Digital service keeping care home residents out of hospital
Thursday, 24 April 2025
Thousands of Liverpool care home residents are avoiding unnecessary hospital visits and admissions thanks to the use of a digital health service.
The Immedicare service, which provides residents and staff with access to assessments with NHS clinicians, carried out 13,000 consultations in 2024, with around 90% of those ending with the residents staying in their home.
The 24/7 digital health service supports all CQC registered care homes in the area, including those serving older adults and individuals with learning disabilities, providing support in a range of essential areas including falls prevention, wound management, end-of-life care, medication safety and nutrition and hydration.
Health Foundation figures show that 41% of emergency admissions from care homes to hospitals are avoidable.
The service works closely with NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and key system partners including Primary Care, Mersey Care community matrons, North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and PC24 out-of-hours teams. Together, they’ve developed streamlined pathways to simplify access to care, ensuring residents can remain in their homes whenever possible.
Jane Fradley, Delivery Ageing Well Delivery Lead in Liverpool Place for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside said:
“Through collaboration we’re creating a more efficient and compassionate care system for Liverpool’s care home residents.
“This innovation demonstrates how digital solutions can strengthen the health system, making it more responsive to the needs of our population."
Dr Fiona Ogden-Forde, GP in Liverpool and Clinical Lead for Liverpool Place said:
“This system has transformed the way we deliver care to care home residents. It helps staff to make informed decisions quickly, reducing unnecessary ambulance conveyances and unplanned hospital admissions with improved patient outcomes and enhanced continuity of care.
“Having access to immediate clinical input, reduces stress for both residents, their loved ones and the care home staff.”
Rachel Binks, Nurse Consultant and Immedicare Clinical Lead said:
“Having worked together since 2016, Immedicare and NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (Liverpool Place) have built a long-standing and trusted relationship. Our mission is to bring high-quality care to residents in the comfort of their care homes, reducing unnecessary hospital visits while supporting care home staff with the tools and expertise they need.
“As a clinical NHS service, we have worked collaboratively with local health and care partners to create pathways that not only improve patient outcomes but also ease the burden on emergency services.”