Technology-enabled virtual wards the future of healthcare
With an elective care backlog in excess of 7 million [1], record high workforce shortages [2] and decaying estates, our healthcare system is close to breaking point. Numerous tools have been deployed to try and combat these problems, but they continue to fall short of the mark. Not all hope is lost though. Driven by the global Covid-19 pandemic, we…
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Discharge to Assess: Where the rubber hits the road
There are seven key steps to generating traction and improving the discharge-to-assess pathways. These are a mix of technical development in respect of discharge-to-assess (such as the establishment of agreed patient strata) and the generic challenges of change management (such as engagement, communication, and skills building). The first 3 phases (which are the planning phases) will be broadly sequential but…
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Transforming homes into hospitals
D2A pathways and associated practices are key tools in expediting patient discharge, relieving pressure on the acute environment and improving patient flow [1,2]. Although effective on their own, by applying technology in new and innovative ways, these pathways can be further enhanced to generate further benefits. Supporting technology is best viewed as ‘catalysts’ for D2A pathways. When implemented effectively, they…
I’m a patient get me out of here
As the first article in this series highlighted, too many people are spending too long in an acute setting, well beyond the point of clinical need. One in six beds in these hospitals are occupied by patients who would be much better served in their usual place of residence. Furthermore, with an elective backlog of almost seven million, one in…
Discharge to Assess: What You Need to Know
When the new Health Secretary, Therese Coffey, was appointed she detailed her priorities for the NHS. These were A, B, C, D, or in other words, ambulances, backlogs, care, and doctors and dentists. Critical to the current challenges facing the health system is the ability to create and ensure bed capacity. Currently, one out of every six beds are taken…
Technology-enabled Virtual Wards
How hospital grade, remote monitoring technology can enable the delivery of high-impact patient outcomes. Technology-enabled Virtual Wards have arrived, are you ready? The NHS must establish 24,000 Virtual Ward beds by December 2023 to support a targeted increase of 30% in elective care procedures by 2025. The delivery of effective ‘in-hospital’ patient care depends on reliable communication, monitoring, and alerts.…
Creating more effective Estates and Facilities strategies through the Integrated Care Systems model
Estates and facilities (E&F) management plays a critical role in the delivery of all healthcare services. Every department or location depends on E&F services, with each facing unique challenges. These challenges have been significantly exacerbated by recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit, which have placed even greater pressures on supply chains and staff. That is why overcoming…
Overcoming the barriers to developing future-ready community diagnostic services
Even before the pandemic began, demand for diagnostic services of all types were rising and, in some cases, outstripping capacity. Covid-19 has exacerbated this problem, deepening the diagnostic backlog with knock-on effects for cancer and elective care. However, it has also demonstrated what is possible. Seemingly complex changes were implemented at a pace not seen before, transforming services within a…
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Preparing for the challenges of tomorrow with robust continuity planning
Risk management processes play a key role in building the resilience a business needs to operate smoothly during disruption. This is particularly the case in pharmaceutical and MedTech businesses, in which supply chains are often complex and services are multi-layered. Disruption can come in many forms, including challenges caused by the rapid growth to regulatory changes and rare but destabilising…
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Reshaping long neglected sterilisation services to meet the increased demands of a post-Covid world
As recent headlines have highlighted, the NHS backlog in routine operations and procedures has reached worrying heights during the pandemic. Data from NHS England shows that currently more than 5 million people in England are waiting for hospital treatment, with 3.63 million fewer elective surgeries carried out between April 2020 and May 2021. Meeting this backlog of care is going…
Akeso & Co’s view on the Department of Health & Social Care’s draft data policy
What is being proposed? In light of rapid digital advances triggered by the pandemic, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is developing a more sustainable and long-term data strategy. This strategy is designed to support the digital transformation needed to improve patient care across the health and care sectors. The new strategy has several aims, including: Bringing people…
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Contracting Managed Equipment Services – A unique legal and procurement perspective
Managed Equipment Services (MES) can support in meeting a number of objectives for NHS providers -reducing capital spend, managing risk and improving service delivery, but scoping them and contracting for them can be challenging. During this webinar, Beth Loudon and Chris Robson from Akeso & Company were joined by Jonathan Hayden and Rachel Whitaker from the leading law firm, Browne…
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