Trial sees A&E visits drop by nearly 70% for group

The East Kent Health and Care Partnership led the trials

A&E visits for a group of patients with complex health conditions in an area of Kent have dropped by almost 70% following a trial, an NHS trust says.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust said care services in east Kent worked to identify people who most frequently used A&E departments or walk-in centres to see if they could be helped to manage their health at home.

The patients were monitored remotely with devices to record weight, blood pressure, temperature or blood oxygen levels, before data was sent to clinicians who decided if extra help was needed.

The trial also saw a 70% reduction in emergency hospital admissions and a 4% reduction in walk-in centre visits.

The East Kent Health and Care Partnership led the efforts and focused on patients living in the area who were frail and living with complex health needs.

The group of about 500 patients also answered questions about how well they were feeling, if they had any falls and what their appetite was like.

After taking part in the trial, patients reported reduced anxiety, greater confidence in managing their health and feeling better supported to stay well at home.

Dr Sarah Phillips, chief medical officer at the trust, said: "When we looked at the data, we discovered just 3% of east Kent residents accounted for nearly 12% of all A&E department attendances and 18.5% of emergency admissions."