The NHS is saving more than £1.5m a day thanks to an app which detects when elderly people are getting sick, halving the number of hospital admissions, a new report has found.
The app, developed by home care provider Cera, which delivers 2.5 million home visits a month to high-risk elderly people across the UK has been rolled out to 10,000 of its nurses and carers. During their visits, they log patients’ details, such as blood pressure and heart rate, and the app detects any early signs of sickness.
Patients are then able to receive early intervention for their illness, such as GP consultations, district nurse visits or medication reviews with pharmacists, which reduces hospital visits, costly residential care referrals, and ambulance call-outs.
That has saved the NHS more than £1bn since it was introduced in 2023, an analysis by AI and data science company Faculty AI, which has contracts with the NHS, found.
Dr Ben Maruthappu, Cera’s founder and CEO, said: “These figures show social care’s potential to act as the frontline of prevention for high-risk over-65s – easing NHS pressures at a time when the health service is stretched to breaking point.
“Critically, they also show the power of technology and AI to save money, increase productivity and help transform public services – delivering better care, for less, at a time when every pound of government spending is under pressure.”
Earlier access to care is also reducing the number of people suffering from a fall, which can be caused by patients becoming weak from illness.
Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said: “Around a third of adults over 65 will experience a fall each year, which can be devastating not just physically, but also for their confidence and independence.
“I am determined that we harness cutting-edge technology to help our most vulnerable citizens receive expert care at home.”
The NHS continues to be strained by myriad problems, including staffing shortages, waiting times and access to vital care.
Data published by NHS England on Thursday revealed that the waiting list for planned hospital treatment had risen for the second month in a row.
At the end of July, around 7.4 million treatments were waiting to be carried out for 6.25 million patients – up from 7.37 million treatments for 6.23 million patients at the end of June.
Mr Maruthappu said the £1bn in NHS savings due to the app could cover the salaries of more than 25,000 nurses for a year or pay for 40 million more GP appointments.
“The further rollout of AI-backed home care, in a safe way, focused on prevention, could save many more billions, making a tangible difference for the public purse,” he said.
Faculty’s head of health, Hugh Neylan, said: “These savings show AI and digitally-powered prevention improving public finances, easing NHS pressures, and giving older and vulnerable people greater independence.”
