Feebris launches Heart Failure @ Home service in Northern Ireland

Virtual care technology provider Feebris has launched a heart failure service in Northern Ireland, which enables patients with complex conditions to access remote care from home.

The project launched in November 2024 in collaboration with BT, Queen’s University Belfast and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SE Trust), where the service is being provided.

By introducing the technology, the SE Trust is aiming to improve quality of life for patients and accessibility of services, while also creating additional capacity and reducing avoidable emergency department visits and hospital admissions.

Clare Marie Dickson, lead director for quality improvement and innovation and director of primary Care and Older People at the SE Trust, said: “The use of leading-edge remote technology, married with clinical expertise, has the potential to be life-changing for patients living with complex conditions.

“The project aims to empower them by offering proactive treatment in a timely manner, reducing emergency visits to hospital and ultimately improving quality of life.

“Additionally, the potential for scale and spread is hugely exciting for other patients living with long-term conditions.”

An independent health economic evaluation conducted by the York Health Economic Consortium found the use of the Feebris platform over a 12-month period led to a 38% reduction in conveyances to the emergency department and 25% reduction in hospital admissions, with £500,000 saved for every 1,000 patients.

For this project, Queen’s University Belfast will be conducting the health economic evaluation, providing insights into the impact of the service.

Initially, the project will focus on reducing frequent admissions for patients at risk of deconditioning, empowering them to maintain independence for longer and reducing escalating healthcare needs.

In the first phase, the trust will specifically look to support patients with congestive heart failure and co-morbidities.

Dr Elina Naydenova, chief executive and cofounder of Feebris, said: “By supporting patients to manage complex conditions at home, we are helping to streamline access to services and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems adapting to growing and changing demand.

“We look forward to building on the initial phase of the project and expanding the support to additional cohorts of patients that we know can massively benefit from the use of our technology.”

Mark Gibson, director for digital health and smart places, Northern Ireland, at BT, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the SE Trust Innovation Team and Feebris to deliver and further prove the value of Technology Enabled Care solutions.

“Healthcare organisations are facing exceptional demand due to growing challenges. We are here to help with cutting-edge technology for real-time, data-driven decisions and collaboration.

“We are building a connected community of care focusing on the patient and clinician user experience and outcomes.”

In July 2024, Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board launched a children’s virtual ward, powered by Feebris, to support the delivery of hospital-level paediatric care at home.

Dr Naydenova was also a speaker at Digital Health AI and Data 2023, where she spoke about the ability of AI to aid predictive healthcare.