Author Archives: Maureen
The doctor will see you now – by VIDEO LINK
The doctor will see you now – by VIDEO LINK: London hospital trust uses technology to improve care at night and weekends
- Guys and St Thomas’ are trialling technology that could improve standard of care at night and weekends, when wards are staffed by junior doctors
- The ‘eICU system’ has been likened to air traffic control as consultants are able to monitor and control treatment from a centralised location
- Already widely used in the U.S. and has been reported to have reduced death rates by 27% and length of hospital stays by 23%
- Could eventually allow consultants to log on at home and check the condition of patients as they come around after surgery
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A London hospital trust has announced that its doctors will consult patients via video link to tackle staff and skills shortages in the NHS.
Guys and St Thomas’ are trialling technology that could improve the standard of care during the night and at weekends.
The ‘eICU’ system employs high-definition cameras to allow consultant to diagnose and treat patients from a centralised location remotely.
Experts have likened the new technology to air traffic control, where the movement of planes are monitored and controlled from one location. Here a doctor is pictured treating a patient remotely
The system, known as Philips ‘telemedicine’ technology, is already widely used in the U.S. and is reported to have reduced death rates by 27 per cent and the length of hospital stays by 23 per cent.
Experts have compared the new system to air traffic control, where the movement of planes are monitored and controlled from one location.
‘It’s like an airport having a control tower, supporting what is going on throughout the system , so that the overall quality goes up and senior people are available when needed,’ Dr Richard Beale, director of perioperative, critical care and pain services, told the Evening Standard.
Details of the trial, funded by a £2.85 million grant from Guy’s and St Thomas’ charity, were being made public today in a presentation at the King’s Fund think tank in central London.
‘Woefully inadequate homecare presents a massive challenge’
Government summit hears that reform is needed to reverse ‘race to the bottom’ on care amid budget squeeze and ageing population
The timing was accidental — but striking. On the day the government was hosting a summit to drive improvements in the way some of the most vulnerable members of society are cared for at home, the BBC released TV footage showing the human impact of failings in the system. The scenes showing an 83-year-old woman becoming upset as her carer failed to turn up on time were a stark reminder that some of the care provided to people in their own homes is woefully inadequate.
As care and support minister Norman Lamb put it: “The report on the BBC was not an isolated experience — we know there are lots of examples, along with the very good care we also see. We have all got a responsibility to address the fact that there are some very vulnerable people at risk in their own homes. Behind your own front door you are particularly vulnerable because no one can see what’s happening.”
‘Bedroom tax’ may force disabled woman to move house
Lisa Evans and her daughter Vicki at the home they fear they will have to leave because of the bedroom tax
9:46am Tuesday 2nd July 2013 in News By Mark Stead, Political Reporter
A MOTHER and her disabled daughter are living in fear of being torn away from the community they love – because of the so-called bedroom tax.
Lisa Evans, of Kelfield, between York and Selby, has seen her weekly housing costs quadruple since the introduction of the Government’s levy on extra rooms earlier this year, and says she may now have to leave her home of 17 years.
The 48-year-old is the main carer for her 25-year-old daughter Vicky, who is confined to a wheelchair after an operation on her heart as a baby left her with brain damage.
Lisa has been told she must pay the tax for at least two of the three small bedrooms at her house. She has applied to Selby District Council for discretionary support, but even if she succeeds, this will only be a temporary measure.
Lisa said she has been told she and Vicky could potentially move to a smaller bungalow, but has been given no indication where.
A grant paid for a two-bedroom extension 11 years ago at their home, which has en-suite facilities and specialist equipment for Vicky and a room for a carer.
“This is Vicky’s home – she is part of the community and around people who know her and help her,” said Lisa, who works part-time and whose previous weekly housing costs have risen from £12 to £50.
“If we were to be moved, where would we go? We have no idea where it would be and whether we would have any equipment or transport for Vicky. We would be going to nothing and I feel I wouldn’t be able to support my daughter any more.
