A pioneering telemedicine service connecting medical professionals to care home residents via a video link has been rolled out to care homes across Liverpool.
Immedicare says the city-wide initiative comes as the NHS gears up for a “collision course for the worst ever winter”.
The Warrington firm said the service is already proving successful in other city regions across the UK, and that new findings show how telemedicine can "dramatically" reduce local healthcare costs and pressure on frontline resources.
The service was first trialled in the city in 2017 following a collaboration with Liverpool’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), but is now being expanded for use in 55 care homes across the city.
Three purpose-built Intermediate Care Units, including two hubs newly built ahead of winter 2019, will also use the technology.
David Butler, commissioning and development lead for Immedicare, said: “Our pioneering approach to healthcare is helping improve the lives of care home residents across Liverpool, so we’re delighted to have been able to expand to service more widely across the city.
“Through Immedicare, we have a team of medical experts on hand to serve patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, preventing delays in care and allowing less time for conditions to deteriorate. We believe telemedicine solutions like this truly have the power to transform the help received in care homes, while delivering the help that the NHS is crying out for.
“We know it isn’t the single solution to the NHS’s challenges, but Immedicare’s results show how telemedicine yields positive results, generating significant savings and helping to reduce the strains that exist on the frontline of healthcare delivery.”
Immedicare’s clinical care team is based at a hub within NHS Airedale Trust in Yorkshire, and 60% of all consultations into its 24/7 digital hub do not require any onward referral to a local health care professional with 90% of patients remaining in their place of residence after their video consultations.
Immedicare’s nurses can also request prescriptions to ensure the quick delivery of medicine to care homes.
Dr Fiona Ogden-Forde, Governing Body Member & Clinical Lead for Healthy Ageing at the Liverpool CCG said: “The Immedicare service is an important part of our care home offering in Liverpool and has contributed to our ultimate goal of delivering the best possible experience for residents, families and care home staff.”
The service has been deployed as part of the wider Liverpool Care Home Improvement Strategy, which is a joint strategy between Liverpool CCG, Liverpool City Council and the care home community.
The firm said it will be enhanced by the implementation of the Enhanced Health in Care Home Framework implementation across the city in a phased approach over the next year.
