At Buckland Hospital in Dover, the lung cancer screening team at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has made a significant impact by inviting more than 30,000 people for potentially life-saving cancer checks. Focused on early detection, the team targets individuals aged 55 to 74 who are current or former smokers—those most at risk of developing lung cancer. Through a telephone risk assessment, high-risk individuals are offered a low-dose CT scan, enabling early diagnosis even in the absence of symptoms.

Working in close partnership with the Kent and Medway Cancer Alliance, local GPs, and NHS Kent and Medway, the team has successfully diagnosed over 70 cases of lung cancer, most at an early stage when treatment options are more effective. The programme has also identified other serious conditions, including non-cancer lung and cardiac issues, allowing for earlier intervention and improved outcomes.

The team’s success is rooted in their proactive and inclusive approach. They have built strong relationships with smoking cessation advisors, contributing to one of the highest screening uptake rates in the country. Their outreach efforts extend beyond clinical settings, with promotional sessions held in shopping centres, libraries, and community venues such as the Folkestone Nepalese Community Centre and Dungeness Power Station. These efforts aim to raise awareness and reduce barriers to participation, especially among underserved populations.

Patient support is also a key focus. The team takes time to reassure those who may be anxious about the process, offering guided visits to the CT department to explain the procedure and ease concerns. Their compassionate, patient-centred approach ensures that individuals feel informed, supported, and empowered to take part in screening.

BOB ICB runs Digital Cafes across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire to help residents build confidence and skills in using everyday digital tools. The initiative offers free, informal, one-to-one support for people who want to improve their digital literacy—particularly around smartphones, tablets, and the NHS App. Participants can access devices and the internet, making it easier to learn in a supportive and practical environment.

The Digital Cafés are a collaborative effort between the ICB, local trusts and councils and are designed to empower people to use digital technology as part of their daily lives, helping them access health advice, manage appointments, and order prescriptions online.

Libraries play a central role in the programme, offering free Wi-Fi, IT support, and access to digital content. The sessions are open to anyone who feels unsure about using mobile phones, laptops, or tablets, and are especially valuable for those who may be digitally disadvantaged. By providing hands-on guidance and practical tools, the Digital Cafés are helping to reduce the digital divide and ensure more people can benefit from online services and healthcare access.

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has developed an innovative digital solution using AI and automation to monitor clinical systems in real time—ensuring that critical applications run smoothly and patient care is never compromised. Led by the Trust’s Digital Team, the programme tracks system performance 24/7 and presents live data on a dashboard, allowing teams to identify and resolve issues before they affect frontline services.

This proactive approach has significantly reduced system downtime and improved response times. In its first year, the programme detected and resolved 279 minor incidents and six critical ones—all within 15 minutes. Crucially, these alerts were picked up both during and outside of working hours, helping maintain consistent performance across the hospital.

Josh Clift, Acting Chief Digital Officer, said: “Our clinicians rely on critical blue light systems, and we knew we needed smarter tools to flag issues early. Automation has helped us build a reliable, efficient solution that protects patient care and supports our teams.”

The Trust now plans to share its learnings with local partners and the wider NHS system, demonstrating how digital innovation can strengthen resilience and improve outcomes across healthcare settings.

Foundry Healthcare, a single-practice Primary Care Network serving 28,500 patients across Lewes and Ringmer, East Sussex, has transformed its access model through a fully integrated online consultation system. With an older population and higher prevalence of long-term conditions, the practice recognised the need for a more efficient, equitable way to manage demand and improve patient experience.

In April 2024, Foundry launched a full-day online consultation model, operating from 6:00am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday. All patient requests are triaged by a GP, with Care Navigators redirecting individuals to appropriate services such as Pharmacy First, administrative support, or long-term condition reviews. GP rotas were redesigned to include protected triage sessions, helping to reduce clinician fatigue and improve decision-making.

The new system replaced the previous first-come-first-served phone model, which had caused frustration for patients and inefficiencies for clinicians. Alongside the digital rollout, Foundry maintained phone and walk-in access and ran a comprehensive patient engagement campaign to build confidence and ensure inclusivity. A demand and capacity tool (Tempo) was also introduced to support workforce planning.

The results have been impressive. Around 25% of requests are now resolved at triage without a GP appointment, and Pharmacy First referrals have saved the equivalent of 26 GP appointments per week.

Half of urgent demand is managed by paramedics, freeing up GP time, and continuity for high-need patients has increased by 10%. Patient satisfaction has improved across the board, with 80% rating overall care as good and 74% satisfied with appointments. Clinicians also reported improved working days and better access for patients.

Foundry Healthcare’s approach demonstrates how intelligent, patient-centred design can enhance access, reduce pressure, and deliver better outcomes for both patients and staff

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has launched the Mood Diary app, a simple yet powerful tool designed to help patients track their emotional wellbeing and take proactive steps to improve it. Developed to support mental health in everyday life, the app encourages users to reflect on their mood, identify possible triggers, and explore tailored techniques to boost how they feel.

The app follows a three-step process: users record their mood, select a possible cause, and try one of the suggested strategies to feel better—ranging from breathing exercises to grounding techniques. Over time, the diary builds a personal picture of what works and what doesn’t, helping users understand their emotional patterns.

What sets Mood Diary apart is its integration with clinical care. All entries are securely linked to the user’s healthcare record, allowing clinicians to review progress during appointments and adjust care plans accordingly. This seamless connection between self-management and professional support reflects the NHS’s commitment to personalised, preventative care. By combining digital innovation with compassionate care, the Mood Diary app is helping users take control of their mental health, one entry at a time.

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is driving innovation in care homes through the rollout of remote monitoring technology, transforming how residents’ health is managed day to day. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan’s enhanced health in care homes model, the Trust has deployed 118 Whzan Blue Box units across 63 care homes in Sussex since April 2022.

The Blue Box system enables care home staff to monitor residents’ vital signs—including temperature, pulse, and oxygen levels—and generates a National Early Warning Score (NEWS2). This data is shared in real time with healthcare professionals, allowing for early detection of deterioration and timely clinical intervention. The result is fewer emergency hospital admissions and more proactive, preventative care.

The technology also integrates with key digital social care record systems such as SystmOne, Nourish, and PCS, ensuring seamless communication and record-keeping. Additional features like video calling and secure messaging further enhance collaboration between care teams and clinicians, supporting faster decision-making and more personalised care.

Surrey Downs Health and Care has rolled out the getUBetter app to support patients managing muscle and joint conditions, as well as women’s pelvic health issues. Designed to complement NHS care, the app offers instant, 24/7 access to personalised recovery plans—eliminating the need to wait for an appointment and helping patients take control of their health from home, work, or on the move.

The app covers a wide range of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including back and ankle pain, and provides step-by-step guidance, tailored exercises, and local service information. It’s available to anyone over 18 living in Surrey Downs, whether they’ve been advised to self-manage, are waiting for treatment, or simply want to stay proactive about their wellbeing.

Clinically approved and easy to use, getUBetter empowers patients to understand when and where to seek help, while offering seamless referral pathways to local healthcare providers when needed.

By integrating digital support into everyday care, Surrey Downs is helping residents recover faster, stay informed, and reduce unnecessary pressure on frontline services.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) is leading the way in tackling digital exclusion by embedding Digital Care Coordinators within primary care teams. These coordinators play a vital role in helping patients make the most of the NHS App—supporting access to key services such as booking appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions, and viewing health records.

One example is Kay, a Digital Care Coordinator working in a GP practice in Hampshire. She provides hands-on support to patients who struggle with technology, offering guidance both in-practice and through home visits. Whether on a smartphone or desktop computer, Kay helps individuals register and navigate the app’s features, ensuring they feel confident and in control of their healthcare.

This initiative is particularly impactful for older adults and those with limited digital literacy, bridging the gap between technology and care. By enabling more people to engage with digital tools, the programme is improving access, reducing administrative pressure on practices, and empowering patients to manage their health more independently.

The work of Digital Care Coordinators reflects Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB’s commitment to inclusive, patient-centred care—ensuring that no one is left behind in the shift toward digital health services.

Established in September 2021, the Oxfordshire Children’s Community Nursing Hospital at Home Service is supporting acutely unwell children in their own homes. Operating as a virtual ward, the service blends remote monitoring with face-to-face clinical care, enabling early supported discharge and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. With an average patient age of just 0.8 years, the service is tailored to meet the needs of some of the youngest and most vulnerable children in the community.

The team discharges an average of 64 children per month and has already contributed to a measurable reduction in calls to NHS 111, emergency department attendances, and non-elective hospital admissions. Plans are underway to launch a new pathway for neonatal jaundice patients, including home phototherapy and point-of-care testing (POCT) for bilirubin—potentially making Oxfordshire the first children’s team in the UK to deliver this innovation in the community.

Feedback from families has been overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of users saying they would recommend the service and felt supported in discussing their concerns. This model is not only improving clinical outcomes but also empowering families and strengthening trust in community-based paediatric care.

Earlier this year, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) announced the introduction of a groundbreaking brain scanner, the first low-field MRI machine of its kind to be owned by an NHS Trust in England. Integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), this innovative technology is being trialled in partnership with Kent and Medway Medical School (KMMS) and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) to advance research into mental health and dementia diagnosis.

The scanner is part of a wider initiative to explore how low-field MRI, combined with AI-enhanced imaging, can improve accessibility and accuracy in brain diagnostics. Smaller, more affordable, and portable than traditional MRI machines, the scanner offers the potential to bring high-quality brain imaging into community settings, reducing the need for hospital-based assessments. Researchers are particularly focused on whether this technology can accelerate dementia diagnosis—one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare.

Beyond dementia, the research team is investigating how brain connectivity and structure relate to conditions such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. By studying these networks over time and at scale, the project aims to identify patterns that could inform more targeted and effective treatments.

The scanner is housed at CCCU and funded through a grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The collaboration between KMPT, KMMS, CCCU, and NIHR reflects a commitment to advancing mental health care through innovation, partnership, and community-focused research with over 5,000 residents already engaged in related studies.

In a step toward modernising patient care, Medway NHS Foundation Trust has delivered a virtual ward programme led by its Surgical, Medical and Acute Recovery Team—better known as the SMART Team. This nurse-led, multidisciplinary team of consultants, nursing associates, therapy assistants, and physiotherapists is transforming how patients recover from acute conditions and treatments, offering hospital-level care from the comfort of home.

Operating seven days a week across Medway and Swale, the SMART Team supports up to 30 patients at a time, delivering remote monitoring, therapy, and nursing care using cutting-edge digital tools. The initiative not only enhances patient experience but also significantly reduces pressure on hospital beds. In just one month, the virtual ward saved over 1,500 bed days, with each day of virtual care costing just a third of an in-hospital stay. The onboarding process is swift—averaging just 20 minutes—and the nurse-to-patient ratio is an efficient 1:20, compared to 1:5 on traditional wards.

Partnering with health tech provider Feebris, the Trust has also deployed a new digital platform that supports all clinical conditions across specialties, ensuring a truly patient-centred approach. This seamless transition to virtual care was completed in just six weeks, without disrupting services or adding strain to staff. At its core, the programme is driven by a simple but powerful ethos: measuring what matters. By tracking outcomes, efficiency, and patient satisfaction, Medway is setting a new benchmark for virtual care in the NHS.

As virtual wards become a standard across the health service, Medway’s SMART Team stands out as a model of innovation, compassion, and operational excellence—proving that recovery at home can be just as safe, effective, and dignified as within hospital walls.

The Quail AI-powered Patient Experience Tool is transforming how Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust captures and responds to patient feedback. By analyzing unstructured data from complaints, PALS, compliments, and patient safety incidents, the tool automatically identifies recurring themes, emerging trends, and opportunities for service improvement—insights that traditional manual methods often overlook.

Since its implementation, the Trust has seen a marked improvement in its responsiveness to patient safety concerns and feedback. The AI tool enables a more proactive, data-driven approach to patient care, allowing teams to act swiftly and strategically. As a result, the Trust has introduced meaningful changes, including the review and standardisation of appointment letters and the rollout of enhanced telephony services to improve telephone access. The Quail tool is helping the Trust close the loop on patient concerns and continuously refine the quality of care it delivers.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, in collaboration with local GP practices, has launched a new pilot programme called Frailty Virtual Care, aimed at supporting patients with long-term conditions from the comfort of their homes. This trial, running until April 2026, will engage 200 moderately frail patients across selected primary care networks. The goal is to help individuals maintain their health and independence while reducing the need for hospital visits or in-person check-ups.

Participants are equipped with remote monitoring tools—including a pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, and thermometer—and are asked to regularly submit information via a dedicated app. GPs review this data and respond to any early warning signs, often beginning with a phone consultation. This proactive approach allows clinicians to intervene before minor health concerns escalate into serious complications, ultimately reducing the need for more intensive care.

While the Trust already uses similar technology in its Hospital at Home service, which provides short-term acute care, the Frailty Virtual Care programme is designed for longer-term, non-acute support. By extending monitoring over a 12-month period, the initiative aims to empower patients to manage their conditions more effectively and avoid frequent hospital admissions—marking a significant step forward in personalised, preventative care.

Frimley Park, Heatherwood, and Wexham Park hospitals are leading the way in cardiac care with the introduction of the Philips ePatch—a compact, adhesive device that revolutionizes how heart rhythm disorders are detected. Following successful pilot studies, the Trust is now the first in the UK to offer the ePatch to non-admitted patients and those receiving general cardiology care.

The ePatch replaces traditional Holter monitors with a discreet, matchbox-sized sensor that allows for faster, longer-term ECG monitoring. Compared to conventional methods, which rely on wired electrodes and require frequent hospital visits, the ePatch can detect up to 2.5 times more clinically relevant arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation and angina—while offering patients the convenience of use from home.

Data captured by the ePatch is analyzed using Cardiologs, a cloud-based AI platform that delivers diagnostic insights within 72 hours via a simple traffic-light system. This streamlined approach significantly reduces turnaround times and labor-intensive processing, enabling clinicians to act on results more quickly and efficiently.

While traditional Holter monitors will remain in use for some inpatient scenarios, the ePatch marks a major step forward in remote cardiac care. With productivity expected to double, the technology offers a smarter, more patient-friendly way to tackle heart rhythm issues at scale.

Patients visiting Royal Surrey’s Emergency Department (ED) are benefiting from cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help diagnose urgent conditions quickly and accurately.

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust is at the forefront of adopting AI in healthcare, joining a select group of Trusts across the UK to implement an AI tool in urgent and emergency care settings to assist with reading chest X-rays.

The Annalise.ai chest X-ray tool uses AI to examine chest X-rays and identify up to 124 possible health issues in patients’ lungs, including serious conditions like cancer and collapsed lungs. By notifying medical teams about potential problems, it helps doctors make faster, more accurate decisions, allowing for earlier detection and quicker treatment of life-threatening conditions.

Last year, Dianne Covey, 69, from Farnham credited the tech with potentially saving her life after her chest X-ray was analysed by Annalise.ai and detected stage 1 cancer. Ms Covey said: “I never really understood much about artificial intelligence but now I think that it might have saved my life. I am very grateful.”

A pioneering use of AI is transforming cataract care across the region including in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and Frimley. Meet Dora—an intelligent telephone assistant developed in Oxford—who is changing the game for post-op patient assessments. By calling patients after their cataract surgery, asking key clinical questions, interpreting their responses, and identifying those who need follow-up care, Dora is helping deliver faster, more efficient service.

As a result, average waiting times for low-complexity cataract surgery in the region have dropped dramatically—from 35 weeks in January 2024 to just 10 weeks or less. Dora can even offer patients a choice of treatment locations based on proximity and waiting times.

In Frimley, the system has already freed up 530 hours of nursing time in the eye department. Within a month of launch, the average time between surgery and follow-up contact plummeted from 10 weeks to just two—with the call backlog cleared completely.

SHAPE Primary Care Network (PCN) serves a highly deprived population with significant cardiovascular risk factors, especially among ethnic communities. Ragstone Road Surgery, one of its practices, is located in among the five most deprived areas in the UK and faces longstanding challenges in engaging patients for hypertension and diabetes reviews.

To address this, the PCN has deployed pharmacists to remotely monitor patients’ blood pressure (BP) using home-based BP machines. If elevated readings are detected, patients are prompted to recheck their BP three times daily for seven days. Persistent high readings are flagged to GPs for intervention. This initiative targets patients with hypertension, diabetes requiring BP monitoring, or a history of cardiovascular events like stroke.

Results are showing than nine in ten patients are now managing to manage their own care successfully (up from about one in two), helping to release GP time for patients with more acute or complex cases and for those who need continuity of care, as well as saving patients from needing to make trips to the practice.