An innovative digital monitoring system, the Whzan Blue Box, has been helping to support the health of residents in North Tyneside care homes by spotting deterioration early. The system, which has been supplied at no cost to older people care homes, is ensuring that residents receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
This pioneering equipment works by gathering and collating physiological data (such as blood pressure, level of consciousness, and temperature), before generating a National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) – a universal measure understood by care home staff, GPs, ambulance and hospital workers.
The NEWS2 score generated then helps to inform clinical decision making, alerting health and care professionals as to when medical intervention may be required.
Take a look at the case study below from a large residential home, in which an individual’s deterioration was detected and treated early, enabling them to remain in the home:
Staff are also experiencing the benefits, with increased confidence in identifying, recording and communicating health deterioration, a common language being shared across health and care, and GPs accessing health information remotely.
Emma Place, clinical quality nurse lead for North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said:
“The number of permanent admissions to care homes per 100,000 is higher in North Tyneside than England. For over 65s this is 740.9 and 580, respectively.
The Whzan Blue Box utilises digital replication of a soft signs tool that care homes are already familiar with such as ‘Is my resident well? and NEWS2.
A number of non-clinical staff have reported feeling empowered to communicate more confidently with health professionals and some residents have reported feeling reassured that there is health monitoring equipment onsite which can be accessed remotely by a GP or Frailty Nurse. The system allows staff to assess resident’s physical observations efficiently, which allows for more appropriate referrals to GP and hospital.
Whilst non-clinical staff can perform the task of taking the observations, it is important that interpretation of these observations for clinical decision-making is undertaken by the clinical professional, such as a GP, Frailty Nurse, care home Advanced Practitioners; it is not an alternative for professional judgement.
The integration of Whzan and Care Management Systems such as Nourish enables care homes to eliminate duplication of work, providing vital observations alongside daily care records.
Work is ongoing to increase engagement, interoperability and access to the system for relevant services and professionals.”
The Whzan project has received fantastic recognition, and has been showcased as part of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF) in summer 2023 – the aim of which is to pilot a suite of innovative-supporting activities and products to accelerate evidence-based improvements in health and care.
However the project, like so many others, has not been without its challenges. Barriers to the use of the Whzan system have included Wi-Fi capability in the care homes, IT confidence and capability, staff turnover, and duplication in some homes where alternative systems are already in place. A further hurdle has been the loss of funding for the training support offered to homes by ACE Training, which has seen a knock-on effect in system usage.
Moving forward, work continues to secure further funding, as well as future-proofing the use of the Whzan system via working in partnership to ensure this is incorporated into care home policies.
The Whzan project clearly demonstrates the great benefits that embracing digital innovation can have in the care home setting, and there is much learning that can be taken from both the successes and the obstacles of this improvement story.
Make a connection! To find out more about the project, please contact [email protected]
