The mPower project team within Dumfries and Galloway have adapted their approaches to helping older people as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
NHS Dumfries and Galloway are partners in the EU-funded mPower project, which uses digital interventions to enable elderly people in remote areas to live safely and independently in their own homes by introducing them to various health and wellbeing technologies.
During the pandemic, work has been taking place around check-in calls, the highlighting of wellbeing plans, and providing referrals into mPower at an earlier opportunity during patient discharge.
mPower Implementation Lead Susan McKie has been working as part of the EU INTERREG VA-funded project mPower since November 2017. Based in Stranraer, Susan leads the team which covers the Wigtownshire area.
Susan said: “The team help people aged over 65 living with long-term health conditions and chronic illnesses to create wellbeing plans. We’ve all had to adapt in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Some team members were redeployed into other areas of the health service where they have been able to make connections to set up new mPower referral pathways. Others in the team have been focussing on the existing mPower beneficiaries who are among the most vulnerable people in the region.
“Ewan Marshal is one of the Community Navigators, and he was redeployed at the very start of the lockdown to support the Patient Flow Co-ordinator across the Galloway Community Hospital in Stranraer. Ewan was working within the Dalrymple rehabilitation ward where most of the discharge work takes place.
“Ewan quickly became a key member of staff at the multidisciplinary meetings to discuss patient discharge, giving him great insight into how the discharge process works and crucially where there were gaps for the mPower team to support with digital e-health interventions.
“Because of Ewan’s work and involvement in this team, there is a new referral process being developed the discharge process at Galloway Community Hospital. This has the potential for use elsewhere in the region. The process means that patients will be referred to mPower while they are still on the ward instead of waiting until they have returned home.”
Susan added: “The pre-discharge contact benefits are numerous; the mPower team can signpost to relevant community support groups, befriending opportunities, self-help advice resources and provide access to digital interventions from the very outset. This means that measures that might be required to support the person can be put in place straight away, improving recovery time and enabling the person to stay at home independently and to best self-manage their condition.”
Some of the digital interventions that are being introduced as part of the new discharge pathway model include text message medication reminders from a tool called Florence, or setting up video calls for health appointments via NHS Near Me. This reduces the need to travel and can help people to shield if required.
Explaining other ways staff have adapted their work during the pandemic, Susan said: “Stacey Halley and Amy Davidson are also Community Navigators for the project. They have worked with the wider health and wellbeing team to support people who were shielding at the start of the pandemic. People were identified through the Community Pharmacy team and were offered support with medication delivery and were also directed to support in their local communities.
“Amy worked closely with the Telecare and e-health team to ensure welfare calls were made and to check existing equipment was working, such as alert systems. This work has been crucial when no family members are available locally. Support was given for setting up shopping services, befriending services, medication collections and more using the large team of local COVID-19 volunteers.
“Amy has also been attending the Social Care Review meetings and ensuring that mPower’s services are offered at the right time. Specifically, she has been introducing wellbeing plans at the time of talking about Anticipatory Care Plans (ACPS). This is proving particularly helpful in care homes and residential care settings.
“Stacey has also been focussed on continuing to support the existing mPower beneficiaries, who are one of the most vulnerable groups to the virus – being over 65 and living with long term conditions, some of which include respiratory conditions. Support has been provided through regular check in calls and setting up services that may be required.”
Susan added: “I am very proud of the work the mPower team are doing, of their flexibility and adaptability and the tremendous impact that this is making for older people in our community at this time.”
For more information on how mPower can help you, visit https://dumfries-galloway.mpowerhealth.eu/
To self-refer to the project or to find out more for a family member please contact the mPower through the Wigtownshire Health and Wellbeing team at, email dumf-uhb.[email protected] or telephone Susan on 01776 707731.
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