NHS Gloucestershire announces widespread rollout of innovative telehealth programme
A LARGE-SCALE telehealth programme is to be launched in the South West as part of a partnership between MedTech company, Tunstall, and NHS Gloucestershire.
The initiative aims to provide a managed system of care and response targeted at patients suffering from long-term conditions; helping to improve outcomes and reduce the number of hospital admissions. With a population of more than 600,000 people, NHS Gloucestershire estimates that around 6,000 patients could be eligible for the scheme and are hoping to reach as many of those as possible. In the first instance, telehealth technology will be rolled out to 2,000 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure, chronic heart disease, and diabetes.
The widespread use of telehealth technology will complement other developments across the NHS in Gloucestershire which are helping to reduce referrals to hospitals
Dr Will Haynes, a Gloucester-based GP and practice-based commissioning lead for Gloucester, is working with Tunstall on the project. He told us: "The widespread use of telehealth technology will complement other developments across the NHS in Gloucestershire which are helping to reduce referrals to hospitals. It will help more patients receive their care within, or as close to, home as possible; and it will help more patients to understand better and self manage their own conditions within the safety and fabric of telehealth monitoring. As a GP, I welcome the opportunity to use these tools to work with patients to understand their condition."
A decision on exactly who will be involved in the rollout will be made following a comprehensive, clinically-led development process organised by Tunstall and Ernst and Young.
Jon Lowe, Tunstall's managing director, said: "We are committed to ensuring this large-scale managed telehealth service is a success and I am confident that patients and clinicians will benefit greatly in the future."