A plan for patient care developed by teams at Imperial College London’s Health Impact Lab, Imperial Healthcare NHS Trust, Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, in conjunction with North West London Integrated Care System (NW London ICS), has been selected as a finalist of the HSJ Awards.
The entry, led by Dr Patrik Bachtiger (acute internal medicine physician at Imperial NHS), has been selected for the prestigious Modernising Diagnostics category due to the impact of the new North West London Straight-to-Test AcuPebble plan for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea diagnosis.
The new diagnostic approach is much quicker and more efficient than the standard approach to diagnosing sleep apnoea, drastically cutting down the time of a patient’s diagnostic journey, which can be over 50 weeks.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder that causes you to stop breathing while asleep. It needs to be diagnosed and treated promptly because it can lead to more serious problems including heart disease and strokes.
The plan better utilising technology, with the patient being able to take a test at home and receive an automated (faster) diagnosis.
There are fewer visits to the hospital required, for example a face-to-face appointment isn’t needed in the initial stages.
At least one fewer patient journey is required than under the previous diagnostic plan, resulting in less costs and more time saved for the patient. This is making access to diagnosis and possible treatment more equitable. It also makes the process greener and environmentally sustainable.
We will find out whether the plan for patient care has been chosen as the winning finalist at the HSJ Awards ceremony on 21 November 2024.
NW London ICS and NHS NW London also take this opportunity to thank and congratulate all other individuals and organisations who are finalists.