Digital tools introduced to help improve elective recovery in Kent

Digital tools, including a patient optimisation eForm and a hospice data feed, have been launched in Kent to help improve prehabilitation and elective recovery.

The patient optimisation eForm was introduced in March 2025 to provide a structured approach to tracking patient health interventions, as a key component of Kent’s elective recovery solution.

It integrates with the Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) to enable clinicians to have real-time access to patient information and deliver more efficient, data-driven healthcare across the region.

A hospice data feed was also launched which allows hospice teams to contribute critical patient data to the KMCR, which helps palliative care patients receive coordinated support across all care settings.

The digital tools, developed by Graphnet Health as part of a broader initiative to improve perioperative care, integrate with population health management platforms to support clinicians in risk stratification, triage and prehabilitation for surgical patients.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust are leading the adoption of the tools.

Dr Simon Lang, lead for perioperative medicine at East Kent Hospitals, said: “The introduction of the patient optimisation eForm and hospice data feed represents a major step forward in digital healthcare innovation.

“These advancements empower healthcare professionals with the tools they need to provide timely, personalised care while reducing administrative burden.

“They support the provision of efficient care pathways, adapted for individual patient needs, using relevant healthcare data from a wide range of sources.”

The eForm features built-in logic, which means that when patients are enrolled in an optimisation service, the relevant fields become mandatory, helping healthcare providers record essential details systematically.

Kent is also leveraging the Combined Intelligence for Population Health Action (CIPHA) Population Health Platform, which plays a key role in supporting elective recovery and prehabilitation across the region.

Meanwhile, in January 2025, Kent Community Health NHS FT began a three-month pilot of an AI assistant which uses ambient voice technology to listen to consultations and draft clinic notes and summary letters.

The technology from digital health startup TORTUS is being used within the trust’s community paediatric service, which offers appointments to children with developmental conditions such as autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy.