Telephone system could save hospitals up to £1m

The automated Telehealth system calls patients twice a week to ask them about their symptoms, and responses are sent to a team of doctors who can pay a home visit if they are concerned.

A joint Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust study found that using this system, on average, 25 admissions to hospital could be avoided every month, saving around 1,800 beds and �900,000 a year.

Joanne King, COPD advanced nurse practitioner said: "Telehealth is helping to reduce the number of hospital admissions for our patients as it enables early reporting of symptoms which show a deterioration in their condition.

"We are also finding that our patients are becoming better educated about their condition because they have a regular reminder of the warning symptoms. As a result, they are more confident at self-managing their condition and are providing us with the right information much more quickly when we do call them." A total of 65 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients took part in the year-long trial from September 2011.

They were asked five questions about their respiratory symptoms twice a week, answering with their telephone keypads, and information was relayed to King Edward VII in Windsor.

On average, five of the 65 calls resulted in an alert, of which only one or two required a home visit by a member of the team.

Over the past year, the service has prevented about 300 admissions to hospital, nearly double the total number of admissions avoided between October 2010 and September 2011.

Respiratory physiotherapist Pam Marriner said: "The telehealth system has been well-received by patients and has led to increased reporting and more effective use of specialist resources. The cost savings are significant when you consider the annual cost for the team is approximately �130,000." The COPD is currently seeking funding to continue and expand the use of telehealth.