NHS competition honours sleep apnoea and diabetic solutions

Cambridge-based Trillian’s service to test for the sleep disorder and McCallan Medical’s VibraTip technology for use on diabetics were acknowledged last week in the Smart Solutions for Healthcare competition.

The competition, run by TrusTECH, the North West NHS Innovation Hub, was set up to find better, more cost-effective approaches to diagnosis and treatment for patients with long-term conditions and cardiovascular disease.

Dr Bryan Griffiths of TrusTECH said: ‘The NHS faces a monumental challenge in the years ahead and new technologies and services will be required to help change the way care is delivered.’

Trillian’s sleep apnoea solution is claimed to take £500 off the cost of diagnosing the condition.

Currently, patients must be referred to a hospital sleep centre for diagnosis at a cost of around £750. The Trillian service reportedly allows them to be diagnosed in their own homes for £250, through the use an electronic monitoring device.

According to a statement, patients collect the device from a GP’s surgery and are shown how to use it. They attach it before bedtime, leave it on overnight and return it to the surgery the next day. The surgery staff then upload the recorded data to the company’s server. It is then analysed by a consultant who sends back a report to the GP.