Leading social care provider clinches top digital health award with groundbreaking pressure ulcer prevention trial
Highland Home Carers (HHC), has been recognised at the 6th annual Digital Health & Care Awards for its groundbreaking work
The Highlands’ largest social care provider, Highland Home Carers (HHC), has been recognised at the 6th annual Digital Health & Care Awards for its groundbreaking work helping combat pressure ulcers in a care at home setting. At the Edinburgh ceremony – which is Scotland’s foremost celebration of digital innovation across the health and social care sector – HHC Director of Operations, Carolanne Mainland, and her team won the award in the Data Driven Innovation category.
Mainland led her Team of Practice Support Technicians in the groundbreaking Pressure Ulcer reduction and prevention pilot utilising an existing Provisio SEM scanner. The technology gives an objective risk indicator by means of a delta Score which enabled Practice Support Technicians to take action to mitigate the risk of developing a Pressure Ulcer.
Speaking about the revolutionary pilot scheme, Mainland commented:
We set ourselves ambitious targets of reducing avoidable Pressure Ulcers in people assessed to be at high risk of developing them and reducing hospital admissions as a result of a Pressure Ulcer. We aimed to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions by 40% and to reduce overall Pressure Ulcers by 70%. But not one single person on the study developed a Pressure Ulcer meaning there were no hospital admissions whatsoever.
The empirical data of the pilot is now drawing the attention of both Clinicians and Health Economists. For example, although a subjective measure, we estimate that the study resulted in circa 50% reduction in District Nurse callouts. Where previously, Care Practitioners would call District Nurses to look at redness on the surface of the skin, our Practice Support Technicians were enabled to introduce interventions in response to a delta score of =>0.6.
UPDATE – 5 June 2023 – 2nd National Award
HHC were previously recognised at the 6th annual Digital Health & Care Awards. At the Edinburgh ceremony – which is Scotland’s foremost celebration of digital innovation across the health and social care sector – HHC Director of Operations, Carolanne Mainland, and her team won the award in the Data Driven Innovation category for their work on pressure ulcer prevention
