The introduction of the monitors forms part of an NHS Highland telehealth project, which is being run in partnership with Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association (LSHA) and Highland Council.
And the project was explained to members of Skye and Lochalsh Health Services Reference Group at their meeting in Broadford this week. The group had earlier identified telehealth as one of the major improvements they wished to see made to healthcare locally.
Ruairidh MacKinnon, of LSHA, told them that telehealth uses technology to help patients manage their own conditions and is well suited for use in rural areas where transport is scarce and access to specialists is often at a distance.
Mr MacKinnon stressed that telehealth was not a replacement for people, but was about using the staff and skills we have more effectively.
He said: “The ability to use technology to remotely monitor patients with LTCs enables patients to be experts in their own care and supports them and their carers in the management of their conditions.
“It also results in increased monitoring, keeps people in their own homes and reduces unnecessary admissions to hospital.”
Mr MacKinnon explained that the monitors would be based in patients’ own homes, with the clinician setting acceptable parameters for their readings, such as blood sugar levels. Once these are exceeded, an alert is generated to the clinician.
The patient is taught how to use the equipment as well as answer a few quality of life questions set by the clinician – this forms the monitoring process.
Mr MacKinnon pointed out that telecare has been used effectively in Skye and Lochalsh for three years and telehealth commenced last year, with the launch of a teleneurology service that meant more neurology patients could be seen locally with less having to travel to Inverness for appointments.
He added that more telehealth developments were scheduled for the coming year, with the home monitoring service due to go live at the end of this month.
Reference group Chair, Roddy Murray, welcomed the telehealth project.
He said: “The reference group was very pleased to receive this presentation and to hear of the progress that has been made.
“We are also very pleased that Skye was one of the two locations in Highland chosen for this project and we look forward very much to the development of this service, which will benefit not only those who are going to be using it, but will also be of value in freeing up hospital beds and other services.”
The reference group is planning to hold public awareness events in late April at which local people will be able to see examples of the information requested by the group.
Those attending the events will also be able to see how the action plan for the future development of health services in Skye and Lochalsh is progressing.
The action plan was drawn up following extensive work with patients, carers and other local people to find out what they considered to be the most important issues in planning services for the area. Preparatory work for the action plan included a survey, focus groups and a workshop.
Further information on the public awareness events will be provided nearer the time.
