MINDER Smart home test bed site – embedding dementia research into primary health and social care. Wingfield, D. Daniels, S. Norman, C. Lai, H. Hassim, N. Nilforooshan, R. Barnarghi, P. Sharp, D

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundDigitally enabled healthcare is becoming mainstream NHS (1) and adoption has been accelerated in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic (2) The UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Centre, established in 2019, explores the value of using technology in people’s homes to improve care and has developed a system (MINDER) using IOT/smart home technology and medical devices, integrating activity and health data for research purposes and generating health alerts to the mainstream provider via a clinical monitoring team. Initially launched in Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust (n = 40); in April 2021, an additional research site was established within primary care in North West London.MethodWe collated data from both sites and describe an integrated delivery model for research within primary health and social care. Cohort description and case studies illustrate the challenges and benefits of conducting this research across urban and sub‐urban settings.ResultsOver 55 participants are currently enrolled on the study. 15 of these from primary care/general practice in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Opportunities arising from this setting include leveraging the patient – provider (nurse/doctor/allied health professional/social care) relationship to introduce the study and recruit, and rapid escalation of any problems arising in a research context to the clinical/care teams responsible to delivering care (for example; potential urinary tract infections). Challenges to recruitment have included lack of specialist confirmation of dementia diagnosis in primary care records, lack of consistent engagement/availability of the required MINDER study partner as well as the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic limited face to face contact.ConclusionEarly data suggests that a complex dementia study can be embedded successfully in General Practice and leads to strengthening of relations with care giving bodies. This offers the opportunity for development and translation of new technologies within front line primary and social care, that can be fully evaluated within the real world context of service delivery.References 1)The NHS Long Term Plan (2019) gov.uk 2) Baird B, Maguire D. Understanding factors that enabled digital service change in general practice during the Covid‐19 pandemic. London: The King’s Fund. 2021 Feb.