NHSX has announced it will be funding 14 projects across the country which are focussed on using digital technology to improve remote care.

The funding is part of the Digital Health Partnership Award and the first phase of winners were announced at the HETT (Healthcare Excellence Through Technology) Show this week.

The Digital Health Partnership Awards help NHS organisations accelerate the adoption of digital health technologies through funding and support from technology partners, patient activation and adoption groups and evaluation partners.

The selected projects have been able to demonstrate that they can leverage the value of technology, delivery and evaluation partnerships, to create solutions to support their patients with long-term conditions.

The 14 winners are:

  • Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust (respiratory remote monitoring programme)
  • One Health Lewisham (clinical messaging for hypertension support)
  • Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (MSK care pathway)
  • Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (evidence-based scaling of virtual wards)
  • East London NHS Foundation Trust (supporting eating disorder in children)
  • University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (surgical self-management pre- rehabilitation)
  • South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System (cardiac rehabilitation services)
  • NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight CCG (self-care and remote monitoring support in primary care)
  • North Bristol NHS Trust (COPD management)
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (secure video sharing platforms)
  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Leeds Children’s Hospital (supporting children with type 2 diabetes)
  • Cambridge Community Services (scaling remote monitoring to new pathways)
  • Surrey Heartlands CCG (hypertension remote monitoring services)
  • North West London CCG (collaborative virtual monitoring)

Tara Donnelly, chief digital officer at NHSX, said: “Through our Digital Health Partnership Award, these organisations will have access to the expertise and support they need to adopt or expand their digital capabilities safely and effectively, allowing many more patients with long term conditions to receive their care from the comfort of their homes rather than always having to attend primary and acute settings.”

Not all of the winners will be developing new solutions, some are building on existing services in order to offer remote services to more patients.

For example, Great Ormond Street will be expanding its secure video service to encompass the wider neurology service and the movement disorder service. Cambridgeshire Community Services intends to grow its remote health monitoring service by introducing new clinical pathways.

Rhod Joyce, deputy director of innovation development at NHSX, added: “Each of our 14 Digital Health Partnership Award winners are fantastic and innovative examples from across the health sector of how the latest in digital technology has the potential to enhance patient care and also support frontline staff.”

The second phase of the Digital Health Partnership Awards will open for bidding in November 2021.