The Hillingdon Hospitals' Podcast

The Hillingdon Hospitals

A podcast from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

  1. 1D AGO

    Our innovative approach to reducing hospital admissions

    Hillingdon Hospitals' latest podcast episode spotlights the Trust's innovative approach to admission avoidance, featuring insights from Duncan Alston, geriatrician, and Usman Ahmed, consultant in acute and general medicine. The discussion centered on recent efforts to reduce unnecessary hospital stays by optimising outpatient and rapid access care. Duncan shared findings from a recent audit, which revealed that nearly half of admitted patients could have been managed as outpatients. This has driven a strategic shift toward providing more care outside the traditional inpatient setting. There are three main criteria for hospital admission: physiological instability, specific treatment needs such as oxygen therapy, and significant social or mobility challenges. Patients who do not meet these criteria are now being offered safer and faster outpatient alternatives, reflecting a commitment to both patient well-being and hospital efficiency. Usman highlighted the success of the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) clinic, which now sees up to 70 patients daily. This service has significantly reduced pressure on the emergency department (ED), contributing to Hillingdon’s recognition as one of London’s best-performing EDs. The conversation also covered the hospital’s rollout of virtual wards, which use remote monitoring technology to track patients’ health at home across a range of specialties, including general medicine, diabetes, cardiology, respiratory, and paediatrics. To support these initiatives, staff can now access detailed referral pathways and criteria through the Eolas app (available on the trust website in the applications page, or available to download from the app store and sign in using your NHS login), streamlining the process for admission avoidance and ensuring patients receive the most appropriate care in the right setting. For all the latest Trust news and information check out our website - www.thh.nhs.uk.

    11 min
  2. 05/19/2025

    Co-Designing the Future of Stroke Rehabilitation

    In this podcast, Heraldas Gaspariunas, Co-founder and COO at Reneural, is joined by Dr Gabriella Spinelli, Reader in Healthcare Design and Innovation at the Brunel Design School, part of the College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel University of London and Director of RADIANT CERSI, a centre for regulatory science and innovation in digital health and healthcare AI. The conversation focuses on a new collaboration between Reneural, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Brunel University London, supported by NHS England through the New Hospital Programme. Together, the partners are developing a clinician dashboard that works alongside Reneural’s virtual reality rehabilitation platform. The goal is to support occupational therapists and physiotherapists in delivering more effective remote care for stroke survivors. Gabriella shares her insights on the importance of academic research in shaping digital health solutions and the value of collaboration between universities, the NHS, and industry. The discussion also touches on how projects like this can support faster adoption of innovation within the NHS and improve patient outcomes through thoughtful, research-driven design. This episode highlights the potential of partnerships to bring meaningful change to stroke care and digital health across the system. Speakers: Heraldas Gaspariunas, Co-founder and COO at ReneuralDr Gabriella Spinelli, Reader in Healthcare Design and Innovation, Brunel University of London For all the latest Trust news and information check out our website - www.thh.nhs.uk.

    8 min

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A podcast from The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

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