan: Has helped with my confidence and reassured me
Alan, aged 53, was recently discharged from Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth following a life threatening incident. Alan is now back home on the Island and under the care of the Heart Failure Service where a specialist nurse can monitor his symptoms using video consultations.
Alan’s recovery also requires close monitoring of his weight, blood pressure and heart rate to adjust his medication accordingly and this can all been done remotely and without the need for Alan to come to the hospital.
Alan said,
“For a scary episode in my life, being able to see the person you are speaking to from home has helped with my confidence and reassured me that I am going in the right direction.”
Glover: Demonstrates benefits of partnership working
On hearing the news that the team had won the award Emma Glover from the Care Home Support Team said:
“The Care Home Support Team really values working with the Technology Enabled Care Team and supporting them to embed Telehealth in the care homes.
“Sharing this award with them demonstrates the benefits of partnership working and the positive impact this can have on patient care.”
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Team
The use of Attend Anywhere has also been used to provide video consultation appointments within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Team who all see up to 50 people a week.
The video consultation has meant the service has been able to continue without compromising care at a time where levels of anxiety had been affected due to the uncertainty of circumstances around the pandemic.
Martin: A fantastic reflection on everyone’s hard work
Brian continued:
“We are very proud to have won this award as we have all worked together as a team and combined our skills and expertise to produce a great service to support both people in the community and our care.
“This award is a fantastic reflection on everyone’s hard work and it is great to be recognised for our efforts to provide a person centred approach to health and technology care we provide to our Island residents.”
George: Brought greater benefits to community at time of great pressure
Henry George, Project Manager, who entered the team for the award said:
“The Project Management Team were excited to scale up their involvement in the rollout of Attend Anywhere for video consultations, to allow Brian and his TEC team to focus on supporting the adoption of remote monitoring through Telehealth.
“Using these technologies together has brought greater benefits to the community at a time of great pressure. Entering the work for a national award seemed a great way to celebrate all the hard work and I’m so pleased we won!”
News shared by Isle of Wight NHS Trust. Ed
