Maximising clinical resource with digital remote monitoring
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust significantly increased the number of vulnerable patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being digitally monitored at home. This maximised local clinical resources and kept patients out of hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Situation
With concerns around clinical caseloads increasing beyond acute bed capacity during the pandemic, guidance from NHS England advocated using remote monitoring technology to provide care for patients with COPD.
The technology was used to:
- detect early signs of deterioration
- avoid emergency admissions
- allow virtual assessments and reviews to optimise COPD medications
Aspiration
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust wanted to keep additional vulnerable patients out of hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic by using digital technology to provide early detection of deterioration.
The trust wanted to be able to monitor patient vital signs, continuing to maintain care at home.
Digital technology was also used to protect the clinicians themselves by reducing the need for face-to-face contact.
Solution and impact
The Trust enlisted the help of Spirit Digital to provide remote monitoring technology using the CliniTouch Vie platform.
The digital solution was tailored and deployed quickly. Spirit Digital made the technology available to a significantly wider group of patients to help the NHS with its COVID-19 response.
Results included:
- 35.1% reduction in comparable face-to-face home visits
- projected savings of £80,000 over a 6 month period
- 88% of patients reported that CliniTouch Vie had helped them to better self-manage
Functionality
CliniTouch Vie is a web-based platform using risk scoring to provide a real time clinician dashboard.
Patients can:
- log into the platform and answer clinically-approved question sets that are tailored to their condition
- take a range of vital signs, such as blood pressure and oxygen saturation
Clinical teams can:
- video call or message patients within the platform
The platform:
- uses algorithms to analyse the data and produces a red, amber, green rating to generate a prioritised list of actions for clinicians to review
- contains a range of condition-specific, approved education in the form of text, pictures and videos
- can be configured to any disease area or pathway
Capabilities
The digital solution:
- can date and time stamp every interaction
- provides secure messaging and video conferencing
- offers patient education tailored to each condition in digital, audio and video formats
- provides longitudinal health trend data
- provides Bluetooth connectivity to peripherals
- generates a prioritised clinician dashboard
Scope
CliniTouch Vie is designed to be used at home by patients or within a care home by carers, with clinical teams reviewing the data remotely.
Key learning points
- Deployment of digital remote monitoring enables a step-up of clinical capacity.
- Having the answers to the approved questions alongside remotely-monitored vital signs increases the effectiveness of telephone and video consultations.
- The use of digital helped to reduce the need for face-to-face contact. This kept both patients and staff safe.
- Remote monitoring maintained the quality of care for patients in at-risk groups, including COPD and heart failure and reduced admissions.
- Acceptability of patients and clinicians to utilise the technology was very good.
Key quotes
“Maximising resources while providing the best possible levels of clinical care for our vulnerable patients was vital during the pandemic.
Digital technology to enhance care is the key to remotely connecting clinical staff with the most at-risk patients and delivering care to them whilst they are in the safety of their own homes.
We are delighted to have partnered with Spirit Digital once again to provide this service.”
Professor Sudip Ghosh, deputy medical director, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Find out more
Key contact
Alex Woodward, Operational and Transformational Lead, Community Health Services, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Bruce Adams, Sales Director, Spirit Health
Disclaimer
These case studies summarise user and patient experiences with digital solutions along the relevant care pathway. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the apps and digital tools referenced are not supplied, distributed or endorsed by NHS England or the Department of Health and Social Care and such parties are not liable for any injury, loss or damage arising from their use.
All playbook case studies have either passed, or are currently undergoing the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) assessment.
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