Decision details

The Board received an update from the Council’s Head of Insight and Innovation (HI&I) around the work of App health’s Innovation UK funded pilot which is running in the Borough until Autumn 2021, and which focuses on a two-way text booking service for health checks with local GP’s with a view to increasing the take up, which is both nationally and locally underperforming against targets. He was confident that this system would in time lead to uptake in the rates of health checks.

The Deputy Chair in supporting this work stated that new technology was playing an increasing part in healthcare and supporting the work of GP’s. In that respect he would like to see it used to submit blood pressure results and issue routine blood test requests, thus reducing pressure on practices. The HI&I acknowledged that this was something to consider longer term hopefully as the project development evolves.

The Board were pleased to note that the early results of the pilot were very encouraging with a higher take up in the Borough and which would lead to a range of long-term population health benefits.