Tele-health improving quality of life in Bassetlaw

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s telephonic health services in Bassetlaw are making big improvements to patients’ quality of life. They have also contributed to saving the NHS money through less people attending accident and emergency and being admitted to hospital.

There are three strands to the services – care navigation, health coaching and tele-health vital sign monitoring – all of which are funded by the Bassetlaw Clinical Commissioning Group. Care navigation involves telephonic sign-posting, giving information and advice to patients previously diagnosed with a long term condition. Those people who identify a health-related goal to work towards use the health coaching service which encourages positive lifestyle behaviour change. Tele-health vital sign monitoring uses equipment in the home to monitor vital signs and warn healthcare professionals if they need to take action.

During the first year of the service we have seen that the people accessing the tele-health service are requesting to see their GP less and their admissions to hospital are reduced due to them recognising and managing their LTC symptoms proactively. We are currently evaluating the overall cost and resource benefits of the service which will inform how the service is rolled out to increase access for more people with LTC’s in Bassetlaw.

Paul Hughes, service lead – care navigation / tele-health, said: “Our services help people with an on-going illness or long term condition to take control of their health, maximising their potential for independent living. People are supported by dedicated nursing staff who provide information and advice to encourage healthier behaviours and lifestyles.”

Patients with a long term condition that require additional telephonic support can self-refer by contacting the service Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. via the freephone number 0800 612 1976. Visit www.bassetlawccg.nhs.uk for more information.