Aneurin Bevan signs four-year deal with DrDoctor

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board have entered into a four-year digital delivery partnership with Dr Doctor.

The deal was signed last month. It will see DrDoctor deliver a digital platform which supports a move to measuring value-based outcomes rather than activity alone.

“The work will measure and track patient outcomes using validated clinical pathways to assess effectiveness of treatments and track progress across our population”, explained DrDoctor director Tom Whicher.

The new contract builds on a previous collaboration between the two organisations. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board – which provides care to populations in South Wales – first partnered with DrDoctor in November 2015. The firm digitised communication with patients and appointment management, rolling out a system in six months across the trust’s 10 sites.

The existing platform is said to have saved Aneurin Bevan more than £1 million from better clinic utilisation.

It is hoped the new phase of the partnership will lead to additional cost savings and patient experience improvements by reducing the need for face-to-face follow up appointments by 25%.

“Part two is about increasing quality and understanding whole life costs”, explained Whicher. “Once we’ve gone through the discovery phase, we’ll have an idea of savings. We think they could be really significant.”

Aneurin Bevan’s interim assistant medical director and care clinical director Sally Lewis said: “We will be able to virtually monitor outcomes, negating the need for clinic attendance for people who are stable and well.”

Lewis said the system will seamlessly become part of their direct care.

Whicher said to be sure that they are providing the right care for the population, “we must systematically capture outcomes that matter to patients and redesign care delivery around value, not activity.”

Combining key themes from the Five Year Forward View and the latest thinking in health service design, Whicher said the ambitious programme aims to deliver better care for patients locally, and across Wales.