Basque Health Minister visits Telemonitoring NI centre for learning visit

Jon Darpón Sierra, Basque Government Minister for Health visited the TF3 Telemonitoring NI centre in Holywood to see first-hand the fantastic support being offered to people who live with long-term conditions across Northern Ireland.

The visit was part of a programme of activities which have been organised to showcase Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland to a delegation from the Basque Government.

The Centre which operates a telemonitoring service for Northern Ireland on behalf of the Centre for Connected Health and Social Care (CCHSC), part of the Public Health Agency (PHA), was delighted to welcome the Basque Minister for Health.

The Telemonitoring NI service provided by the TF3 Consortium, has to date benefited in excess of 2,000 patients with long-term conditions in Northern Ireland, helping them to better manage their health.

Eddie Ritson, Programme Director of the CCHSC, said: “I was delighted to welcome Jon Darpón Sierra, Basque Government Minister for Health to the TF3 Telemonitoring NI Centre in Holywood, to see first-hand the telemonitoring service in action.

“Colleagues learned about the clinical triage service, which is delivered in Northern Ireland by nurses to monitor readings such as blood pressure and weight on a daily basis. This remote monitoring allows patients who would otherwise have to travel to their GP or hospital to be monitored in their own homes. This means less stress for patients and helps them in understanding and managing their condition.

“Telemonitoring is an excellent example of how modern technology can help deliver a better service for the patient, allowing them to take control and manage their condition with confidence. It also allows more efficient use of the healthcare professional’s time and skills.

“The service has an ambitious programme for development and next year plans to accelerate the uptake of telehealth into broader clinical conditions and expand into telecare. The visit proved to be a great success allowing us to demonstrate how far the service has come and to share experiences on the delivery of telehealth with our colleagues from the Basque country who share similar challenges to our own.”

Jon Darpón Sierra, Basque Government Minister for Health said: “We enjoyed our visit to the Telemonitoring NI centre in Holywood and look forward to continued cooperation with Health & Social Care Services within Northern Ireland.  We in the Basque Country and Northern Ireland have much to learn from each other and it is useful to exchange experiences on how we may provide better services and support people to live independent lives in their own homes.”