Hundreds more people to benefit from NHS care in the comfort of their own homes this winter
Care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals working from a clinical hub in Bristol and using cutting-edge monitoring devices, smartphones and other technology to check a person’s condition remotely and provide clinical advice and support.
Patients receiving care through the NHS @Home service are given a tailor-made box of equipment – the ‘Doccla box’, named after the company providing the monitoring technology - which includes a pre-configured smartphone with a large font that is easier to read for those with poor vision.
The box also includes wearable medical devices that, depending on a person’s needs, can measure heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, blood oxygen levels and blood pressure, allowing healthcare professionals to keep people under close observation and intervene if needed.
Healthcare professionals may also visit an individual’s home to provide face-to-face care, if required.
The approach was successfully used during the pandemic to support people with Covid-19 and is now being enhanced, with extra funding of approximately £3.5m during winter 2022-23, to include those with respiratory and heart conditions.
The local service will be able to care for up to 165 people at a time, meaning that hundreds more will benefit from home-based care over the course of the winter.
Eileen York, 96, from Winscombe, North Somerset, has been using the NHS @Home service for the last month after becoming ill with pneumonia before the festive period.
Her daughter Kathy Martin has been supporting her to take her daily readings to submit to the service using the smartphone provided with the service.
Kathy said: "On the day mum returned home from hospital the NHS @Home team were on hand to provide us with everything we needed to monitor her condition together. They have been so supportive, regularly checking in over the phone and in person too – which has been really reassuring for both of us. Her mobility is improving, she's becoming more independent and she's in a good place mentally."
Eileen added: "I think I've recovered quicker as I feel more comfortable in my own surroundings, I'm able to rest in my own bed and I have my family around me. I am thrilled with the support I've received."
The NHS @Home expansion forms part of a more than £18m investment in schemes to increase bed capacity and respond to demand for NHS services in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire during the challenging winter months.
Other schemes being implemented in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area this winter include:
- An enhanced mental health ambulance service, providing specialist care for people experiencing a mental health crisis while relieving pressure on wider ambulance services in the region
- A temporary ‘care hotel’ facility to support faster hospital discharge for patients awaiting a home care and rehabilitation package
- A new ward at Southmead Hospital, providing extra inpatient bed capacity
- Expanded ‘same day emergency care’ services at local hospitals to reduce admissions and help people return home sooner following urgent treatment.
The measures are backed up by a winter communication campaign encouraging people to take up flu and Covid vaccinations, speak to their local pharmacy at the first sign of illness, and contact NHS 111 online for immediate help with urgent care needs.
Up-to-date information and advice on local NHS services, is available on the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB website at www.bnssg.icb.nhs.uk.
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