This week (3/11/2020) heralded a new digital era for wound management patients across Greater Manchester.
Following extensive testing in Rochdale of a new App to help our community health team we have now launched the latest smartphone technology to speed up patients’ wound care and treatment.
This wound-measuring technology is accessed via a smartphone. In just two minutes, using the phone’s digital camera, the wound can be accurately measured and photographed. The digital assessment will calculate the progress of the wound over time and determine if it is improving. By having more accurate measurements of wound and visibility of the healing process, a health care professional can advise about treatment and can even share with other team members to make more accurate clinical decisions. This App will eventually reduce the volume of wound care required by nurses by up to one week per patient.
The App works by uploading information to a secure NHS portal and into the electronic patient record. This way the patient can be tracked and follow up care arranged.
Sharon Hollister, Assistant Director of Nursing for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Adult Community Services said: “This is really exciting new technology which promises to standardise both the assessment and treatment of wound care. The system is designed to help us more accurately assess the wound, allowing us to view progression over time and review any problems with the wider team”.
“And in the future using the new Greater Manchester Digital Platform, we will also be able to share progress, photos and treatment plans with other colleagues involved in the patients care so that everyone knows what treatment is recommended and what decisions have been made, instantly”.
Victoria Thorne, Divisional Director of Nursing and Therapies for Heywood Middleton & Rochdale Division of Integrated Care said: “This project promises to be transformational in the way we manage people with wounds across Greater Manchester. The cost to the NHS of chronic wounds equals that of cancer. This is a win-win situation which is good for patients and health professionals and carers. By cleverly turning a smartphone into a digital wound assessment tool to scan and measure wounds and then transmit this information into the patient record, we could be potentially helping thousands of people across Greater Manchester. Reducing healing time for patients is vital to improving patient outcomes and this app could also reduce the need for people to come into hospital when wounds become critical.”
The initiative is part of Northern Care Alliance Virtual hospital project and we are working with the Greater Manchester Digital Platform programme which has created the technology needed to share the information produced by the App across Greater Manchester.
The technology has been developed by Healthy.IO.
The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group brings together four hospitals, 2,000 beds, specialist and acute services, a range of associated community healthcare services, and over 19,000 staff across Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. More information about the NCA can be found at www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk
