Nigel visits the Whitley Bridge headquarters of leading telehealthcare provider Tunstall Healthcare to see for himself how the company's products can save lives.

During Nigel's visit he used one of Tunstall’s systems to check his own blood pressure, heart rate and temperature. It was the same type of equipment that is being supplied to patients who have a medical condition that needs monitoring, and by having the equipment at home patients can do their own tests, saving them the inconvenience of visiting a hospital or health centre. Any change can then be detected earlier and medical staff can decide on treatment before the condition develops further.

Nigel was shown the latest evidence from the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD), the Department of Health’s large-scale telehealthcare project, and Tunstall’s role within the 3millionlives initiative, which was launched by Care Service Minister Paul Burstow earlier this year. The objectives of this project are to improve healthcare by detecting possible problems earlier and thus reducing the number of emergency admissions for conditions such as heart attacks.

Mr Adams commented:

It has been a couple of years since my last visit to Tunstall and the developments in telehealthcare in that time have been considerable. I’m delighted that the government is backing this important industry, and that one of the world’s leading exponents is head quartered in my constituency.

He was updated on some of Tunstall’s latest customer successes, including their work in partnership with Birmingham City Council, which is believed to be the first large-scale, city-wide telecare service of its kind in the UK.

Nigel's visit included demonstrations of Tunstall’s latest innovative solutions, including the multi-user myclinictelehealth system and Tunstall’s mylife patient portal, both of which encourage self-management and enhance the quality of life and clinical outcomes for people with long-term conditions.

UK & Ireland Managing Director Simon Arnold commented:

'Tunstall was delighted to host this visit by Mr Adams, which provided an opportunity for us to show how telehealthcare plays a key role in driving efficiencies in the NHS, saving lives and transforming health and social care provision.'