Here’s a link UK readers may want to email to their GPs, or their practice managers. It might do more good for the cause of telehealth than Department of Health endorsement or even 3ML publicity.
In brief, NHS Stoke on Trent CCG has been running a clinical rollout of Simple Telehealth’s advice and interactive Florence SMS texting service and is now offering to fund a CCG’s licence for a year, including costs of at least 15,000 patient texts, and helping with implementing Florence across each participating CCG. See Telehealth no longer a remote possibility for general practice GP Online for details. Whether you pass it on or not, it is a good description of the system and the areas it covers, including a mapping of Florence to the NHS Outcomes Framework. Head-up thanks to Mike Clark.
Agree about Florence. But I think you’re a bit unkind to 3millionlives – Florence IS an integral part of the 3millionlives approach, providing an essential ‘enabler’ that will encourage clinicians to look more favourably on other telehealth solutions that are better tailored for the needs of higher dependency patients.
I am unclear how the editorial comment is being unkind to 3ML … especially since it is one CCG which is making the offer to fund another CCG as I understand it?
But surely the point being made is that it is rather like Show and Tell at primary school – the 3ML publicity is “tell” whereas this offer is “show” … and we do need the “show” bits if we are going to win hearts and minds. Much of the “tell” will go where all the other spin and propaganda goes will it not?
And even though it is sending a very clear thumbs up for NHS Stoke on Trent CCG’s experience of this telehealth, I am rather curious about the Governance of a CCG funding another CCG’s use of anything … surely the intention is for each CCG to commission services for the patients provided with care within that CCG?
Thanks, Cathy. Yes. Perhaps I was not as clear as I could have been. I did mean that lots of people sending the GP Online link to their GPs may do more good than 3ML or DH pushing the telehealh gospel at them.
Interesting point about the governance…
Steve