A new interactive digital roadmap, People First: Digital First, has just been launched in Bradford and Craven.
Health and social partners across the area including Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS FT; Airedale NHS FT; Bradford District Care NHS FT; NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG; Bradford Council; Bradford Institute for Health Research; and the University of Bradford have collaborated with health tech suppliers to develop the roadmap.
The strategy aims to improve the health and wellbeing for people in the area by using digital tools as the foundation to support improved care.
The strategy is clear to ensure electronic health records are fully interoperable and staff and citizens are equipped and prepared to use digital tools in health, wellness and care. It includes plans for public health data, online health tech, remote patient tech, virtual GP practices, online symptom checkers and triage tools, digital treatment, virtual wards to recovery and keeping healthy.
Projects include artificial intelligence to analyse data to assist in determining when patients would do better with other interventions, to deploying home monitoring devices instead of in-hospital monitoring.
Cindy Fedell, Chief Digital Information Officer for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, said they had an ambition to create a robust and comprehensive IT and digital strategy, to enable providers to deliver seamless patient care.
“Our district-wide digital strategy outlines our ambition to drive transformation through digital healthcare. This strategy speaks to our collective vision, mission and principles for future development – making Bradford and Craven a driving force in improving care through better technology, which is good news for everyone.”
“The current COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we have the digital creativity and capability to work differently to support patients, families and carers, and this will continue to be a priority going forward.”
“The message is that here in Bradford district and Craven we are ready, willing and – above all – able to play a key role in the NHS and social care’s digital transformation locally, in West Yorkshire and Harrogate, and nationally.”
The area has a number of health tech initiatives in place:
- A joined-up shared care record joining up different patient records
- The digitally-enabled ACE service which provides an alternative to hospital referral or admission for children with common acute illnesses like asthma and croup
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ Command Centre is transforming care by reducing waiting times and making the experience of being in hospital smoother, faster and more efficient for patients
- Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s MyWellbeing College supports people experiencing low mood, stress or anxiety using a range of online interactive courses and one-to-one phone and video call appointments
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust’s virtual follow-up for patients where admission can be avoided but the team would like extra assurance the patient has got home safely and that they remain well
- Airedale’s Digital Care Hub provides round-the-clock telemedicine support to 500 care homes nationwide, over 2,000 patients in their last year of life, more than 30 prisons, and thousands of patients with long-term conditions living in their own homes
- GP Assist has been developed using the tools within the clinical records system SystmOne to ensure patients are referred for the right care, at the right time in the right place. It is said to be transforming the way pathways of care are managed and recommends clinical management regimes for patients with commonly occurring presentations across a range of specialties
- The CCG introduced Dual Resilient Virtual Desktop for 2,700 users providing staff with the flexibility to access their full work desktop from anywhere.
