DIY heart monitor 'will slash NHS waiting lists'

A hospital trust in Surrey is the first in England to roll out a new DIY heart monitor, which it hopes will help to cut patient waiting lists.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust has begun issuing the monitors, which look for heart rhythm problems, by post.

The device resembles a small patch which the user attaches to their skin, while traditional devices see patients hooked up to numerous wires and monitors.

After the device is worn for a few days, it is posted back, cutting out the need for appointments to fit and remove traditional equipment, the trust said.

The information from the monitor is then assessed using artificial intelligence, which produces a report to be reviewed by a physiologist or a doctor.

The device can be used to investigate conditions including atrial fibrillation, tachycardia or heart blocks.

Dr Iain Sim, consultant cardiac electrophysiologist at Frimley, said: "It is smaller and more convenient, rather than different wires all over the place.

"We're able to reduce our turnaround times for reports and to get results back to patients faster."

The trust said it would still use traditional devices, known as Holter monitors, on some patients who are in hospital.

Holter monitors are attached by trained physiologists but there is a shortage of these staff members at present, according to the trust.

Suzanne Jordan, associate director for medicine at Frimley, said of the new monitors: "If you think of the bigger picture, it means that we're going to be able to manage our patients quickly.

"We've been running clinics by seeing maybe 30 patients in one day, whereas before, we were probably seeing 14 maximum, so we've kind of doubled our productivity."

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