The NHS is using AI to predict patients who are at risk of becoming frequent users of emergency services so staff can get them more appropriate care at an earlier stage. The intervention will ensure that thousands of people get the support they need earlier, while also reducing demand on pressured A&Es.
Over 360,000 patients attend A&E more than five times every year, but now, using data-powered initiatives to identify them, NHS teams are proactively reaching out with support before they walk through the front door of an emergency room.
High Intensity Use (HIU) services use the latest data to find the most regular attendees in their area to identify and resolve the reasons patients are coming forward for care so regularly – often associated with poverty and social isolation.
The NHS has rolled out HIU services to support more than 125 emergency departments across England so far, providing patients with one-to-one coaching support in their own homes to tackle the root cause of why they are visiting A&E.
Initiatives like this have already helped reduce the number of frequent attendances by more than half in some parts of the country. South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recruited a dedicated keyworker to offer social, practical and emotional support to 20 HIU individuals and helped them more than halve their visits to A&E – down from 33 times per year.
The AI-powered prediction software uses routinely collected hospital data to identify patients who require immediate preventative support to avoid future, unplanned visits to the hospital. This includes supporting patients with long-term conditions, like asthma or diabetes, and having a healthcare professional reach out to them to offer them personalised, preventative support and self-management techniques.
Amanda Pritchard, NHS Chief Executive, said: “Initiatives like using AI to spot those who may need extra support in the community help provide more personalised care and must be central to our 10 Year Health Plan.”