Walsall Telehealth Project

COPD Tunstall Telehealth Project 

Summary

This project is a collaboration of NHS Walsall, the Council and Tunstall.  Patients are selected through Community Matrons then placed onto monitors which measure heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and weight.  The data is sent through a secure line to a triage station where it is reviewed by the Telehealth coordinator for abnormalities.  Should the vitals signs fall outside set parameters or demonstrate trends the community matron is informed and will intervene. Thus preventing or delaying hospital admissions. The project was launched in December 2007 but started in January 2008, achieving reduction in hospital admissions, detection in trends in vital signs, support community matrons in their case load, avoiding hospital admissions; reduce risk of our hospitals going onto level 4 alerts, give patients self confidence in their own homes and deliver support and care in the patients preferred place of care.  

Key Message 

We can use assistive technologies to support and care for an increasing population of patient with long term conditions in their homes with out relatives and careers having to worry about parking.  It is envisaged that the mainstreaming of Telehealth will yield significant savings both in financial and human resources terms. 

OwnHealth Telehealth Selfcare Project  

Summary

Walsall Own Health is a partnership service between NHS Walsall, NHS Direct and Pfizer Health Solutions to support people living with long term conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart failure.  This project started in April 2008 and currently has 266 patients enrolled onto the project.  There is however capacity for 400.  Many of these patients have been derived from 3 practices in the Darlaston Area.  This project uses telephone coaching to facilitate “life style” changes and improve self care of long term condition patients with a range of illnesses.  We aim to improve the percentage of patients who are confident in self management of their long term condition.  This project started in April 2008 and is achieving satisfaction evaluations as well as clinical results such as improved physical activity, reduction in smoking, improved BMI and trends in systolic blood pressures as well as a reduction in blood measurements such as HBAIc and cholesterol.  

Key Message 

Walsall Ownhealth is a care management programme which offers people a personalised programme of healthcare support over the telephone from a dedicated care manager, a fully trained and dedicated nurse.  

T Plus Medical Telehealth Project 

Summary

This project is collaboration between Walsall NHS and T + Medical diabetes project.  A selected group of diabetic patients enter data such as blood glucose through a secure line onto their mobile phones.  The data goes through a secure line to a central station where it is viewed by qualified diabetes specialists.  They provide advice on the patients’ data and their condition and give six weekly educational programmes. The predominant aim is to improve self management and reduce emergency admissions.  NHS Walsall has brought 150 licences of which 3 are active. This project started around October 2007 and is in its second year of activity.  

Key Message

T plus medical uses technology that everyone is familiar with, your existing mobile phone, helping to reduce HBA1c levels and therefore limit the long term complications of diabetes.