NHS North East London, in collaboration with Health Navigator and UCLPartners, have launched a new three-year programme, providing preventative care for patients with long-term conditions. Health Navigator says this ‘comes at a time when urgent and emergency care services in North East London are facing unprecedented pressure and demand is at an all-time high’.
Through advanced AI screening technology and targeted, phone-based clinical coaching, patients at high risk of needing unplanned emergency care will be identified and offered personalised support from healthcare professionals trained in delivering preventative care and self-management techniques. The initiative is designed to identify and better support people with long-term conditions, like asthma, by taking a proactive and preventative approach to healthcare delivery.
Forecasting models estimate that the programme will save 26,673 unplanned bed days in North East London hospitals across the three years of the programme, with an anticipated reduction of 13,000 A&E attendances annually.
Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Officer at NHS North East London, said: “More than 15 million people in England live with one or more long-term conditions, accounting for 50% of all GP appointments, 64% of outpatient visits, and over 70% of inpatient bed days. This new approach represents a landmark step in harnessing technology for preventative care to better support these patients before they reach crisis points.”
Supported by the largest randomised controlled trial to date on AI-assisted preventative care, the initiative has shown significant impact when piloted in Staffordshire. Notable results include a 46% reduction in men over 75, a 34% reduction in emergency attendances, and 25% reduction in bed days, and a 26% reduction in GP referrals to secondary care, further supporting sustainable healthcare delivery.
Waltham Forest will be the first area to receive this new initiative through Barts Health NHS Trust, and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, with plans to expand across North East London in the coming weeks. The AI technology and clinical coaching will then be implemented throughout the rest of North East London in the coming months.
Dr Chris Laing, Chief Executive Officer of UCLPartners said: “This project provides a template for how the NHS can use modern technology to deliver predictive, proactive, and preventive care that is customised for local communities, and prioritises those most in need of our help. Our collaboration with Health Navigator and NHS North East London will not only enhance the lives of at-risk patients, but will also relieve critical pressure on our healthcare system too, aligning with the government’s prevention priority.”