Health news March 2007

Health and Social Care Awards 2006

The Met Office Health Forecasting team have won the Innovative Services Award for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Health Forecasting at the prestigious Health and Social Care Awards 2006. The award recognises an innovative, new or improved service that benefits the delivery of healthcare for patients, users and carers.

The Health and Social Care Awards are run in partnership between the Department of Health and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. They were set up to celebrate the immense pool of talent and initiative in health and social care and are the most important opportunity within the NHS and social care to identify, recognise and reward excellence in the provision of care at the frontline. Dr Tish Laing-Morton, Clinical Director at the Met Office said, "This is tremendous news, but more importantly the forecast service helps patients to understand their condition, know better how to self care, and achieve their potential for independence and wellbeing."

The Met Office COPD Health Forecasting Service alerts healthcare professionals and patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) when there is an increased risk of worsening symptoms due to changes in weather conditions and circulating respiratory infections. The innovative service was developed in a unique collaboration between the Met Office and the NHS and includes educational packs for patients and training sessions for clinicians.

Benefits of COPD health forecasting COPD health forecasting helps improve the health and well-being of people with COPD by targeting anticipatory care and self management when it is most needed. Admissions prevention Practices that took part in health forecasting saw a 35% decrease in COPD admissions, compared with a 24% decrease for the next best performing admission reduction strategy. Improved patient well being A patient survey showed that 73% of patients thought that Health Forecasting improved their lives. Saving money Across England there were 105,000 COPD admissions in 2004/05.  Reducing this by 35% would save £63 million.

Future developments will bring the health forecasts and education directly to patients through an automated telephone service, currently being trialled in Cornwall and Kent.

 

To find out more about the Met Office's health forecasting services and expertise please contact our 24-hour Customer Centre or e-mail to health@metoffice.gov.uk.