APP HELPS NHS STAFF WELLBEING DURING PANDEMIC

Mental health app, My Possible Self has developed a mental health digital intervention in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and NHS Highland.

The platform has shown to reduce depression and anxiety and increase wellbeing among health and social care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pilot research funded by the Chief Scientist Office at the Scottish Government showed the intervention to be effective over just four weeks and suggested the approach could be used more widely to support NHS staff wellbeing.

New features included a fictional nurse called Iona to provide virtual support to participants and guide them through the intervention with text and email reminders. 

EU COMMISSIONERS HOSTS HEALTH SKILLS ROUNDTABLE

On 16 February, EU Commissioners, Nicolas Schmit, Thierry Breton and Stella Kyriakides hosted a roundtable on the Pact for Skills within the health ecosystem.

Announced under the European Skills Agenda, the Pact was launched on 10 November and is part of a series of sectoral roundtables to foster stakeholder involvement under the pact.

The aim is to mobilise relevant institutions to assist people in developing the right skill-set for a resilient recovery from the pandemic.

With a focus on the health sector, the use of digital skills in assisting and facilitating the transformation of health systems and patient safety is of particular interest. 

DIGI.ME PARTNERS WITH HEALTHMARK FOR COVID TESTING

Dutch healthcare and laboratory specialists, Healthmark have announced plans to integrate COVID-19 testing and analysis into its flagship Consentry platform.

The Consentry healthpass platform is an end-to-end solution which enables users to take a self-administered PCR saliva test. Users will be able to send it for processing and then receive their results via an app.

The platform also generates a certified and dated travel certificate with qualifying details of the test taken, giving users the option to share results as needed.

The partnership with digi.me combines both organisation's focus on a privacy-focused consumer service and follows digi.me's MedMij accreditation, the official Dutch standard for secure exchange of health data between care users and care providers.  

WINGCOPTER JOINS FLYING LABS NETWORK

German developer and manufacturer of delivery drones for humanitarian operations, Wingcopter has joined forces with the Flying Labs Network as a technology partner.

The goal of the partnership is to improve supply chains through locally-led cargo drone projects and to equip locals with the skills to operate Wingcopter’s unmanned systems in long-range drone applications.

The Flying Labs Network strengthens local expertise in the use of drones, robotics, data and AI for positive social change in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Andi Fisanich, Wingcopter’s head of humanitarian programmes, said: “The partnership with the Flying Labs Network fits perfectly in our vision to create efficient and sustainable drone solutions to improve and save lives everywhere."

MEDWAY PICKS ALLSCRIPTS SUNRISE EPR

Medway NHS FT has selected Allscripts Sunrise electronic patient record (EPR) to make significant improvements in its digital maturity.

The Kent trust signed a contract with Allscripts in December 2020 and is planning to go live with the first phase of core functionality six months from the start of the project. The launch of clinical documents with links to other IT systems in use at the trust will give clinicians access to a single view of patient information.

The project will also set the foundations for three further phases of a full EPR roll-out, including e-prescribing and medicines administration, for which the trust has received national funding.

Medway will be leveraging the Allscripts UK Blueprint that has been designed and tested with organisations such as Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS FT, to deliver rapid success to trusts with low digital maturity.

HEALTHCARE APPS NOT UP TO STANDARDS

In response to the recent ORCHA report, which found that most healthcare apps are not up to NHS standards, online triage platform, Doctorlink has been working with CDQ on a Digital Triage Regulatory Sandbox to help develop better regulatory frameworks for the use of apps. 

Suzanne Ash, head of governance and medical device programme lead at Doctorlink, said: “Doctorlink, part of HealthHero, welcomes the Orcha report that was released yesterday highlighting some of the emerging issues with healthcare apps. These problems are a result of the rapid boom of what is a young and evolving market, a market which is challenging the existing regulatory framework to adapt and keep pace. 

“As the UK’s leading symptom assessment provider to the NHS, Doctorlink understands these challenges and are committed to playing their part in the solutions.  We have been closely involved with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in shaping future policy guidelines and a regulatory framework for the use of digital health products across the UK."

INHEALTHCARE CONNECTS CARE HOMES AND FAMILY DOCTORS

A new venture by digital health and remote patient monitoring company, Inhealthcare will provide care home residents in North East London with technology to connect to their family doctors.

The Inhealthcare remote patient monitoring service for the NHS will help clinicians to identify any patients at risk of developing health problems and intervene early with treatment.

It aims to keep vulnerable residents stay healthy in their homes and prevent avoidable hospital admissions during and after the pandemic.

The new service will connect primary care networks with up to 215 care homes in Barking and Dagenham, City and Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

NHS LOTHIAN LAUNCHES COVID-19 VACCINE AUTOMATED BOOKINGS

Provider of technology for critical data, InterSystems has announced that users of its InterSystems TrakCare unified healthcare information system now have access to an appointment booking system to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations.

Through using this system, NHS Lothian has registered 7,055 members of staff and has booked vaccination appointments for 6,100 of those through the system in 16 days.

The vaccination appointment service generates the appointments through patient notifications with date, time, and location and integrates the information with each patient’s record. Once booked, the patient can manage their appointment via a secure portal.

With the aim of reducing delays of vaccination deployments, the system claims to have saved one regional health board more than 500 hours of call centre time.