NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, one of the Department of Health's three national Whole System Demonstrator pilot sites, will continue to deliver telehealthcare services and make it available to more patients in the Cornwall region.
In January 2010 the telehealth demonstrator reached a major milestone with over 2000 people taking part in the large-scale telehealthcare project. 520 patients with long-term conditions are receiving care and support via telehealth monitoring, and telecare is helping 518 clients to remain safe and independent in their homes.
Carol Williams, Director of Service Improvement at Cornwall & IOS PCT said "We have made a commitment to mainstream telehealth services in order to improve self care and provide services that enable patients to be more informed, keep them out of hospital and enhance their overall well being. This is fundamental considering our demographics and cost of services in an ageing population, 25% of whom will be over 65 nationally in the next 25 years."
The telehealth technology is being used to monitor the health and well-being of patients with long-term conditions such as coronary heart disease (CHF), diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dementia in the home environment, as well as providing assistive technology for older people.
In February 2009 the Cornwall team selected Tunstall's telehealthcare solutions. Working in partnership, Cornwall required Tunstall Healthcare to supply 1600 telehealth patient systems in just eight weeks.
Tunstall's telehealth solutions enable patients to monitor their vital signs such as weight, blood pressure and oxygen levels in their own homes easily, safely and securely. The results are accessed on a daily basis by a team of clinicians who triage the patient's health outcomes. This aids with proactive case management, ensures timely and appropriate support to patients as well as promoting self-awareness of their own long-term condition.
One patient commented: "I do my daily monitoring so I do not feel I am putting too much strain on the NHS and the local hospitals. Telehealth helps me monitor my health in the comfort of my own home without making long journeys to surgeries and hospitals. The good thing about telehealth is you get your own independence to do what you want with your own life."
A strong early benefit of the use of telehealth is where a potential emergency admission was avoided for a patient with diabetes. The nurse noticed that the patient's blood sugar level was increasing and their responses to the question sets about clinical symptoms were giving cause for concern. After discussion with the GP a diagnosis of ketoacidosis was suspected, which could have led to a serious incident. In this case the patient's medication was adjusted and a hospital admission avoided.
The mainstream service will commence in April 2010 with other conditions being investigated in order to understand how telehealth might benefit them. These include Stroke and those at risk of falls. The National Evaluation will be available in 2011.
Matt Marshall Telehealthcare Director at Tunstall Healthcare commented: "We were delighted to hear that the Cornwall Whole System Demonstrator pilot has been mainstreamed and implemented into core health services. This is one the largest telehealth project in the UK and is clearly a great example for other health trusts to follow."
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About Tunstall
Tunstall Healthcare Group is the market-leading provider of telehealthcare solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstall's solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, to live independently, by effectively managing their health and well-being. Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives. For more information on how telehealthcare can improve quality of life, visit www.tunstallhealth.com.