A NORTH Yorkshire company has won a huge contract for Telehealth systems designed to support patients living at home – saving money and improving patient care.

Tunstall Health, based at Whitley Bridge, near Selby, will now provide 2,000 of the systems to NHS North Yorkshire and York.

The technology involves a Telehealth system being installed in the patient's home which takes readings of their vital signs – such as temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose and oxygen levels – depending on their condition.

These readings are then sent directly, via the telephone line, to a central monitoring centre, where any abnormalities are flagged and a clinician is alerted to contact the patient.

The announcement follows an eight-month trial of the Telehealth technology, which the NHS said demonstrated the benefits it could bring for both patients and doctors.

The system is aimed at patients living with long-term health conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and diabetes. In 2008/09, more than 6,000 patients in North Yorkshire and York were admitted to hospital with respiratory or cardiac problems.

Jon Lowe, UK managing director at Tunstall Healthcare, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NHS North Yorkshire and York to reshape the way care is delivered closer to home, using innovative technology to support and sustain care delivery.”