Health ministers sees innovative Health Checks in action
A ground-breaking new method for carrying out NHS Health Checks was tried out on Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley CBE MP, at a health event in Birmingham last week.
NHS Birmingham East and North’s Cardiovascular Nurse Consultant Jamie Waterall demonstrated the innovative system, created in partnership between the trust and 1 Tempus, an independent IT company.
The system uses touch screen technology to guide Health Care Assistants (HCA) and members of the public through Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) screening which aims to identify potential risk factors for future CVD events. This early detection of risk factors provides an opportunity to employ strategies to reduce risk through lifestyle or medical interventions, such as weight management or blood pressure control.
The advantage of using an electronic system such as this is that all results and referrals are sent automatically to the individual’s GP and lifestyle services, such as smoking cessation. This avoids unnecessary paperwork and reduces delays. The system also intelligently prompts the HCA to the correct advice and management. Measurements such as blood pressure and weight are automatically posted into the system, avoiding data input error. Point of care testing is also used to check lipid profiles, which allows the service to run as a ‘one stop’ appointment.
Jamie Waterall said: “It was a great honour to demonstrate this innovative approach to delivering CVD screening and management to the new Secretary of State for Health. This is a real example of how frontline clinical staff can deliver on the Quality, Innovation, Prevention and Productivity (QIPP) agenda.”
Since the system’s introduction in NHS Birmingham East and North earlier this year, more than 2,000 patients have received screening through it and of those, 385 have been identified as at risk and have been given the appropriate support and referral. Jamie added “The HCAs delivering the Health Check appointments provide really good brief intervention and appropriate referral to lifestyle services using the automated paper-free process. This is invaluable, as it also ensures that only those people who require further assessment and intervention need to be seen for a follow-up appointment at the GP surgery.”
Ends
Photo caption: (1) Cardiovascular Nurse Consultant Jamie Waterall (right) demonstrates the innovative approach that NHS Birmingham East and North have developed to deliver the NHS Health Checks to the Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley CBE MP (left).
Photo caption: (2) NHS Health Check Facilitator Anita Kasprzyk (right) undertaking an NHS Health Check with local resident Mr Stephen Beeke.
Enquiries
For more information, contact Jamie Waterall, CVD Nurse Consultant, on 0121 380 9286 or 07971 306733 or email jamie.waterall@benpct.nhs.uk.
Notes to editors
NHS Birmingham East and North is one of 152 primary care trusts (PCTs) within the English NHS. As a PCT, it is responsible for the wise investment of public money to ensure health improvement, access to health services and where appropriate the provision of health services to a local population of some 438,000 people, across 17 wards in north and east Birmingham.
We organise and fund the delivery of health care with the involvement of local people, maximising health outcomes for every pound spent, referred to as commissioning.
