A Liverpool project that is preventing people’s conditions from worsening and keeping them out of hospital has been named a regional champion in the first-ever NHS Excellence Awards.
Liverpool Place was recognised for its innovative use of data to identify patients most at risk and offer early, coordinated support in their communities.
Support includes telehealth monitoring – a service that uses apps and smartphones to help manage conditions – alongside community respiratory specialists and integrated care teams, helping patients with conditions such as COPD, chronic kidney disease and frailty.
Figures show a 28% reduction in A&E attendances, a 36% drop in emergency admissions and a 34% fall in GP appointments among telehealth patients, while 87% of patients took up proactive COPD reviews.
Integrated Care Teams play a central role, bringing together nurses, care coordinators, social care staff and specialists to deliver joined-up support closer to home.
The programme has also begun linking health and housing data, working with partners to identify vulnerable residents and improve living conditions that can affect health.
More than 390 nominations, across 10 categories, were submitted in the North West, shining a light on the innovative ways teams across the region are improving care for patients and communities.
Dr Janet Bliss, local GP and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Clinical Director for Liverpool Place, said: “We are no longer waiting for people to reach crisis point. Instead, we’re identifying them earlier and bringing services together to support them in their communities as part of a true neighbourhood approach to healthcare.
“This is a huge achievement and reflects the scale and ambition of what we’ve built alongside our local partners, as well as our shared commitment to providing people with the highest standards of care.”