Microsoft Groove helps to create a virtual ward at Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust

This video case study shows how Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust’s intermediate care team used Microsoft Groove 2007 to create a “virtual ward” for elderly and vulnerable patients. This supports better care for people in their own homes, and helps to reduce unscheduled visits to hospital.

Eastern and Coastal Kent Primary Care Trust wanted to dramatically reduce unscheduled hospital admissions, particularly among elderly patients.

Using Microsoft Groove 2007, its intermediate care team was able to create a “virtual ward” environment, in which elderly and vulnerable people can be monitored by a team of healthcare professionals, while remaining in their own homes.

Better patient outcomes

This approach dramatically improves patient outcomes, explains Ian Sturgess, clinical director of East Kent Hospital NHS trust. “[It is] national policy to move care to patients’ own homes, but you still need to monitor them to ensure they are continuing to improve,” he says.

"It is national policy to move care to patients’ own homes, but you still need to monitor them to ensure they are continuing to improve."

The intermediate care team uses Groove to record and store information about patients that may be required by an assessor, such as a therapist or social worker. This information might include completed assessment forms, notes from consultations, or even video, pictures and other content.

Each patient is allocated a Groove workspace – a secure, virtual space where care professionals can assemble all the content and care documents relating to that individual. The information is immediately available to any other authorised professional who is working with that patient. 

Better use of staff time and resources

This can be enormously beneficial, because it ensures carers have access to the very latest information when visiting.
"The virtual wards should also allow many patients to be safely treated in their own homes, spending less time in hospital."
“Before we had the Groove system, to get the information we needed when visiting a patient, we had to drive into the office, which could be a 30 mile round trip,” explains Linda Castle, a support nurse with Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT. “Now, even if a colleague just visited the patient in the morning, you can see the notes they’ve made almost immediately.”

The virtual wards should also allow many patients to be safely treated in their own homes, spending less time in hospital.

“The challenge large organisations like ourselves face constantly is communication,” says Sue Baldwin, director of intermediate care with Eastern and Coastal PCT. “But with Groove, we have real-time electronic communication between all the care team members, so patients should feel happier about going home, knowing the support is in place.”

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Related Links:

Review video case study produced by GBTV

Read more about the Groove implementation at East Kent

View the PowerPoint demonstration featuring the Groove implementation at East Kent
Read more about Microsoft Groove and its place in the NHS
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