The Telehealth Team consist of Telehealth Care Support Workers, Nurses and a Clinical Lead, who work with patients diagnosed with a long term condition to help them monitor, manage and control their own health.
Long Term conditions include HBP, Diabetes, COPD and heart problems that need to be managed carefully to avoid periods of illness and unnecessary hospital visits and admissions.
Telehealth
This service is patient centred based on personal health needs. Some patients have simple needs and can be offered simple Telehealth. This includes questionnaires and SMS text based technology known as “Florence” or “Flo”, for patients to take their health readings using their own mobile phone.
Using Florence, patients can take and send their own readings as and when needed. The readings, for example pulse rate, blood pressure, weight or blood sugar go the centre where they are automatically logged and checked by a health professional. If there is any cause for concern the patient will be contacted and given advice accordingly, including advice on taking medication and home visits when needed.
The Telehealth Team role involves working with other members of the Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) to identify patients that can be discharged home early with minimal risks, to be monitored and supported in the community.
With the patient, they will consider the options available to meet their needs when they go home. If the patient agrees to use the service, the team help facilitate a smooth patient discharge from hospital support to home telehealth support and agree with the patients how the service can help them keep well and manage their condition when they get back home.
Others have a more complex needs will be offered a set top box known as “Motiva” to send readings, complete questionnaires and even watch educational clips on their TV.
Using either Motiva or Florence, patients can take and send their own readings as and when needed. The readings, for example pulse rate, blood pressure, weight or blood sugar go the centre where they are automatically logged and checked by a health professional. If there is any cause for concern the patient will be contacted and given advice accordingly, including advice on taking medication.
A referral form is completed and sent to the Single Point of Access.
For more information please contact the Telehealth Team on 0208 709 5555 or through E-mail: epct.spa@nhs.net
In ELFT we are using it to help patients monitor:
- Heart failure
- Hypertension
- Chronic Lung Disease
- Diabetes
Florence
Florence is a simple telehealth text messaging service that helps you take a more active role in your health care and gives you the freedom to get on with your life. Florence can give personalised health tips, provide valuable advice to help you stay on track and send medication reminders - so you’ll never need to miss another pill again.
It’s quick to set up, and takes less than a minute. It’s easy to use and it’s right there on your own mobile phone.
Once enrolled, the service is free to use.
The Telehealth Team consists of Telehealth Care Support Workers, Nurses and a Clinical Lead who work with patients diagnosed with long term medical condition(s) to help them monitor, manage and control their own health. Long term conditions include high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing problems (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD) and heart problems that need to be managed carefully to avoid periods of illness and unnecessary hospital visits and admissions. Telehealth simply means providing health care at a distance rather than face to face. In Newham, we are leading the way in using Telehealth technology to support people to help manage their condition, maintain their health and well-being and live independently.
Our Telehealth services aim to do three things:
- Support people in understanding their long term condition and acquiring the skills and habits of self management needed to achieve the best outcomes in terms of their health.
- Reduce avoidable hospital admissions and inappropriate A&E visits through improving the information available to patients, carers and clinical staff.
- Minimise the waste of time and resource consumed by face to face interaction where the patient would prefer support to be provided remotely and where this support can be done effectively.
Please remember that our Telehealth services are not emergency services - rather they aim to help you understand how best to manage your condition and that includes knowing the best way of handling an emergency.
Demonstration of Florence and Skype functionality in Diabetic Specialist Service.
Click on the link below to plan a journey