Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHT) Innovation Team has partnered with Neu Health to introduce a smartphone application designed to monitor and manage the symptoms of people living with Parkinson’s disease in a new pilot.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition where parts of the brain become progressively damaged over time. To tackle the challenges of managing this condition, the app provides a range of features tailored to the unique needs of Parkinson’s patients.
Ian Bresloff, an IT consultant from Leeds who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 53 years old, was introduced to Neu Health by his neurologist.
Ian said: “I think it’s imperative that there are more objective measures of Parkinson’s symptoms, accessible and measurable in an environment outside of the clinic, providing for ongoing monitoring, with results available for review in the clinic, leading to more data-based medication dosing. The thought of harnessing the power of AI to inform my progression and treatment interests me, so I am very happy to support it”.
A female patient who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 59, commends the app for its ease of use and effectiveness. “I would recommend the app to other patients with Parkinson’s because it makes it easy to access health information you may have forgotten during appointments. You have a better record of what is happening using the app,” she said. The now 66-year-old said she is happy to use the app because it is useful and very well explained.
One of the most innovative aspects of the Neu Health app is its seamless integration with clinical care teams. Information inputted into the app is automatically transmitted to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust clinical teams through a secure dashboard. This enables healthcare professionals to gain valuable insights into each patient’s condition, leading to more personalised and effective treatment plans.
Dr Jeremy Cosgrove, Consultant Neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The number of people with Parkinson’s in the UK continues to grow, as the average age of the population increases. To keep up with demand and maintain a high level of care, we need to explore new ways of monitoring and reviewing some of our patients. I am excited to be involved in this project and I look forward to exploring the results and hopefully improving our service.”
Dr Kinan Muhammed, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder at Neu Health said: “We are very excited to partner with Leeds Teaching Hospital on this novel initiative. This approach has the potential to reshape the way Neurology care is delivered within the NHS, ultimately benefiting both patients and healthcare professionals. We are really pleased to already see the positive impact it is having.”
The Neu Health app offers several key features, including symptom logging, which allows users to record their symptoms easily, providing valuable data for personal tracking and clinical assessment. Digital tests are also available to assess various aspects of Parkinson’s symptoms, including voice, walking, balance, tremor, and finger dexterity, among others. Patients can access a wealth of information customised to their specific condition, helping them stay informed and empowered in managing their health. Currently, up to 90 patients at Leeds Teaching Hospitals are benefiting from the app, with plans for further expansion in the future.
About Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one the largest and busiest acute hospital trusts in Europe. Every year the Trust provides healthcare and specialist services for people from the city of Leeds, Yorkshire and the Humber and beyond. The Trust plays an important role in the training and education of medical, nursing and dental students, and are a centre of world-class research and pioneering new treatments.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals has a budget of £1.4 billion and employs around 20,000 people. Care and clinical expertise is delivered from seven hospitals on five sites, and they are all joined by a vision to be the best for specialist and integrated care.
Staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals helped to define the values and behaviours that all staff should work to, and this has become known as The Leeds Way. This forms the foundation of the Trust’s culture, ethos and how the hospitals work every day.
About Neu Health
Neu Health is making the latest Parkinson’s disease and dementia care accessible for all. The innovative approach integrates a user-friendly smartphone app and a clinician dashboard with advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence analytics to empower patients and optimise clinical services. Neu Health is a spinout from the University of Oxford that builds on 10 years of research and clinical validation. They are part of the Propel YH Programme run by Health Innovation Network Yorkshire & Humber
