Comment from Broomwell HealthWatch on Lord Darzi’s Review: Telemedical Cardiac Monitoring In GP Practices Shows Path to NHS’ Future » Health » 24dash.com

With today's publication of Lord Darzis Next Stage Review of the NHS, Joshua Rowe, CEO of Broomwell HealthWatch, an independent provider of cardiac monitoring services to the NHS said:

Lord Darzis report focuses on delivering real, sustainable long-term benefits to both patients and the NHS. Its vital to use the latest technology in all GP practices to achieve this end, to give patients more choice and to improve care.

Our telemedical cardiac (ECG) interpretation service enables instant, expert diagnoses, via the telephone, within local GP surgeries and health centres. In effect, it imports ECG expertise into every surgery, enabling ECG analysis to be done in the surgery setting and avoiding unnecessary referrals to hospitals.

This is attractive for patients because of the convenience and the immediacy of diagnosis. It is welcomed by GPs because it enable them to make better-informed diagnoses and it is great for the NHS because is significantly reduces referrals to secondary care.

These innovations are key to the future of the NHS. They give reassurance and choice to patients, provide a valuable tool to GPs, and free up vital hospital resources, helping transform the levels of care delivered to patients.

Broomwells ECG cardiac monitoring service has been proven in two major NHS pilots, and is in use at most of the PCTs in the Greater Manchester area and in many around the country.

Already 18,000 patients have benefited from the service, with the numbers indicating that some 11,500 referrals to hospital have been avoided. Translated nationally, the figures indicate a potential saving of some 500,000 referrals per year, saving the NHS some £100,000,000.

Broomwells ECG service is one of 4 technologies chosen for wider NHS penetration by the NHS National Technology Adoption Hub, an initiative introduced by Lord Darzi in 2007.

www.broomwellhealthwatch.com