- Barnsley Primary Care Trust plans to provide the Bosch Telehealth Plus system for more than 2,500 patients with long-term conditions over three phases
- Key partnership supports local General Practitioners in providing high-quality care for chronically ill patients
- Efficient and sustained remote patient monitoring system will provide better care and quality of life for patients in their own home and help to avoid unnecessary costs
London. Bosch Healthcare today announced the first major UK project of its Telehealth Plus system in conjunction with Barnsley Primary Care Trust, with the potential to become one of the largest independent projects in the country.
The project begins in September with an initial 150 high intensity patients living with congestive heart failure (CHF) who will be provided with the Bosch Telehealth Plus monitoring system. Evaluation of the first 150 patients will be supported by a local university and this will trigger the roll out to the second phase. The patient feedback will be central to the evaluation process.
In a second phase, a further few hundred Barnsley patients with long-term conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type
2 diabetes will then be chosen to take part in the programme with the aim of rolling it out to thousands of patients in the third phase.
The system is designed to facilitate independent living and enhance quality
of life as well as reduce unnecessary healthcare costs. Bosch Telehealth Plus provides care managers and nurses the ability to remotely monitor patients with individual or complex chronic conditions at home on a daily basis and to intervene by telephone or in person if necessary before crises occur.
Growing demand for Telehealth
More than 60,000 people – more than 25% of the population – in the Barnsley region live with chronic illnesses, and the Barnsley Primary Care Trust (PCT) has become one of the most progressive centres of telehealth in the country to help people with long-term conditions to optimise their health and well being as well as make best use of healthcare services at a time of every increasing demand.
Brian Hughes, Director of Intelligence, Innovation and Quality at Barnsley PCT, said: “Our partnership with Bosch Healthcare represents a significant commitment to help people deal with the problems that living with a long-term health condition can cause. Once the first phase of the project has been undertaken we look forward to being able to roll it out further with our eventual aim to see Barnsley as a leader in the provision of telehealth navigation.”
Barnsley PCT has also led the way in self-directed care through innovations such as telehealth because of the clinical value it has in promoting behaviour change.
Margaret Kitching, Director of Nursing and Professions at the PCT, said: “People living with chronic conditions who are supported with telehealth are more likely to take control of their own wellbeing, such as stopping smoking, losing weight, taking more exercise and looking after their mental wellbeing.
It also improves medical care once they access the system as nurse navigators can assess and direct them to the right services based on the findings recorded through the Bosch Telehealth Plus system. This overall provides greater efficiency both in time and resources.”
Telehealth with Results - Proven outcomes and technology
Bosch has a strong commitment to healthcare. The international technology solutions company is already one of the mainstream providers of telehealth systems in the US, however, the move heralds an extension in the UK where the main activities today are automotive technology, power tools, household appliances, and heating technology.
Ulrich Behner, Vice President for Technical Areas at Robert Bosch Healthcare, said: “Working with the Barnsley PCT gives us the best possible launch of our ‘Telehealth with Results’ campaign as they fully embrace the benefits that patient empowerment can provide.”
Bosch Healthcare provides a telehealth system supporting sustained health improvements and is globally one of the market leaders in terms of telehealth management and cost outcomes following more than 30 different studies including several randomised clinical trials over the past 10 years. In the US, long-term studies of the Bosch system show that overall hospital admissions can be reduced by more than 20% .
The Bosch Telehealth system drives a model of care focused on providing patients with tools to support self-management and adherence leading to an enhanced quality of life in an independent setting.
In addition, the Bosch technology expertise – especially with its background in electronics, sensor technology and system integration will enable telehealth to perform at its full potential.
Behner continues: “The Barnsley project will replicate a clinically validated partnership model that we have successfully deployed with the Veterans Health Administration in the US. Bosch Healthcare will provide technology and decision support expertise to the general practitioners and clinical and social teams within the Barnsley PCT.”
Patients in the programme will receive a home appliance, a compact device with a display and easy-to-use four-button interface. Each day, patients will use the in-home device to send the vital signs and to answer a series of questions about their health and any issues or symptoms they may be experiencing.
This data will be transmitted over a telephone line or Ethernet connection to a secure Bosch data centre where it is processed and then forwarded to care managers at Barnsley. Using an online desktop application, care managers can quickly identify high-risk patients who require treatment before their condition becomes acute, avoiding costly hospitalisations.
The Bosch Healthcare subsidiary underpins the corporate slogan “Invented for life”, which goes back to the ideals of founder Robert Bosch to supporting innovation and bringing real benefit to people’s lives.
Behner continues: “This is a key project for Bosch Healthcare and we look forward to working with Barnsley PCT and using the Bosch Telehealth system to provide a sustainable and long-term solution for managing patient care in the region.”
1 Darkins A, Ryan P, Kobb R, et al. Care coordination/home telehealth : the systematic implementation of health informatics, home telehealth, and disease management to support the care of veteran patients with chronic conditions. Telemedicine and e-Health. 2008; 14:1118-1126
Contact for press inquiries:
Bosch media enquiries:
Amanda Thurston
JBP
Tel: 0117 907 3400
Email: amanda.thurston@jbp.co.uk
Bosch corporate media enquiries:
Susan Shrosbree
Bosch UK
Tel: +44 1895 83-8545
Email: susan.shrosbree@uk.bosch.com
Bosch Healthcare media enquires:
Roland Hueppmeier
Robert Bosch Healthcare
Tel. +49 711 811 58254
Email: roland.hueppmeier@de.bosch.com
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 275,000 associates generated sales of 38.2 billion euros in fiscal 2009. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 300 subsidiaries and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is repre¬sented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for growth. Each year, Bosch spends more than 3.5 billion euros for research and development, and applies for some 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial.
The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.
Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com.
Robert Bosch Healthcare is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Bosch-Group providing innovative telehealth technology. The product spectrum ranges from patient terminals, through fast and secure transmission of health data (vital signs), to comprehensive evaluation software for healthcare professionals. The Bosch Telehealth Plus system strives to improve treatment with systematic patient involvement. Bosch Telehealth Plus supports healthcare professionals at clinician and patient interfaces, as well as funding bodies, in providing enhanced and regular care services for patients with chronic conditions, allowing them to lead happier and healthier lives thanks to continuous healthcare monitoring in their own home environment.
For more information please visit
www.bosch-telehealth.co.uk
