Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Fylde Coast Medical Services (FCMS) are working alongside remote monitoring technology provider Docobo to implement a solution providing a direct link between patients awaiting cardiac surgery and a team of clinicians.
The initiative aims to deliver a digitally enabled cardiac surgical waiting list, with hopes that it will reduce demand on primary and secondary care, including preventing emergency admission and 999 calls.
Patients at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals will have the option to opt into the service from their first consultation with the cardiac team, with a consultant explaining the benefits of the service. If chosen to go forward with the service, they will be onboarded by the FCMS team that same day.
David Rose, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, commented: “Thanks to this technology we are able to have a direct link with the patients and be able to early detect any deterioration in their health condition. Patients showing deterioration will be identified, prioritised, and offered support as appropriate.”
As the waiting list for cardiac surgery gets longer, the team will identify patients who are deteriorating and will offer earlier intervention if needed.
Natalie Marsden from FCMS said: “We see this as a ‘safety net’ service while patients are waiting for their surgery, and so that patients have that point of contact. Because of the pandemic, a lot of people on cardiac waiting lists may have been deteriorating for some time and have not necessarily gone to the GP.”
Joe McGuigan, Senior Digital Lead at Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, added: “It’s very pleasing that this project is now starting to make a real difference to our patients… Hopefully we can take the good practice and learning from this programme – which has been a real team effort – into other areas across Lancashire and South Cumbria, so care can be delivered in the most appropriate place for patients.”
