Well Up North, a collaboration between seven GP practices in the North East of England, is partnering with health technology company Aide Health to further support people living with long-term conditions.
With a population of 61,000 patients stretching from Morpeth to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Well Up North PCN is formed of mostly rural, seaside and small market town communities. The unique nature of this geography means the PCN covers more square miles than Greater London, with many patients living 60 or more miles away from the nearest A&E.
Dr Neil Forster, GP Partner at Union Brae Surgery, said:
Our patients can be met with rural isolation and limited access to public transport. If patients can’t come to us, it’s vital we go to them to effectively manage the caseload of long-term conditions. Technologies like Aide Health mean we can not only remotely monitor long-term conditions but also provide patients with the tools and education they need to better self-care. We’re excited to see the impact this partnership has on our area."
Launched in 2021, Aide Health uses conversational AI to help patients optimise their medicine use, track their health, and improve their knowledge of their conditions. Today, Aide provides support for asthma, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. A pathway for COPD, a condition that outpaces asthma care costs by a factor of four despite its much lower prevalence, will be released in the coming months.
Earlier this year, in partnership with Suffolk Primary Care, Aide Health demonstrated significantly improved adherence rates and potential savings of over 300 clinical hours per 1,000 asthma patients via asynchronous education. Led by Dr Neil Macey, Lead GP at Stowhealth, the programme provided the Aide app to asthma patients over the age of 18 across seven GP practices. Aide identified that 50% of patients did not have an asthma action plan (AAP), which patients overuse their reliever inhaler (>2 times per week) and for what reason, and provided education on reliever and preventer inhaler use. AAP use is associated with a 70% reduction in mortality.
Brian Snyder, Co-founder and COO of Aide Health, added:
Following our work with Suffolk, we know that rural and coastal communities are often less likely to engage with their healthcare. That means any challenges people may have with managing long-term conditions can be very difficult to uncover. The team at Well Up North have introduced some remarkable programmes to support their population in recent years, including mobile units at agricultural markets and harbourside fish quays. We’re delighted to have the chance to build on these successes and continue developing Aide to support as many communities as possible in the UK."
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About Well Up North PCN
Well Up North is a collaboration between 7 GP practices stretching from Morpeth to Berwick-Upon-Tweed. Our aim is to knit together a fabric of services with and for our communities that is stretchier and stronger than any of us could knit alone.
About Aide Health
Aide Health is a digital health service that helps patients and their clinicians better understand and manage long-term conditions. The service connects a browser-based tool for the clinician with a mobile app for the patient, which serves as a 24/7 companion through prescribed care.
