Thermology Health, the thermal imaging diagnostics company, announced today that Christopher Langley, an experienced CEO, Chairman, and NED has been appointed to the Thermology Health board. Thermology Health has developed a solution to help prevent diabetic foot ulcers – one of the top complications of diabetes.

Christopher brings a strong track record in both the retail and healthcare sectors. He is currently Chair of Hospital Services Group Ltd, a distributor of hi-tech medical equipment and Clearview Endoscopy both backed by PE fund Foresight Group, as well as MSK and Pain community healthcare provider Connect Health backed by LDC.

Christopher started his retail career in 1981 selling cameras and video equipment in an electronics store in London. Some years later he went on to run Dixons, the leading electronics retailer, where he held the post of Managing Director of the £850m Dixons store chain. Later he was appointed turnaround CEO of the 300 store Jessops PLC chain, where he successfully led a turnaround and restructuring of the business.

In 2008 Christopher moved to the healthcare sector, where he joined the board of the North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust, and was later appointed by Monitor, the NHS Hospitals regulator as Chairman of three NHS acute hospitals, over a period of 5 years. He was also CEO of healthcare company Asteral Ltd, a market leading outsource supplier to the NHS of radiology equipment and facilities infrastructure, where he doubled EDITDA and led a highly successful sale of the business.

Of the appointment Chair of the board Dr Peter Thompson said:

“I look forward to working together with Christopher on Thermology Health’s board to aid the organisation in its mission to revolutionise the use of thermal imaging in healthcare.”

Yuval Yashiv CEO of Thermology Health said

”I am delighted to welcome Christopher to our board where his experience and expertise will offer us invaluable insight and support in our efforts to offer a solution to this major complication of diabetes.”

Christopher Langley, Non-Executive Director said:

“Thermology Health is on a mission to improve the early diagnosis of diabetic foot ulcers and I’m delighted to join a team of experts who are working to deliver a revolutionary technology.”

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misty the smart cloud: 4 in 1 night light

Introducing misty the smart cloud, 4 in 1: Nursery thermometer, sleep inducing light show, sleep trainer and personal assistant, all combined into one super cute and super smart product. Misty links to a mobile phone app meaning you can easily monitor your baby’s sleep environment, together with controlling her functions wherever you may be!

We were able to test this product and it is still our favorite night light that we use every night for our baby.

Find out more here

non-contact infrared baby thermometer

Easily get temperature results within 2 seconds, after pointing the thermometer to the target from a distance of within 1cm to 5cm. The advanced infrared temperature sensor with high sensitivity ensures highly accurate readings, giving you peace of mind that you are providing the very best possible care for your family. Quickly identify a fever with the smiley face and colour backlight system enabling you to take swift and appropriate action. A temperature in the normal range will show green with a smiley face – giving you the reassurance that all is well. If the temperature is above the normal range, the LCD will show yellow or red with a sad face. The thermometer is also easy to read in the dark, so is ideal to use when your baby or child is asleep, plus it can be muted so that it does not disturb your little one while they are sleeping. It also has 2 different modes so it can be used on both body and surface – meaning you can measure the temperature of not only your baby but their milk as well! The thermometer comes with a handy travel pouch to help keep it clean.

This thermometer has been very useful for peace of mind and to check the temperature of our baby especially in the hot summer months.

Find out more here

Philips Avent Baby monitor: Digital Video Baby Monitor

The Philips Avent SCD845 enables you to maintain a secure and private connection with your baby at all times. Hear your baby with great sound quality and also see your baby on the monitor (3.5″ LCD), day or night. Private, secure connection with adaptive FHSS technology, High-resolution 3.5″ screen with clear night vision, Hear your baby with clear sound, Energy-saving eco mode with connection indication, Range up to 300 metres*.

This has been one of the most used items we tested keeping an eye on baby while she naps and you can get some house chores done with peace of mind.

Find out more here

Medela Freestyle™ Hands-free double electric wearable Breast Pump

SnuzCloud Baby Sleep Aid

SnüzCloud is the new stylish and portable baby sleep aid from Snüz. With super soft plush fabric, 4 soothing sounds and two light options; help comfort and settle your baby when you need it most! Your baby’s perfect sleep buddy, in the home and when out and about. SnuzCloud features 4 soothing sounds including pink noise, the new deeper sounding alternative to white noise, and heartbeat, to mimic that of pregnant mum’s womb. SnüzCloud has two light options to give you the choice of a calming pink glow or a brighter soft white light that’s ideal for feeding in the dark or as a night light when they get older. The lightweight cosy design and handy Velcro strap makes SnüzCloud the ideal sleep buddy for use on a cot, crib or when out and about, easily attaching to your pram and car seat. SnuzCloud’s super soft plush fabric is tactile and comforting, helping relax and calm your child.

A great tool to have when the baby is unsettled and is not going to sleep the other ways that you tried.

Find out more here

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The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) has just signed a 10-year contract with System C for an integrated electronic patient record (EPR) system, which will replace the trust’s in-house built EPR and accelerate its digital maturity and roadmap.

RWT, which is one of the largest acute and community providers in the West Midlands, will be taking a two-step approach to the roll out. The first phase will see the trust’s legacy patient administration system (PAS), emergency department (ED) and theatre systems replaced, before the remainder of the EPR’s clinical functionality is rolled out in phase two. The project will start in November 2023 and complete with the PAS, ED and theatres functionality in 2025 – ahead of NHS England’s target for every trust in England to have an EPR.

Nick Bruce, Group Director of Digital Technology at The Royal Wolverhampton and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trusts, said:

“Anyone who has been faced with the challenge of procuring a new EPR as part of a digital transformation programme will appreciate the amount of work involved to get us to this point. It’s now reassuring for us to be on the starting line of a major deployment with a credible partner that has a proven track record of delivering high class enterprise-wide systems fit for the future.

“We’ve had our current PAS for over 20 years, so we want to undertake a phased approach to acknowledge the level of transformation involved and ensure our staff feel comfortable with the scale of change needed. Once live, the EPR will allow clinical teams to see a single view of a person’s entire clinical record, which means our staff can have access to the right information, in the right place, at the right time.”

By deploying the latest iteration of System C’s CareFlow EPR, the trust will modernise the way it delivers electronic patient notes across services and integrate all aspects of the care pathway such as order comms, test resulting and electronic prescribing, including medicines administration.

Once the new system is live, RWT will enhance integration with its partner trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, which also uses System C’s CareFlow EPR. This aligns with the trust’s convergence strategy, aimed at optimising patient care through the seamless integration of digital patient platforms across the local area. By leveraging consistent software and information across both trusts, health and care professionals can make more informed decisions and ensure better continuity of care for patients.

The new system will also integrate with other services that System C provides across the wider Black Country Integrated Care System. This not only offers alignment in technologies, but also a highly accessible and scalable solution for the entire system.

“We chose System C’s CareFlow EPR for its comprehensive functionality, modern user interface, and advanced clinical capabilities,” said Nick Bruce. “The trust’s legacy systems, including a self-built EPR, have served us well to this point. However, in order to accelerate our digital maturity, the trust needed a strategic and reputable solution, which is scalable through a cloud-based roadmap, and aligns with our own digital plans for the next five to ten years. By choosing System C, we will be supporting our convergence ambitions across the region by enabling integration with neighboring trusts and the system’s shared care record, One Health and Care.”

CareFlow’s versatile functionality supports referrals between different organisations via System C’s Affiliated Networks feature. This addresses the need to provide integrated care workflows and enables different trusts to use CareFlow Connect to create an ‘affiliation’ between each other. This facilitates team-to-team dialogue, handovers, task management, and sharing of opinions and clinical advice, ensuring seamless care coordination between providers across acute, community and primary care.

Professor David Loughton, Group CEO of Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said:

“This is a very exciting development for the trust as we accelerate our digital transformation. Like any major investment, it’s driven by improving the quality of our care and outcomes for our patients.  We already have a strong working relationship with System C, and this new EPR will play a key role in supporting our staff to deliver high-quality, joined-up care for our patients. It’s also incredibly useful that this system will integrate with other technologies across our local health and care system, ultimately enabling us to create one fully informed, single patient record.”

Nick Wilson, CEO of System C, said:

“I’m pleased we can continue the longstanding partnership we’ve had with RWT since 2010. We’re proud that System C’s EPR has been chosen to fully support the trust’s requirements to deliver services within an integrated model and join up the digital approach it has with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust. It means the two trusts will be able to work more effectively with each other, and others in their patch, and deliver against the ambitions of integrated care.”

Phase one of the deployment will include the Core PAS and EPR clinical elements, with phase two including CareFlow Planning, Patient Flow, Clinical Workspace and PHR Integration.

The EPR is a central component of Royal Wolverhampton’s digital and operational strategies as it sets its targets on achieving HIMSS Level 5 accreditation within three years, and Level 7 within five years.

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Coventry University’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) is relaunching after a £6million investment – with guests from across the world thanks to an incredible metaverse.

The AME’s ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’ base in the city has expanded thanks to the huge cash boost, with the new nearly 2,000 square metres of space boasting state-of-the-art equipment, new teaching and research facilities, as well as six new laboratories and a robotics and testing area.

AME was born out of a collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing that delivers teaching excellence alongside the delivery of innovative research and allows students to learn while being involved in real projects being run by businesses in the city.

The AME expansion was part funded via a £1m grant from the Government’s Local Growth Fund though the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and the brand-new facilities will be officially launched on November 8.

As well as a large number of guests attending in person, high-fidelity 3D models of the facilities and equipment will be used to create a digital universe – known as a metaverse – meaning people from countries right across the globe can take part in the live event using a digital representation of themselves.

They will be able to move their avatar around a digital replica of the AME base and join in the physical sessions remotely, as well as interacting with other people in the metaverse and those at the event in person.

Marcos Kauffman, Director of AME and Centre Director of the university’s Research Centre for Manufacturing and Materials, said: “We are proud of the AME expansion which is more than just a physical growth of an additional nearly 2,000 square metres; it’s a testament to our unwavering commitment to bridging the gap between academia and industry.

“As we begin this new chapter, our focus is providing our students and collaborators with world-class facilities, equipment and people to support their journeys into a clean, sustainable and digital world. We are more energised than ever to open our doors to the wider manufacturing and engineering supply chain in the West Midlands to shape the future of manufacturing and engineering in the UK.

“From our inception in 2014 to today, AME has consistently aimed to be at the forefront of innovative teaching and research with our Faculty in the Factory Floor Model. This expansion is a beacon of our dedication to nurturing industry-ready talent and fostering pioneering research that has real-world impact.”

Other new research facilities at AME include a digital twin pilot environment, which represents a physical manufacturing production line but as a digital representation, and a series of physical stations with fully configured digital systems to represent real, individual manufacturing businesses of varying complexity at each point in the value chain.

Professor John Latham CBE, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor, said: “With this launch, we’re not just unveiling a state-of-the-art facility but also setting the stage for the next generation of engineers, innovators and clean technologies. AME’s vision has always been about creating transformative solutions for the industry’s pressing challenges and with this expansion, we’re poised to increase our reach and have an even greater impact on our students, collaborators and local community.”

Carol Burke, Managing Director at Unipart, said: “We are thrilled about the expansion of AME, an initiative between Unipart and Coventry University to bridge the gap between industry and academia.

“AME stands as a testament to addressing the skills and technology gaps in our industry. Our unique approach is embodied in an industry-ready degree course that goes beyond textbooks, immersing students in live industry projects.  As the transport sector transitions to EV manufacturing and greener solutions, Coventry University’s latest investment will empower the AME to expand Unipart’s expertise and capabilities into new sectors.

“This involves collaborating on Research and Development with academia and strengthening ties with supply chains, including small and medium-sized enterprises. Ultimately it leads to new business growth.

“AME is at the centre of the transformation of the Midlands to stay ahead of net-zero innovation and to support business growth, where ideas become reality, and the future of sustainable mobility is redefined.”

Councillor Jim O’Boyle cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change and former CWLEP board member said: “When the local enterprise partnership decided to invest in the AME it was investing in the future of manufacturing in the UK, and more directly, in the prosperity of our city and the wider region.

“The set up is innovative and I am sure the AME will become a global reference point for manufacturing and engineering education. We see it fostering even deeper ties with local industries, leading to further investment, job creation, and solidifying Coventry’s reputation as an innovation hub.

“And of course as we steer towards a greener, more sustainable future, we expect AME to be at the forefront, leading research, and providing solutions for a more sustainable industrial landscape.”

AME has participated in projects with a total value of £110million and has worked with 174 collaborators since its original launch.

Its estimated value to the manufacturing and engineering economy since then is £500million and so far around 400 students have graduated.

Find out more about AME.

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Six healthcare support workers from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) have been presented with a national chief nursing or midwifery officer of England or chief midwifery officer award

Staff were presented with their awards by the Trust’s Chief Nurse Jill Foster. Margaret Kitching, NHS England’s Regional Chief Nurse was also virtually present to congratulate the winners, which has been extended to healthcare support workers for the first time.

The award aims to reward the enduring compassion and vital contribution made by Healthcare Support Workers (HCSWs) and Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) in England and their exceptional support of nursing and midwifery practice.

Jill said: “I am proud as punch that six of our support workers have been given this award by, not me, or even the regional chief nurse but the chief nurse of England. Well done to you all, very well deserved.”

Margaret said: “Healthcare support workers make a significant difference to lives every day. It makes me really happy that this award has been extended to include HCSW as you are extremely valuable. These individuals today provide excellent care and show dedication. Thank you from me and well done.”

Staff were selected from nominations that had been submitted by their colleagues and managers.

The Chief Midwifery Officer Award went to:

Kanya Moore, maternity support worker at West Cumberland Hospital.

The nomination said: “As a senior maternity support worker, Kanya is proficient in many advanced skills, such as venepuncture, cannulation and newborn observations. She is a very approachable member of the team, which is so important when teaching is an essential part of her job role; she is often requested to be shadowed by new members of staff as her reputation proceeds her.”

The Chief Nursing Officer Award went to:

Kelly Aitchison, apprentice nurse on Elm C ward at the Cumberland infirmary.

The nomination said: “Our patients on the ward who are living with dementia can be scared and anxious and struggle with communication which can then result in behaviours which challenge. Kelly is able to treat each patient with respect, dignity and empathy; she attempts to understand how the patient feels and support them to feel less anxious.”

Louise McCreadie is an assistant practitioner in the Intensive Care Unit at West Cumberland hospital.

The nomination said: “Louise has been pivotal to the development of the service which considers a patient’s physical and psychological rehabilitation during multiple stages which include their ITU inpatient stay, post discharge on the ward and when they are discharged from hospital.”

Rosemarie Franklin, healthcare assistant in the Intensive Care Unit at West Cumberland Hospital.

The nomination said: “Intensive care is a fast paced and often unfamiliar environment for new members of the team who may initially feel nervous or apprehensive. Rose is trusted and respected by new and existing members of our team.

“Rose’s support goes beyond supporting her colleagues. When patients are admitted to ITU it can be an anxious time for families and Rose will recognise this and spend time talking to them in between nursing and medical updates. Rose is a truly dedicated and compassionate healthcare professional. An asset to our team, NCIC and the NHS. She champions working together for patients.”

Courtney Fox, was a healthcare assistant on ward 4 at  West Cumberland Hospital and has now been supported to become an apprentice nurse.

The nomination said: “Courtney has made a significant impact on the team. She introduced a small but very valuable learning resource/tool onto the ward that assists with identification of pressure ulcers. A marked improvement has been noted in the documentation on skin damage and has given all of the team particularly junior team members the confidence to report and escalate skin damage. She has been supported in her application to become an apprentice student nurse and will qualify in March 2024. Courtney is an asset to ward and is definitely the face of nursing in the future with her ‘can do’ attitude.” 

Emma Willis is a health care assistant who works in the Same Day Emergency Care department at the Cumberland Infirmary.

The nomination said: “Emma has the ability to see beyond the initial presenting complaint that patients attend the department for. She treats all patients individually, identifying any problems that they may be experiencing.  She takes the time to ask appropriate questions, she listens and raises concerns. Emma is an excellent member of the team reliable and organised keeps herself up to date with her learning needs. She is always looking for opportunities to increase her knowledge which will benefit the patients in her care.”

Well done to all!

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One Wirral CIC, a community interest company that proactively helps to bridge gaps in health services and support for local communities, has launched a ground-breaking diabetes prehabilitation service to reduce surgery postponements, tackle waiting lists, and improve postoperative outcomes for patients. The service uses population health tools and analysis of hospital waiting lists to identify and support those most at risk of having surgery postponed.

Since April 2023, the service has supported two Primary Care Networks – Moreton and Meols PCN and North Coast Alliance PCN, funded by the North West Coast Clinical Networks. However, the service will now be extended across Wirral to all Primary Care Networks. The goal is for the approach to be adopted nationally.

The diabetes prehabilitation service uses the Cheshire & Merseyside Combined Intelligence for Population Health Action (CIPHA) population health management system, on Graphnet Health’s CareCentric platform. CIPHA surgical waiting lists at Wirral’s Arrowe Park Hospital are used to identify diabetic patients who are awaiting surgery and have a HbA1C over 69mmol/mol or a BMI over 40. The early identification of patients at risk of having their surgery postponed removes the need for GP surgeries to make referrals. The service also receives referrals directly from secondary care, for people that have had their surgery postponed, and have diabetic risk factors.

Once identified, patients are contacted within 48 hours and booked in for an appointment with a diabetes prehabilitation health coach, in a local community setting, such as a library. If a person’s HbA1c is over 69, they are automatically booked in for an appointment with a diabetes specialist nurse, who will look at medicines management and optimisation. Once they have seen the health coach and nurse, they commence a personalised prehabilitation lifestyle plan, which they follow up until surgery, whether that is a matter of weeks or months.

Lucy Holmes, Wellbeing Lead at One Wirral CIC explained:

“The population health and data-driven approach means we are able to contact the right people at the right time and give them the best intervention before their procedure, without anyone slipping through the net. We look at their lifestyle and they’re encouraged to participate in activities, including the free diabetes exercise sessions that are held in the community each week. Their medications are also assessed. It means we’re looking at a person from a holistic point of view, not just clinically and not just non-clinically. It’s a true community-based, multi-disciplinary team approach.

“We’re so pleased to be able to roll this out across Wirral, but it’s an approach that could easily be lifted and shifted. We would love to see it adopted nationally, because we have seen the many benefits of getting people fit before surgery.”

Dr Dave Thomas, Wirral Diabetes GP Lead, added:

“With diabetes, we know that if someone is living with excess weight or their sugar levels are very high, then that comes with additional surgical risks, higher complication rates, they’re more likely to have a longer hospital stay, and they’re more likely to generally have a poorer outcome. So, a service where we’re getting people fit and healthy, and optimising their diabetes care prior to their operation can only benefit the patients. From a Wirral-wide point of view, it’s going to help reduce surgical waiting times, reduce complication rates, and it will allow us to reduce hospital stays.

“This really is a fantastic service. We haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else, which is really exciting and hugely positive for the patients that we’re supporting.”

To hear more about the benefits of the diabetes prehabilitation service, please click the video link: Wirral Diabetes Prehabilitation Service | How It’s Changing Lives.

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People in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have been urged to join the UK’s largest health research programme as it opens new sites in Milton Keynes and Bedford to go along with its existing location in Luton.

Our Future Health – which today (Monday 6 November) announced that it had signed up its one millionth volunteer – is now inviting residents to book appointments to take part and help people live healthier lives for longer.

The aim is to recruit five million people who truly reflect the UK population to build the most detailed picture ever created of the nation’s health, to help researchers develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease.

Working in collaboration with the NHS, the programme is sending invitations to people who live near the new site.  Anyone over the age of 18 can join by signing up online at ourfuturehealth.org.uk, completing an online health questionnaire, and booking a short clinic appointment.

Felicity Cox, chief executive officer of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“We all know that medical research is transforming the lives of people with conditions which may once have been life-changing or even life-ending.

“This national project needs to reflect the make-up of the UK as it is today, so that researchers can really understand the health of the nation.

“The project needs volunteers aged 18+ from all backgrounds in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes to step up and help the NHS prepare for future generations.  You only need to complete a short questionnaire and attend an appointment to give a blood sample.

“My partner Keith and I both signed up earlier this year, so I can say from personal experience that it doesn’t take long to do your bit, and it’s so easy to sign up.”

Milton Keynes

People in Milton Keynes can take part at a mobile clinic already open at Asda on Bletcham Way in Bletchley (MK1 1QB).  The mobile clinic at Asda is open until 8 November.

Blood donors in Milton Keynes will soon be able to participate when visiting the NHS Blood and Transplant van at 18 Darin Court (MK8 0AD).  This new recruitment route aims to make it more convenient than ever for people to take part.  Blood donors will be able to complete a consent form on Our Future Health’s website, then give blood as usual; a small amount of this will be separated and sent to Our Future Health.

Bedford

A mobile clinic is due to open in Bedford at the Tesco Superstore, Riverfield Drive (MK41 0SE) in mid November; full details will be available here.

Luton

The existing location at Boots in The Mall (LU1 2BG) remains open.

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Care provider Corserv Care, which is owned by Cornwall Council, has joined forces with digital care technology company 2iC-Care to roll out their ‘Andi’ digital technology across the county. The new partnership promises to transform home care provision for thousands of people across Cornwall.

The move means that Cornwall is leading the way when it comes to smart healthcare technology, as the first region to embrace the exciting new digital solution.

Andi will connect a range of healthcare devices people have in their own homes, from fall monitors to light and motion sensors, so that changes in behaviour can be quickly identified and acted upon. For example, if light sensor data recognises an individual is awake during the night, or shows they are staying in bed longer than expected in the mornings, the underlying root causes can be investigated and acted upon before this new behaviour causes a more severe and long-term problem. This could include preventing falls from overtiredness or identifying when recent medication changes have had an unintended impact.

The Andi hubs will allow people to access all the information they need about their care in one place. This will reduce frustration for individuals and families who often struggle to navigate multiple different technologies and systems which don’t ‘talk to each other’.

Just like traditional telecare services, the digital hubs also provide alarm services so that people living at home can access immediate support from care professionals when they need it – for example after a fall.

The preventative approach to care is expected to save the local health system hundreds of thousands of pounds per year as it can track and respond to worrying trends in a person’s health or environment before problems worsen, or they need to be hospitalised.

The move will mean that people with care needs across Cornwall can stay in their own homes for longer – living safely and independently with the knowledge that the digital care service can lead to a rapid response from a highly trained care team when needed.

Corserv Care’s announcement also comes as all areas of the country are switching their traditional analogue phonelines over to digital – before analogue phonelines are cut off in 2025.

Campaigners have long raised concerns about how this move would affect rural areas which have less reliable mobile phone networks and have therefore relied on landline connections for telecare services. The challenge is particularly acute in Cornwall, where traditional granite house construction further limits mobile phone connectivity, and therefore the range of telecare products that can be used in the county.

Using 2iC-Care’s technology, people in even the most rural areas of the county will be able to rely on crucial care services throughout the digital switchover, and long into the future as technology enabled care becomes the norm. The ‘Andi’ digital hubs are designed to operate in areas with poor mobile or internet connection, meaning they can send critical alerts and information about a person’s health where other services would be unable.

Alison Waller, Managing Director of Corserv Care, explains how the partnership will transform the care they deliver across the county, “Cornwall has a unique set of challenges because of its rurality. From workforce shortages to simply reaching the people that need our help in more remote parts of the county, we have had to think differently about how to provide consistent, dynamic, and sustainable care. 

The Andi hubs link multiple existing telecare devices, enabling them to work in unison to share important information with healthcare professionals. We get fast, accurate alerts that will improve response times, meaning we can intervene earlier to prevent a person’s health declining. 

Our care can also be even more personalised, with more comprehensive data collected and analysed from the moment we first engage with a new client. We are really excited about what the ‘Andi’ platform enables us to do, and how it will transform social care provision in Cornwall, and across the county.” 

Richard Keyse, Chief Executive Officer of 2iC-Care, who provide Andi digital hubs, said: “When my mother was diagnosed with dementia, I quickly realised how difficult it was to navigate the many different options and technological platforms involved in keeping her safe and well in her own home. Andi equips people at home, and their families and care professionals, with one safe place to keep track of their health and wellbeing, especially in between visits from carers. I am delighted that we are working with Corserv to make care at home an even better experience for people across Cornwall, and to be there for people and carers not just now but for the future.”

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It happens all the time, people with a friend or relative in care complain that the dots aren’t joined up. A person in the system, let’s call him Frank, comes out of hospital and is visited by a district nurse and an occupational therapist, but they don’t communicate and things that he really needs to happen, don’t.

Perhaps a set of notes got mislaid, or the district nurse didn’t speak to the occupational therapist. Every time Frank’s family speak to someone, be it at the hospital or to his GP, they have no record of all the other conversations he’s had with other professionals. This is the sort of thing that Nourish is trying to improve.

The adult care sector is vast and what I see is a picture of a tree with roots going into the ground and connecting everything up. If all health care providers were plugged into each other, then everything would make sense and the patient wouldn’t have to keep explaining themselves and asking for the same things again and again.

You’d be able to look at a person’s GP records and see whether they went to hospital, had an operation, a visit from a district nurse or an occupational therapist. There is no grey area or a note you haven’t seen. It’s a real overview of what is happening to a person in the entire health sector and that is how it should be.

One of the ways we’re trying to join these dots is with our partnership programme. It is a way of making sure the entire system works together seamlessly. Many digital suppliers talk about integrations and widgets, but at Nourish, we’re trying to do away with all of that. We want providers to forget about plugins and strip it right back. We ask them to talk to us about their processes.

Take Frank. What happens when the district nurse visits him? What information comes back and who is it passed to? At Nourish, we already have GP connect and key things like that but what we do is talk to our partners and ask them what is missing, and then we work out ways to plug them in around the partnership programme. It can’t be about suppliers working separately to eat their slice of the pie, it’s about joining up the whole process. However, as visionary as we are at Nourish, the NHS and local authorities are not quite there yet.

You’ve got the local authority who say ‘we’ve got a case management system, we don’t need to know about anything else.’ and then the NHS are over there with their clinical systems and we’ve got to make friends with all of them. The data flow isn’t seamless at the moment, but it’s getting there.

Social care is going through a rapid change at the moment. England is currently about 50% digital and I think we’ll get to about 80% in the next year. But how is all this going to benefit Frank?

Let’s say that his wife needs a break and they both agree he needs some respite care. How are they going to find it? We’ve partnered with Ottum. They have 12,000 members that are care providers. Their members say that 30% of their leads come through Ottum. Many of them are paper based providers and can’t keep track of the leads that come in.  That means the Franks of this world struggle to get a care home place because nobody is answering them.

We’ve also partnered with a system called Found, so that when anybody contacts the care home, it goes into Found and they can keep track of all their leads. At a point where Frank needs to be assessed for care and admitted, all the details get seamlessly transported into Nourish where the care plan can be created and he can be supported. That’s going to be massive for Frank who has waited for three months to get the right type of care because she couldn’t get hold of the care home he wanted.

Little things like that will really support and change the adult care system in this country. A carer will have Frank’s care plan in her pocket, they’ll be able to see notes about his medical history, a recent hospital stay, and any medications, etc. All the information that keeps getting missed will be there in one place.

There are a lot of people trying to do good things in the adult care sector and the lack of cohesion affects everybody adversely, carers and those they look after. We’re not just looking at replacing paper processes, it’s about transforming the system so that it works better. 

By Denise Tack, director of partner and engagement at Nourish Care

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Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), one of the largest providers of community and hospital care in England, had, until recently, been allocating staff to community visits using a spreadsheet. This often meant that clinical staff had to spend up to two hours a day managing and co-ordinating the spreadsheet and trying to allocate the right staff to the right patient for up to 40 new patient referrals each day.

The live excel spreadsheet created several challenges. It would regularly crash or freeze and if there were network problems, no one would be able to access the shared drive, meaning the operational team and most importantly the clinicians, had no record of where or which patients they were supposed to be attending.

The team decided to implement Allocate eCommunity, a community workforce planning tool which allows those responsibility for planning community healthcare visits to do so using a system which instantly updates, providing an accurate picture of both patient need and the workforce providing care.

The time saved by using Allocate eCommunity, rather than using an inefficient manual process to allocate staff, means staff can spend more time with patients and care is safer because the right member of staff is assigned to the right patient each time.

With Allocate eCommunity staff no longer need to spend precious time going through an enormous spreadsheet. Instead, all the team need to do is open the app and they can easily see their personalised schedule for the day. With a mix of in-person and virtual visits, the system supports the team to quickly identify their patients and plan their day according to the types of visits and locations.

Jo Perry, Clinical Triage Lead at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “Allocate eCommunity provides an up-to-date, accurate picture of the needs of our patients ensuring we can get patients the right care at the right time, reducing duplication and human error and ultimately making care safer for our patients.

“This software has provided us with a modern solution to the scheduling of patient care and rightly gives as more time to spend directly with patients, rather than managing an unwieldly, inefficient manual system.

“We are delighted with the improvements and efficiencies it has helped us make.”

Arti Fiaz, Director, Managing Director, UKI at RLDatix said: “Our mission is to make care safer for patients and to provide healthcare staff with tools that allows them to spend more time with patients and less time on burdensome, manual administration jobs.

“The skills of highly-trained clinical staff – who understand the complexities of patients’ needs, alongside the right technology supports hospitals and other healthcare settings to provider safer, more consistent care to patients.

“The benefits of this system are huge – patients get safer care with the right healthcare worker assigned first time. Clinical staff can focus on what they do best – treating patients and not battling with spreadsheets.

“We’re delighted that the system has worked so well for the team at Guy’s and St Thomas’.”

The post London patients benefit from safer, more co-ordinated care thanks to new software appeared first on Digital Health Technology News.