West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has shared an opportunity to procure remote patient monitoring services and hardware worth an estimated £300,000, set to run for three years.
Following the end of the existing remote monitoring contract, the trust seeks to establish a new contract to support the clinical effectiveness and operational impact of its virtual ward programme, placing emphasis on the need for a “seamless transition”; the enhancement of existing digital capability; and expected benefits around “continuous future platform innovation”.
The three-year contract is anticipated to start 1 March 2025 and draw to a close in 2028, with two optional extension periods of 12 months available.
Interested parties have until 19 August to submit requests to participate, click here for more information.
Remote monitoring: the wider trend
Last month, HTN highlighted a study exploring the impact of remote monitoring on patients who had recently experienced a heart attack; the study reportedly found that “telemedicine patients were 76 percent less likely to be readmitted to hospital within six months and 41 percent less likely to attend A&E, compared to those who followed normal care pathways”.
In June, we noted plans from the University of Manchester to trial the Remote Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) system, designed to support patients living with rheumatoid arthritis to send daily symptoms to their health record. REMORA enables users to download a symptom tracking app and use it to record symptoms, with the data then made available to view within the patient’s electronic patient record.
In April, HTN hosted a panel discussion focusing on how to confidently deliver remote care at scale, with panellists haring their own insights and experiences from virtual wards and remote monitoring, common challenges and how to tackle them, updates on current projects, and more.
And earlier in the year, we reported on an article published in the British Journal of General Practice which explored training needs for staff providing remote services in general practice.
Also from the region
Taking a wider look at Suffolk, HTN noted that East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust awarded a two-year contract for support with EPR implementation, for a supplier to provide mobile devices, printers and barcode scanners as well as training, maintenance and support for data capture hardware and services.
From nearby Norfolk, we shared an update from the Norfolk and Waveney Acute Hospitals Collaborative on its plans to implement a shared EPR across Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, James Paget University Hospitals, and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, with funding secured and the full business case approved.
Finally, click here to read the East of England edition of our recent feature series exploring digital and data across each of the ICS regions.
