Digital service helps keep care home residents out of hospital

Digital health service Immedicare says it has helped thousands of Liverpool care home residents avoid unnecessary hospital visits by connecting staff to clinical advice at the point of need.

The 24-hour telemedicine service says it carried out 13,000 consultations in 2024, with around 90% of those resulting in residents remaining in their care home.

Run in partnership with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside integrated care board (ICB), the platform connects care home residents to clinicians based at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, supporting on-site decision-making and reducing pressures on frontline resources.

Fiona Ogden-Forde, GP in Liverpool and clinical lead for Liverpool Place within NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “This system has transformed the way we deliver care to care home residents.

“It helps staff to make informed decisions quickly, reducing unnecessary ambulance conveyances and unplanned hospital admissions with improved patient outcomes and enhanced continuity of care.

“Having access to immediate clinical input, reduces stress for both residents, their loved ones and the care home staff.”

Immedicare was first trialled in Liverpool in 2017, initially covering 37 care homes before being rolled out city-wide by Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group.

It now supports all Care Quality Commission registered care homes in the area, including those for older adults and people with learning disabilities.

The service works with local partners across primary and community care, as well as North West Ambulance Service and out-of-hours teams at PC24, to provide support in areas such as falls, wound care, medication safety, end-of-life care and nutrition.

Rachel Binks, nurse consultant and clinical lead at Immedicare, said: “Having worked together since 2016, Immedicare and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Liverpool Place) have built a long-standing and trusted relationship.

“As a clinical NHS service, we have worked collaboratively with local health and care partners to create pathways that not only improve patient outcomes but also ease the burden on emergency services.”

Jane Fradley, delivery lead for Delivery Ageing Well in Liverpool Place for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, added: “Through collaboration we’re creating a more efficient and compassionate care system for Liverpool’s care home residents.

“This innovation demonstrates how digital solutions can strengthen the health system, making it more responsive to the needs of our population.”

Meanwhile in October 2024, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust joined forces with housing association Prima Group, to integrate social care housing data into NHS records to link housing conditions to health outcomes and improve the quality of support services offered to tenants.