Newcastle Hospitals renews partnership with Health Call

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has renewed its partnership with Health Call which will see digital health tools being made available to patients in the North East and North Cumbria.

Newcastle Hospitals has secured the licence with Health Call on behalf of the North East and North Cumbria ICS. Under the contract the NHS-owned digital health company will supply more than 60 digital applications over the next three years to all NHS trusts in the area.

Health Call will provide a range of digital remote patient pathways which will mean more patients will be able to access the trusts’ services. Deploying the new tools will also help achieve greater control of clinics, budgets and data, better data security and a robust audit trail.

Dr Chris Plummer, chief clinical informatics officer at Newcastle Hospitals, said: “We’re pleased to announce the renewal of our regionwide remote monitoring planform capabilities with Health Call.

“This provides the region with access to over 60 clinically designed digital solutions and some exciting future developments, including integration into the Patient Engagement Platform (PEP) and the NHS App through the Great North Care Record.”

The £1million contract, Health Call’s biggest to date, includes tools that enable healthcare workers and patients to view and track appointments and related information. Plus it covers support for carers in care homes to ensure the best possible patient care is achieved.

Ian Dove, managing director at Health Call, said: “The regional licence will provide investment into our region that will allow us to unify, improve and streamline the way NHS services are delivered across primary and secondary care.

“The investment allows us to continue to develop our solutions in the NHS, so patients receive the best care possible, so they are in the right place at the right time. This is a key milestone in our journey, and we can’t wait to see the impact. “

Health Call is owned by the NHS. It was set up to share digital health expertise and resources to improve health outcomes for patients and drive down costs for health and care provision. In January last year it launched an online covid-19 vaccination booking system for NHS staff working in the North East and North Cumbria.