8:00am Tuesday 5th March 2013
Airedale Hospital’s telehealth hub is poised to help its 1,000th patient.
Ex-Royal Marine Albert Joyner, who is 101, is a resident at Herncliffe nursing home in Keighley, but via the computer link can access assistance from hospital consultants or specialist nurses if he needs it.
“I haven’t used the telemedicine kit yet as I haven’t had much wrong with me, apart from a chesty cough – I like to keep myself fit,“ said Mr Joyner, who used to live at Stockbridge.
Herncliffe deputy matron Beverley Clarkson said staff had used the service to get advice for patients who had suffered falls, had infections or needed palliative care.
She added: “I think the service is a brilliant idea – we tend to use it for medical advice.
“Lots of our clients get very distressed at the thought of going into hospital, so anything that helps us care for them here is good.”
The telehealth hub, launched in September 2011, uses latest video conferencing technology to connect patients and nursing home staff to specialist medical care at the touch of a button.
Currently, 29 nursing and residential homes are linked to the service, and the figure is poised to increase.
Up to the end of last year, nearly 200 hospital admissions had been prevented thanks to the hub.
Rebecca Malin, head of business development and investment at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The technology helps to provide more care for residents at home or in their care home, rather than simply calling the GP or an ambulance.
“Often, a quick change to someone’s medication, or even something as simple as giving someone more to drink to improve their fluid levels and increase hydration, can avoid the need for an ambulance and hospital stay.”
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