Blackpool Teaching Hospitals launch digital cardiac surgical waiting lists

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, FCMS and Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board are all working in partnership with Docobo to use digital technology to help manage their cardiac surgery waiting lists.

Teams from the three healthcare organisations have deployed Docobo’s remote monitoring technology to ensure that patients on cardiac waiting lists have a direct link to a team of clinicians.

As well as reassuring patients they’re in safe hands, it is also helping clinical teams identify those patients who are most in need of intervention.

David Rose, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon, said: “Thanks to this technology we are able to have a direct link with the patients and be able to early detect any deterioration in their health condition. Patients showing deterioration will be identified, prioritised, and offered support as appropriate.

“As the waiting list for life-saving cardiac surgery has become increasingly longer, we have to identify those patients who are deteriorating and offer earlier intervention when needed.”

The solution allows patients to be monitored at home by devices that can detect any health anomalies or deterioration. Patients are provided with monitoring equipment, which includes a phone or tablet pre-loaded with software allowing them to send health data digitally and remotely to clinical teams.

In addition, the app provides patients with advice to help prepare them for their surgery.

Rachel Haworth, project lead based at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, said: “This service aims to reduce the demand on primary and secondary care, including preventing emergency admission and 999 calls.”

There are currently 140 patients onboarded to the project. In the future, patients will have the option to opt-in to the service at their initial consultation with the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals cardiac team. If they opt to take part the FCMS team will onboard them the same day.

Docobo was acquired by Graphnet, a shared care records provider, at the end of 2021.