90 local care homes are using remote monitoring toolkits to reduce hospital admissions

The Whzan Blue Box contains various wireless, portable instruments which care home staff can use to measure vital signs such as pulse, blood glucose, oxygen levels, respiratory rate, body temperature and blood pressure. They can also record photos and send the results straight to the resident’s GP – helping to speed up diagnosis and care.

Whzan can calculate the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) to check if someone who is already ill is becoming worse, and it prompts staff with questions to assess whether residents need to attend hospital.

In a new video, staff from local care homes and a GP talk about how Whzan is helping them to provide high quality care.

Kamal Benipal, Registered Manager at Bellevue Care Home in Luton said: “This kit absolutely increases the quality of life of the people we support because the readings help us identify if a resident is unwell or if their situation is getting worse.”

Shujna Hussain, Senior Carer at Tickford Abbey Care Home in Milton Keynes said: “It’s been over two years now, and we can’t imagine life without Whzan because it’s very helpful for all the staff and residents. I feel very empowered that I’m giving the best care and I feel very confident using it at work.”

Dr Paul Singer, a GP in Luton and Chief Clinical Information Officer for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System said: “The equipment is very simple to use, so the person using it doesn’t have to be medically qualified… It can avoid unnecessary calls, but if the care home is concerned about readings which they might feel are not normal for that resident, then they can contact us for further advice.”

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership’s Digitising Social Care programme is supporting local care providers to take advantage of digital systems and tools like Whzan Blue Boxes so they can provide the best care for their residents. The projects either enable digital records, prevent falls, or provide remote monitoring. 

Through this programme, 90 local care homes have had the kits installed and training has been provided to staff – meaning more than 3,000 residents are benefitting from this technology. For more information about Whzan Blue Boxes and the Digitising Social Care programme, visit www.blmkhealthandcarepartnership.org/digitising-social-care-disc-programme and select ‘Remote monitoring’.