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Telehealth is a tool which can be used in a variety of ways; to support and enhance existing systems or to introduce a completely new way of working. Whilst telehealth is a relatively new concept in many areas, in others it is a more long-term feature of the health ecosystem.  In West Yorkshire, Immedicare offer a 24/7 digital care service to support primary care providers with the management of care home patients. Having been established for over 10 years, they know only too well what works, what does not and crucially how to realise the benefits of telehealth; enabling rapid triage and response around the clock, reducing secondary care admissions and relieving pressure on care home staff, local practices and PCNs. Rachel Binks, Nurse Practitioner for Digital and Acute Care at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, joins Ben this week to fill us in on the Immedicare journey and why they have been instrumental in improving health outcomes for their care home patients.

Introduction (0:34)

How did the concept first come about? (0:46)

The Immedicare journey (1:26)

Enabling a 24/7 service (2:11)

800 care homes and counting (3:43)

How does the service work in practice? (4:32)

What is the contractual basis of the service and where does it fit with local providers? (5:12)

Managing a broad spectrum of conditions and health concerns (7:13)

The importance of building and maintaining relationships (7:56)

The Immedicare clinical workforce (9:27)

Making the service viable (10:15)

Balancing relationships with local PCNs and practices (11:16)

Multi-disciplinary team meetings (12:59)

What has been the impact of the service? (13:36)

Technical limitations? (14:16)

Reducing community care visits and admissions (14:50)

Aligning with new PCN services and staff teams (15:51)

Feedback from the care homes (16:42)

Financial and contractual setup (17:14)

What’s next as far as developing the service is concerned? (18:23)

Finding out more (19:17)

Immedicare website is here

Rachel is happy to discuss any aspect of the service on offer from Immedicare or telehealth more broadly. Her email address is here