FOI release

Information regarding remote patient monitoring and related patient safety

Some or all of the information requested was not provided because we determined that the cost to do so would exceed the appropriate limit.

Case reference FOI2026/01166

Received 26 March 2026

Published 6 May 2026

Request

Dear Freedom of Information Team, I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please would you provide the following information: 1. Use of remote patient monitoring 1.1 Do you use remote patient monitoring for inpatients, patients on a virtual ward or in the emergency department? 1.2 Type of monitoring system used eg. wearable vital signs monitors, telemetry, remote pulse oximetry 1.3 Does the remote patient monitoring solution provide automated spot check monitoring or continuous monitoring? 1.4 The clinical areas or pathways where monitoring is used eg. emergency department, wards, virtual wards, respiratory care, post-operative monitoring 1.5 The vendor or system name used for continuous monitoring 2. Patient safety incidents related to observations and monitoring (Data for the 12 month period 1 January - 31 December 2025) 2.1 Number of patient safety incidents reported through the Trust’s patient safety reporting system related to: - Failure to detect deterioration - Missed vital signs observations - Failure to escalate abnormal observations 2.2 Number of patient safety incidents reported locally: - Unrecognised hypoxia - Diagnosis of sepsis after 4 hours in the emergency department - Cardiac arrests on the wards - Falls occurring without observation - Incidents of patient awareness during surgery 3. Deterioration and Early Warning Data (Data for the 12 month period 1 January - 31 December 2025) 3.1 Number of rapid response/critical care outreach calls: - The number triggered by abnormal vital signs or NEWS2 scores - The number where clinical review identified delayed escalation - The number of calls between the hours of 05:00 and 08:00 - The number of calls between 05:00 and 08:00 where patient was RIP 3.2 Number of unexpected ICU admissions from the wards: - The total number of unexpected ICU admissions from the wards - The number occurring within 24 hours of ward admission - The number where internal review identified delayed escalation or missed deterioration as a contributing factor 3.3 Number of cardiac arrests outside ICU or the emergency department: - The number of cardiac arrests outside ICU or the emergency department - The number of these events where the patient had documented abnormal vital signs within the preceding 24 hours - The number where internal review identified failure to detect or escalate deterioration 3.4 The number of incidents coded as ‘failure to rescue’ or ‘failure to detect deterioration’ (or similarly aligned coding) in ward patients 4. Observation compliance: (Data for the 12 month period January - December 2025) 4.1 Are observations recorded manually or automatically pushed to the EPR 4.2 Audit data on compliance with NEWS2 observation frequency and NEWS2 escalation compliance: - Provide data showing the percentage of vital-sign observations completed within scheduled NEWS2 timeframe - Provide data showing the percentage of vital-sign observations completed outside scheduled NEWS2 timeframe (late) - Average delay where available 4.3 Please provide any audit data or electronic observation system reports showing compliance with escalation requirements for high NEWS2 scores >5 or >7, including: - Number of patients with NEWS2 >5 or >7 - Number receiving escalation within the required timeframe - Number where escalation was delayed - Number with no documented escalation 5. Virtual Wards/Remote monitoring at home: (Data for the 12 month period January - December 2025) 5.1 Does the Trust operate a virtual ward 5.2 Number of patients monitored each year 5.3 Conditions monitored eg. respiratory disease, heart failure, post-operative recovery 6. Evaluations of continuous monitoring: Please provide any internal evaluations, pilots or business cases regarding remote patient monitoring systems For clarity, this request relates to the period: 1 January to 31 December 2025.

Response

 

Ref

Question / information requested

Notes / response

1

Use of remote patient monitoring

 

1.1

Do you use remote patient monitoring for inpatients, patients on a virtual ward or in the emergency department?

We use a small proportion of remote monitoring for pts on our ward.

1.2

Type of monitoring system used e.g. wearable vital signs monitors, telemetry, remote pulse oximetry

 Covid19 medicine delivery unit- pulse oximetry

1.3

Does the remote patient monitoring solution provide automated spot check monitoring or continuous monitoring?

 No, we ensure patients are called for updates.

1.4

The clinical areas or pathways where monitoring is used e.g. emergency department, wards, virtual wards, respiratory care, post-operative monitoring

 Virtual Ward

1.5

The vendor or system name used for continuous monitoring

 Guangdong Biolight Meditech Co

2

Patient safety incidents related to observations and monitoring (data period: 1 January – 31 December 2025)

Not held

2.1

Number of patient safety incidents reported through the Trust’s patient safety reporting system related to

·       Failure to detect deterioration

·       Missed vital signs observations

·       Failure to escalate abnormal observations

Not held

2.2

Number of patient safety incidents reported locally:

·       Unrecognised hypoxia – 11 incidents

·       Diagnosis of sepsis after 4 hours in the emergency department – 2 Incidents

·       Cardiac arrests on the wards – 59 Incidents

·       Falls occurring without observation – 511 Incidents

·       Incidents of patient awareness during surgery – 0 Incident

 

 

- Unrecognised hypoxia- not held

- Diagnosis of sepsis after 4 hours in the emergency department- above 18 hours (manual audit)

- Cardiac arrests on the wards

- Falls occurring without observation- not held / above 18 hours requires manual audit)

- Incidents of patient awareness during surgery-not held / above 18 hours

We have an average of 40 Ulysses per month relating to patient deterioration and approx. 80  2222 calls per month for adult patients.

3

Deterioration and Early Warning Data (data period: 1 January – 31 December 2025)

 

3.1

Number of rapid response/critical care outreach calls

·       The number triggered by abnormal vital signs or NEWS2 scores

·       The number where clinical review identified delayed escalation

·       The number of calls between the hours of 05:00 and 08:00

·       The number of calls between 05:00 and 08:00 where patient was RIP

 Not available in an accessible format

3.2

Unexpected The total number of unexpected ICU admissions from the wards

Not held = Unexpected

3.3

Cardiac arrests outside ICU or the emergency department

·       The number of cardiac arrests outside ICU or the emergency department

·       The number of these events where the patient had documented abnormal vital signs within the preceding 24 hours

·       The number where internal review identified failure to detect or escalate deterioration

 22 is the number recorded in Ulysses (our risk reporting system)

3.4

The number of incidents coded as ‘failure to rescue’ or ‘failure to detect deterioration’ (or similarly aligned coding) in ward patients

Not held in this format / above 18 hours

4

Observation compliance (data period: January – December 2025)

 

4.1

Are observations recorded manually or automatically pushed to the EPR?

 

4.2

Audit data on compliance with NEWS2 observation frequency and NEWS2 escalation compliance:

Target set for 70% average 65% for last month

·       Provide data showing the percentage of vital-sign observations completed within scheduled NEWS2 timeframe - We do not complete this on a scheduled time frame due to Virtual ward however this is completed at every visit.

·       Provide data showing the percentage of vital-sign observations completed outside scheduled NEWS2 timeframe (late)

·       Average delay where available -N/A

4.3

Please provide any audit data or electronic observation system reports showing compliance with escalation requirements for high NEWS2 scores >5 or >7, including:

·       Number of patients with NEWS2 >5 or >7

·       Number receiving escalation within the required timeframe

·       Number where escalation was delayed

·       Number with no documented escalation

·       Number receiving escalation within the required timeframe- this will be a very difficult number to quantify and we will only be aware via 2222 calls or Ulysses which will not capture all patients

·       Number where escalation was delayed- as per the comment above

·       Number with no documented escalation-  as per the comment above.

5

Virtual Wards/Remote monitoring at home (data period: January – December 2025)

 

5.1

Does the Trust operate a virtual ward?

 Yes

5.2

Number of patients monitored each year

 Average case load per year for

Care- 1710

Home Hospice- 460

Hospital at home- 4025

COPAT-406

CMDU- 71

Total 6673

5.3

Conditions monitored e.g. respiratory disease, heart failure, post-operative recovery

 All conditions can be accepted by H@H if the patient prefers treatment at home.

6

Please provide any internal evaluations, pilots or business cases regarding remote patient monitoring systems

 We have a current pilot starting in a few months with a company called Medoma. This is a remote monitoring scheduling platform.

Documents

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