Technology “can help medically fit patients leave hospital sooner” says Northamptonshire MP

Social care devices developed by Northamptonshire-based Oysta can help patients be discharged three days earlier than before, trials have shown. This was the message when the company welcomed its MP, Dame Andrea Leadsom, to its offices to see how the company’s products can help people remain independent and active both in and outside of the home.

“It was exciting to visit Oysta and see the work they are doing to address critical issues in health and social care and the technology they are using to help speed up patient discharge from hospital,” said Dame Andrea Leadsom.

“The government is working to address delays in delayed discharges and the use of technology and data is one way which can help medically fit patients leave hospital sooner and return to their own homes.”

On average, around 14000 patients deemed fit to leave hospital are stuck in beds every day, according to the latest official statistics.

Oysta have already helped local authorities around the country to get patients back home from hospital faster: Figures from a pilot study in the London Borough of Camden demonstrated that using Oysta’s ‘Help at Home’ saved the NHS an average of £1,100 each time the device was used and an estimated £252,000 over the course of the pilot.

And now they want more people to benefit from the technology which helped patients in this London borough get home three days sooner.

The meeting included a live demonstration showing how the devices work in real time including GPS locators, falls sensors and two-way calling.

GPS and geofencing has more than halved the number of people with dementia reported as missing to Hampshire Police since the device has been used in the county.

“It was a great pleasure to show Dame Andrea the work the team here have been doing to help people remain independent and to support health and social care teams with their work both in hospitals and at home,” said Mario Zuccaro, Oysta’s founder.

“Social care is one of the biggest issues in the UK right now and people have realised that we cannot deal with the problems in the NHS without bringing social care into the 21st century.

“If the use of technology was scaled up across the NHS we could save millions of pounds a day and free up beds for patients waiting on ambulances or in hospital corridors.

“A solution which not only speeds up hospital discharge but also saves money, seems like a no brainer to me – particularly when medical advice is for people to get out of bed and stay active to avoid losing their independence and mobility.”

Deb Knowles, Technology Enabled Care Clinical Lead at Millbrook, leading UK providers of assistive technology and equipment in health and social care, provided the view from a healthcare professional’s perspective.

“It was a valuable opportunity to meet with Dame Andrea Leadsom and explain the vital benefits of technology-enabled care included faster discharge from hospitals, allowing people to live for longer in their own homes and bring peace of mind to family, friends and carers.

“We were able to highlight the efficiencies and benefits that technology can bring in enabling care within both the fields of health care and social care which could have a significant improvement on key NHS targets such as ambulance response times and discharge from hospital.

“The age of keeping people tucked up in bed has passed. We need to encourage mobility and independence in all of our patients – young or old.”