Driving mHealth uptake in Lancashire

ORCHA have partnered up with Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria, through the Lancashire Digital Health Programme, to face the challenge of making mHealth accessible across the disparate communities of Lancashire and South Cumbria. With the Programme involving the Councils, NHS Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, and numerous other organisations across the region, this work with ORCHA has become a key delivery project.

Dr Amanda Thornton, Clinical Director at Lancashire Care Foundation Trust, explains where she sees the value of ORCHA to the population of Lancashire and South Cumbria: https://vimeo.com/195316024/5f9ac85572.

After months of preparation, testing (including with patients and clinicians) and tweaking, the region’s own portal is live https://lancashire.orcha.co.uk and creating a buzz. Health and care professionals are now familiarising themselves with the range of apps that are available for each condition or category, using the ORCHA review to inform their decisions, and making and managing recommendations through their very own ORCHA Pro pages. Members of the public are enjoying the confidence that comes with knowing which apps will have the best impact for them, and which will look after their personal data.

This progress is seeing the momentum building across the region that will ultimately lead to a cultural shift towards ownership of ‘your’ own health, and a focus on prevention/management rather than cure. It’s at that stage that real health improvements and a reduction in pressure on the local health and care systems will be tangible.

If you’re a health or care professional in the region, get in touch with andy.jeans@orcha.co.uk to find out more about how to get your very own ORCHA Pro account. If you’re a member of the public in the region, visit the portal and start making the most of the benefits it offers, or speak to your health and care professionals to find out if they’re signed up yet.