TECHNOLOGY IN CARE
A Digital Solution
Ian Briggs, Associate Director of Business Development at Health Call, tells us more about the implementation of NHS Health Call at a trust concerned about undernourished care home residents.
The concern surrounding undernutrition, especially when combined with the ageing population, is escalating throughout the country. Three million people in the UK are affected by undernutrition at any one time, with 30% to 42% of patients admitted to care homes at risk.
Elderly More At Risk The undernourished elderly have significantly higher rates of secondary health problems, long-term conditions and hospital admissions and are three times more likely to die in hospital or post discharge, which is a great concern. It is also clear that the cost of these patients to the care home industry and the health economy is substantial. The cost of malnutrition in the UK has been documented at £13 billion per year.
Due to the increasing number of undernourished elderly, the demand on the NHS Nutrition and Dietetic staff and their resources are continuously stretched. For remote areas especially, a significant resource is required for staff consultation time, travel time to care homes and associated costs. In Northern Ireland, dietitians on the standard care pathway must travel to review each of their undernourished patients every six weeks, and the patients’ status in between these visits is undocumented in their
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records. For those deemed at risk, management also entails the use of prescriptive oral nutrition supplements (ONS), which is another expense.
Digitisation Saves
Time and Money NHS Health Call has digitised the standard care pathway for undernourished care home residents. This new digital remote monitoring service was built to increase the staff capacity to support vulnerable patients to meet their nutritional needs.
The service, commissioned by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, has resulted in more proactive treatment due to regular telephone reviews and the timely response of dietitians. Dietitians save over two hours per patient enrolled in the service, which now can be spent with more complex patients. Meanwhile care home staff feel more empowered to take responsibility of the less vulnerable patients.
The NHS Health Call system allows fluctuations in weight and nutritional health to be highlighted early on. Unlike the previous six week reviews, there is now a wealth of patient data which can be evaluated remotely, resulting in a more in-tune management of patient’s treatment. As a result the length of time patients
were under dietetic care was reduced from an average of six to nine months, to four months. The pilot also reported a minimum of £1,600 saving on inappropriate use of ONS.
Catherine McShane, Lead Dietitian at County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust (CDDFT), comments: “The pilot has improved the resident’s quality of care partly because staff are now more aware of the importance of nutrition. The responsibility is shared between the care home staff, the dietitian and dietetic assistants. The input and support of the NHS Health Call team in designing the care pathway has proved invaluable in its success. We hope to see this pilot encourage other trusts to take up the service and improve the care of their elderly at risk of undernutrition.”
The previous undernutrition service was transformed in three areas; efficacy, efficiency and user satisfaction. NHS Health Call built this bespoke service with Northern Ireland clinicians to ensure the content suits them and their patients. All future health service transformations should strive to benefit these three areas in order to combat the issues of the current UK climate.
To find out more please visit
www.nhshealthcall.co.uk
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
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