Back in January, telehealth technology moved to the Isle of Bute where COPD sufferers had 15 monitoring pods installed. The limited resources project has enjoyed phenomenal success since its inception where the benefits were immediately apparent when, just weeks after the project went live, and the first unplanned hospital admission was avoided.

Early evaluations would suggest that further admissions have been saved but a structured evaluation, carried out in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, will shortly be conducted. Once the results are known the findings will be shared with other health authorities.

Not only has this save high hospital costs but also fees for out-of-hours emergencies and helicopter call-outs, not to mention a saving patients the anxiety of being removed from their home to a hospital setting, possibly outwith their own area.

Lynn Garrett said she was delighted with the award and the fact the hard work put in by staff at NHS Highland and Telehealth Solutions had been recognised in this way. Telehealth, for us, fits in perfectly with the Department of Health’s Shifting the balance of Care agenda and we wanted to embrace this at the start of any service redesign so that we embed it in our practice.”

“We are very aware change requires organisational support and buy in from staff on the ground as well as patients, so we really had to sit down and think where telehealth would work best for our patients, which could well be what earned us this award.”

Telehealth Solutions’ executive (right) chairman Jeremy Cummin said telehealth technology was proving its worth time and time again in remote and urban communities in Scotland. “Our objective as a pioneering and progressive telehealth company is improved delivery of care through technology. Patient feedback has been very positive as the HomePod is helping them avoid going into hospital and also giving them the comfort of knowing their condition is being remotely monitored more closely.

“Health professionals also say the HomePod frees them up to prioritise their workload by allowing them to monitor patients and pay a visit when required.”

Mary Scanlon, (left) Shadow Health Secretary and Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands was also at the awards ceremony and congratulated Lynn Garrett in person. Mary pledged to visit Bute to see the Telehealth project, which is making a big difference to the lives of so many people on the Isle of Bute: “I am more than aware that many of my constituents in the Highlands and Islands live in more remote communities and those are the places that will perhaps benefit most from such revolutionary technology.”