NHS England is looking to trial an innovative approach to managing heart failure at home using remote monitoring and self-management tools.
Intended to support virtual ward programmes currently in place or to provide an opportunity for teams to embrace elements of the @home approach, NHS England is seeking early adopter sites.
Professor Nick Linker, National Clinical Director for Heart Disease, describes the approach in a new blog post, “Managing Heart Failure @home: an opportunity for excellence”.
“Living with heart failure is becoming increasingly common due to our ageing population and improving medical care,” Professor Linker notes, adding that effective heart failure care is therefore a priority, with a need to improve recognition of heart failure, diagnosis and understanding of the condition, and its management.
The outlined approach involves working with professionals to support people with self-management from home using remote monitoring tools and education, minimising unnecessary face-to-face appointments and reducing admissions/readmissions.
“The @home approach can work alongside virtual wards, supporting patients who require acute care in their own homes,” Professor Linker writes. “Experienced specialists in heart failure care will ensure any remote interactions are clinically safe and appropriate, ensuring consideration of individual needs.”
The approach has three core elements:
- personalised care, including listening to what matters to the individual, supporting self-management and promoting shared decision-making. Best practice will involve teams referring patients to local social prescribing link workers and community support.
- remote support and monitoring, including maximising use of appropriate technology to support people with monitoring and reporting their own conditions, such as telephone and web-based communications or apps.
- integrated care, involving the improvement of coordination between primary, community and secondary care to allow for better continuity of care and a better experience for patients and clinicians.
“This approach is about enabling heart failure services to work in the most efficient way possible,” writes Professor Linker. “It is not about stopping face-to-face care and moving into an entirely digital environment. We recognise that not everyone has access to digital technology, so non-digital and face-to-face alternatives must always be offered. Flexibility in the system will help to enable these many ways of working.”
More information can be found on the FutureNHS page or by emailing england.home@nhs.net.
