IMPACT SNAPSHOT: Healthcall App

We showed that the HealthCall App could reduce emergency admissions from care homes by 25% through digital monitoring, potentially saving the NHS £247 million annually if scaled nationally.

#Analogue to Digital
#Hospital to Community

The HealthCall Digital Care Homes App addressed a critical challenge where up to 40% of care home hospital transfers were potentially avoidable, often resulting from lack of timely clinical support. By training care home staff to collect and electronically transmit standardised clinical observations to community health professionals, the app enabled informed care decisions without defaulting to emergency services. The technology improved staff confidence and clinical decision-making while significantly reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.

Key impacts include:

• Evaluated across 118 care homes with 8,703 residents in North East England (2018-21).
• Reduced A&E attendances by 11%.
• Reduced unplanned emergency admissions by 25%.
• Generated cost savings of £57 per resident-month in first year.
• Projected national rollout savings of £247 million annually based on study results.
• Addressed problem where up to 40% of care home hospital transfers were potentially avoidable.
• Successfully scaled to 300 care homes following evaluation.
• Improved care home staff confidence, knowledge and skills in resident care.
• Reduced time spent waiting on phone for clinical advice.
• Facilitated closer working relationships between care home staff and clinicians.

The ARC Yorkshire & Humber evaluation demonstrated how digital innovation can transform care delivery in residential settings. Future research will extend this approach to supporting people in their own homes, potentially preventing hospital admissions while maintaining independence.