Overview
Royal Papworth Hospital has introduced a new digital portal called Patient Aide for patients cared for by the Respiratory Support and Sleep Centre (RSSC). The portal is designed to make accessing healthcare easier, reduce unnecessary clinic visits, and support safe, remote care.
Patient Aide works on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers, giving patients access to important information about their care all in one secure place.
What you can do with Patient Aide
Patients using the portal can view:
- Upcoming appointments
- Diagnoses
- Clinic letters and discharge summaries
- Test results
- Completed and outstanding questionnaires
- Health tracking information
This helps patients keep on top of their care without needing to contact the hospital.
How Patient Aide supports sleep apnoea care
Within the RSSC, the portal is being used to run virtual outpatient clinics for people with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) who are stable on CPAP therapy.
How it works:
- Patients identified as suitable for remote review will receive a questionnaire through the portal.
- This questionnaire checks how well they are using their CPAP treatment.
- A clinician reviews the completed questionnaire.
- If needed, a face‑to‑face or telephone appointment will be arranged.
- Most patients who are stable on their CPAP treatment will only need an annual review through the portal.
This helps ensure that those who need more support are seen promptly, while reducing unnecessary appointments for those whose condition is well controlled.
Benefits of using Patient Aide
Patient Aide offers several benefits for patients and the hospital:
Patient Aide
- Fewer unnecessary trips to hospital
- Reduced travel costs
- Access to care from home
- Ongoing specialist review without visiting the hospital—especially important during the coronavirus pandemic
For the hospital and NHS
- Fewer missed appointments
- More efficient use of clinical staff time
- More capacity to diagnose and treat new patients
- Reduced carbon footprint through fewer patient journeys
Security and privacy
The system has undergone full information governance checks to ensure patient data is safe, secure and kept private at all times.
About Patient Aide
Patient Aide is developed by Dedalus as part of a programme funded by NHS England.
The portal will be introduced to other departments across Royal Papworth Hospital in the near future.