Hospital to share £7.4m to trial 'remote' care

NHS bosses in Gateshead are to run a new pilot scheme which will shift healthcare away from hospital settings.

- By SAM VOLPE

The Gateshead Health NHS Trust which runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital among other healthcare sites in the borough is one of 45 NHS bodies awarded a share of £7.4m.

The cash, awarded by the Department of Health and Social Care will see a push to use “remote monitoring and self-reporting tools through the NHS App” which “help patients share updates on their health directly with specialists”. The hospital trust has welcomed the news as a “great opportunity” and it is understood to be in the early stages of deciding where to roll out this approach.

The scheme will see a “remote triage and monitoring platform” linked to the NHS App and clinicians will be able to receive and review information which would “support the continuing care of patients in their homes or the community”.