NHS Wiltshire buys Tunstall for COPD

Telecare and telehealth technology provider Tunstall has announced that NHS Wiltshire has bought its next generation suite of telehealth solutions.

The company said NHS Wiltshire will initially use its Integrated Care Platform to deliver care to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with a view to rolling it out to patients with other long term conditions.

COPD is the leading cause of hospital admissions in NHS Wiltshire and the primary care trust hopes its investment will enable it to care for patients at home, so reducing emergency admissions and bed days related to the disease.

Regitse Lewis, COPD community matron for NHS Wiltshire, said the solution was already enabling clinicians to intervene earlier when a patient's symptoms worsened, and to help patients manage their condition better.

She added: “For instance without the telehealth readings some people don’t realise they are feeling ill, so don’t take medication.

"Telehealth means patients are more likely to take their medicine and manage their condition better which can keep them out of hospital and help them get home sooner if they do need to be admitted.”

The solution includes Tunstall’s mymedic, which monitors vital signs on a daily basis. The information is transmitted via a telephone line to specialist nursing staff who triage the data and mange patients remotely.

Richard Rawcliffe, sales director for Tunstall, said: “With Tunstall’s new integrated care platform, health services can transform the way care is delivered remotely driving best use of resources which results in a higher, more preventative service for patients.”