Health app aims to help patients 'most at need'

Jersey is gearing up for a digital overhaul of community healthcare with the introduction of remote monitoring services.

Family Nursing and Home Care (FNHC) is piloting Luci, an app developed by GraphNet, which will allow nurses to track patients' vital signs from home.

The scheme funded by Digital Jersey aims to improve outcomes, relieve pressure on nurses and help them prioritise who needed support most urgently, FNHC said.

Health Minister Tom Binet said he hoped to role out more digital platforms like Luci across the healthcare system if the budget was approved next month.

FNHC said it carried out about 190 visits to patients per day.

Rosemarie Finley, chief executive of FNHC, said the first year of the pilot would focus on islanders living with frailty, who make up a "very small but high-need caseload".

The second year will focus on people with diabetes and those with "wound integrity and tissue viability concerns", she added.

"This system will help us make sure we're seeing the patients that need us most at the right time," Ms Finley said.

She said the initiative could help the wider health service by improving productivity and reducing avoidable hospital admissions.

"For islanders, that means better outcomes," Ms Finley added.

"For the health economy, it means we're using our resources more effectively."

The pilot forms part of a broader push to modernise Jersey's healthcare.

Binet confirmed the government had requested £8m per year in the upcoming budget to begin a five-year digital transformation strategy.

He warned without the investment, the health service risked "continuing to run into disarray".

Binet also said modern, connected systems were essential as Jersey prepares for a new hospital.

"It's pointless spending three-quarters of a billion pounds on a hospital if you put a third-rate service in," he said.

"Patients should have access to their own records, and those records should follow them throughout their care journey."

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