A new atrial fibrillation pathway is to be rolled out across Barking, Havering & Redbridge in Essex starting in 20 community pharmacies.

The new pathway has been developed by Care City and has been taken onboard by the BHR Provider Alliance which brings together health and social care providers across Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge in order to deliver integrated care. 

Launched at the Health & Care Innovation Expo last year and developed as part of Care City’s NHS England Innovation Test Bed Programme, the new One Stop AF Pathway finds people with undiagnosed AF, reduces the number of appointments needed to confirm diagnosis and waiting times for treatment.

Kardia Mobile, a handheld mobile ECG device can spot AF in 30-seconds. Those with an abnormal result are then reviewed and where necessary invited to attend an appointment at the One Stop AF Clinic at Whipps Cross Hospital for further diagnostic tests and, if appropriate, treatment.

John Craig, chief executive, Care City commented: “A challenge to the adoption of digital innovation across the health and care system has been how to secure commitment from clinicians to use the technology and understand the benefits to them, their patients and the NHS. We’ve found that the trick is to re-frame the problem, present how digital technology can enable clinicians to become innovators in their own right”.