First thousand frontline workers complete ORCHA training academy

First thousand frontline workers complete ORCHA training academy

One thousand delegates from across the NHS and care sectors have logged onto the new ORCHA Digital Health Academy and completed foundation training modules.

The UK’s first digital health training resource for frontline healthcare staff has been available nationwide since March 2022. It’s available at orcha-digitalhealthacademy.com and on the Health Education England Learning Hub (learninghub.nhs.uk), where it is one of the most frequently accessed catalogues.

The academy is a free resource for frontline workers which offers CPD-accredited training in short, bite-size modules, to suit busy schedules. The service is provided by ORCHA, the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps, and Boehringer Ingelheim enabled free access to the foundation modules through its sponsorship.

The academy was launched after research by ORCHA revealed that whilst 65% of the public are open to trying digital health, only a fraction of tools are recommended to patients by health or care professionals, with only 3% of recommendations coming from hospital doctors, 6% from GPs and 2% from nurses.

The need to support a digitally-ready workforce has been highlighted by the NHSX Readiness Plan which states that there is a critical requirement to invest in developing front-line skills for digital health through professional development.  This need was also reaffirmed in the government’s plan for digital health and social care, published on 29 June .

The new academy has already been embedded into learning platforms at Hereford and Worcester ICS, Birmingham Community NHS Foundation Trust, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and the mHealth Hub.

Healthcare professionals have been trained from ICSs and Trusts in Devon, Hereford and Worcester, Humber and North Yorkshire, Cornwall, Lancashire, Dorset, Shropshire and Telford, Derbyshire, Surrey and Somerset. Delegates have also been trained from Alzheimer’s Scotland, charity Best for You with CW+ and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists.

Delegates have responded extremely positively to the foundation modules, with one ICU nurse from Kings College Hospital commenting:

“Super grateful for @ORCHAhealth’s course. 10/10.”

A researcher at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital said:

“Already thinking of digital solutions beyond what we are doing now. Great course.”

Alison Johnson, Director of Programmes and Projects at ORCHA, said:

“For all of us who have worked in the NHS and understand the reality of the time pressures and technical shortfalls experienced by frontline staff, getting the academy right has been deeply personal. We are over the moon that so many delegates have tried our foundation modules and given such a positive response.”

Uday Bose, Managing Director and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim UK & Ireland, said:

“We all understand why digital health is needed. The academy is at the vanguard of how it is going to happen. There’s no other grass roots training facility like this and we are so pleased to have enabled its inception, by supporting the development of the foundational modules.”

Discussions are taking place NHS-wide about embedding the academy in operations. Two further CCGs are set to add links to training hub sites. Our Dorset is using the academy as part of its onboarding for care co-ordinators in primary care.

NHS National Diabetes Prevention Case Study: Health apps make a difference for people with diabetes

Diabetes prevention case study: How health apps are making a difference

In 2021 Ingeus, the company which delivers the National Diabetes Prevention Programme on behalf of the NHS, began using Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership’s ORCHA Health App Library. The educators for the programme recognised that health apps could play a key role in supporting people with managing their weight, nutrition and exercise in a way that could help reduce their risk of diabetes. By building the recommendation of health apps into their care pathway, they were able to augment the support they gave to patients. They felt this gave participants positive reinforcement whilst helping professionals stay better informed about patient progress.

The service tested its usage of health apps with participants and found that:

  • 90% of respondents downloaded all or some of the apps recommended to them
  • 88% used the apps that were recommended to them
  • 90% found the apps useful
  • 67% believe that apps supported their weight loss efforts
  • 80% felt the app helped them meet their personal health goals
  • 84% felt the app helped them become more active
  • 86% felt the app supported them to make healthier lifestyle choice.

Commenting on the work, Linda Vernon, Acting Digital Culture and Transformation Clinical Lead, Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, said: “Using apps is a really easy way to support our citizens. ORCHA is a big part of our digital health literacy work, enabling people to have access to safe and reliable apps and digital technologies that do what it says on the tin.”

One of its participants, Susan, said: “I wouldn’t have thought to download a health app, but I put my weight loss and healthier lifestyle down to my health app.”

New research shows diabetes health apps can help patients reduce blood sugar levels

New research shows diabetes health apps can help patients reduce blood sugar levels

Researchers from ORCHA have found that blood glucose levels amongst those with Type 2 Diabetes can be reduced by up to 1.1% when patients use digital health tools alongside their standard medication.

Patients with Type 1 Diabetes can reduce their blood sugar (HbA1c), on average, by 0.5%.

This reduction is significant because every 0.1% increase in HbA1c increases the risk of retinal damage, blindness, kidney failure, ulceration and limb amputation.

The cost of healthcare for ulceration and amputation in diabetes has been estimated at almost one billion pounds per year.* Twenty per cent of people with diabetes will need treatment for kidney disease.**

ORCHA and its research team, headed by Doctor Simon Leigh, analysed 25 independent randomised controlled trials where those with diabetes had used health apps. Across the trials, 3,360 patients were involved. The study was published in Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare in October 2022.

Dr Leigh, who is himself a Type 1 Diabetic, said:

“This is a commanding result which we hope clinicians will take note of. By the end of this decade this country will have over 5.5 million citizens living with diabetes. Adequate management is vital as some of the consequences of diabetes take time to evolve and are difficult to remedy. This study shows that health apps can be an effective part of this process, complementing other forms of care.”

The study is the first systematic review of these clinical trials. Its aim was to establish whether health apps could assist with Hba1c levels. It found that:

In 21 out of the 25 trials, patients using digital health tools to supplement their care achieved better HbA1c results.

In 20 out of the 25 trials, there were additional reported reductions in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and Body Mass Index.

Amongst those with Type 2 Diabetes, the improvements in blood sugar levels were similar to the benefits patients receive when using Metformin, a commonly used medicine to lower blood sugar levels which is often the first line of treatment for the condition.

Although researchers expect a drop-out rate of 40% when patients trial digital tools, there were lower drop-out rates when the people with diabetes used them, at 20%.

In the trials, the average duration of diabetes for those using digital health was 12.49 years and the average age was 52.  The researchers were surprised that this group, seemingly well entrenched in their self-management habits, were so open to trying new approaches, showing there is a role for digital health in those with well-established diabetes. They commented that it suggests the introduction of digital health to younger or newly diagnosed patients could lead to even greater results, if they had grown up as digital natives.

Dietician and clinical lead for diabetes at ORCHA, Susan Gallagher, said:

“The improvement demonstrated in the research paper is clinically valuable and a comparison could be made to the impact of diabetes medication. It is important that digital solutions are evidence based, proving they can add value to a person’s care. This paper has shown the improvements that can be realised. “Many apps exist but not all have the same standards or ability to show a positive impact. Individuals and clinicians should consider a trusted app when selecting one to support their care needs”.

Digital solutions can range from those that help patients manage their own day-to-day health, solutions that help patients and doctors share information and those that are integrated with wearable technology, of which some are available as prescribed products on the NHS.

Patients living with diabetes need to balance multiple health commitments – such as eye screening, feet checks and annual reviews of blood pressure and weight. Health apps can range from tracking food, activity and medication to offering peer support and information and also sharing and monitoring information between patient and clinician; these help the person with diabetes self-manage and can reduce the burden during clinical appointments.  Health apps can help them track activity, food intake and medication, whilst giving peer support and remotely monitoring their data which reduces the burden of data collection during clinical appointments.

Susan Gallagher added:

“This is not to take away from the benefit and need for in person consultations; however, digital health tools can help us use technology in a manner that suits the person and their needs, supporting patients and healthcare professionals in doing so.”

Three of ORCHA’s top-rated diabetes apps:

MyWay Diabetes: This educational app allows users to learn about diabetes at their own pace, offering access to over 200 multimedia resources including e-learning courses. Eighty-eight per cent of users say it helps them manage their condition better. The developers note that for every £1 the NHS spend on this app, £5 is saved because diabetes is being managed better.

ORCHA score 92%                          Available as a web app                               Cost: entirely free

 

My Diabetes from My mHealth: This NICE-aligned platform provides expert advice, structured education, nutritional guidance, and exercise programs. With blood glucose monitors, linked via Bluetooth, and the ability to build a personalised set of targets, myDiabetes helps people control their condition. Clinicians have access to remote care, patient management, reports and monitoring tools that makes caring for patients easier and more cost-effective.

ORCHA score 88%                          Available via IoS and Android                    Cost: in app purchases

 

Hedia – Personal Diabetes App: Hedia tracks exercise and carb intake, makes insulin dosage recommendations, and monitors when users need to regulate their blood sugar. It’s especially recommended to people having insulin-dependent diabetes – such as type 1 diabetes – and its software supports several blood glucose meters.

ORCHA score 86%                          Available via IoS and Android                    Cost: entirely free

 

Notes:

The effectiveness of digital health technologies for patients with diabetes mellitus: A systematic review:  Authors: Simon Leigh, Sebastien Stevens, Susan Gallagher, Tim Andrews, Liz Ashall-Payne, Lloyd Humphreys.

*Major amputation is one of the most destructive complications of diabetes and the number of major lower limb amputations in diabetes continues to rise. Seven-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven (7957) major diabetic lower limb amputations were reported in England between 2017 to 2020. Furthermore, the cost of health care for ulceration and amputation in diabetes has been estimated at almost one billion pounds per year. https://resolution.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Diabetes_and_Lower_Limb_Complications.pdf

** https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/complications/kidneys_nephropathy

His Majesty The King invites ORCHA to Buckingham Palace

His Majesty The King invites ORCHA to Buckingham Palace

On Wednesday 16 November, ORCHA’s founding CEO, Liz Ashall-Payne, will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace. The event, initiated by King Charles, will recognise and celebrate the contribution of small businesses to the UK economy.   

Liz said: “It’s not every day a Royal invitation lands on my desk and it’s an honour and a privilege to be able to meet His Majesty. 

“My message will be that ORCHA is one of the many specialised small businesses in the digital health ecosystem – an industry set to be worth more than £320 billion by 2024,1 as it brings a major shift in how healthcare is delivered, making services sustainable for now and our future.  

“I will also highlight how the UK is leading in the field, home to the largest number of digital health developers,2 and how nearly half of the UK public have used a digital health product as part of our day-to-day self-care.  

“But most importantly, I will thank and highlight our NHS, social care and charity clients across the UK, who everyday use our assessment and activation products, helping us achieve our mission, of putting the power of digital health, safely into the hands of everyone who needs it.” 

ORCHA has doubled its turnover every year since launch, and this year is set to treble its annual revenue. This fast growth has required an ongoing recruitment programme and staff numbers are now in excess of 120.  

Liz concluded: “I feel so lucky to be attending, but ORCHA’s success wouldn’t be possible without the creativity and dedication across the digital health ecosystem, NHS and ORCHA colleagues, so I’m there to represent this amazing team.” 

 

Sources:  

  1. https://digitalhealth.london/investing-in-the-digital-health-sector 
  1. https://www.speedinvest.com/blog/digital-health-in-europe-how-the-uk-is-leading-the-digital-transformation-of-healthcare