Care homes and GP practices in Greater Manchester have adopted new technology to better monitor early signs of instability during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A new digital reporting system has been adopted by care homes and healthcare settings in the city-region and the technology has allowed for daily reporting and monitoring of warning signs of clusters of cases including PPE stock levels, staffing availability and infection rates. Information is shared with council public health officials throughout Greater Manchester in order to inform their response in real-time and allow swift action to be taken where necessary.
The technology platform being used has been adopted by 540 care homes, 445 GP practice and 681 pharmacies. It is being rolled out in urgent dental centres as they begin reopening, with plans for use in opticians and supported living centres.
The data and reporting sit on the Greater Manchester Digital Platform, an advanced technology solution that allows health and public sector professionals to use and share information in real-time. The platform was created to ensure that professionals supporting residents have the right information, at the right time and in the right way. Reporting of this kind has been developed by the GMCA and GMHSC Partnership to support the transformation and digitisation of public services.
Sir Richard Leese, Chair Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said:
I continue to be incredibly proud of the response in Greater Manchester to this pandemic, from the people volunteering to support our most vulnerable, to the businesses donating much needed PPE.
“The digital response has been no exception – the speed at which this new situation reporting tool is being deployed across our city-region is ground-breaking and is helping us manage this pandemic in a much more coherent and proactive way.
“Working collaboratively like this allows the Partnership to effectively support local authorities when they are under significant pressures, including redistributing PPE and assisting with infection control.”