Pauline Priddy is at the heart of a quiet revolution taking place in Hereford which is transforming the way people are being cared for in their own home.

Pauline suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which means it is difficult for her to breathe due to an obstruction in her lungs. It is a serious condition which has resulted in the 77-year-old being treated in the County Hospital’s Emergency Department, and requires regular monitoring of her condition, including how much oxygen is in her blood.

“This would normally have meant either regular trips to the hospital or regular visits by community nursing staff to her home,” said Sharon Mayglothling, Wye Valley NHS Trusts’ head of nursing and service delivery manager for neighbourhood teams and community hospitals.

But thanks to the pilot scheme currently underway, Pauline connects with community health professionals via a small unit which uses the mobile telephone network to send information once a day.

“We’ve been using this for the last five weeks,” explained Pauline’s daughter, Suzie Lindesay, who helps her mother with the unit each day. “It’s reassuring to know that my Mum is being monitored closely and using this unit is really simple and saves visits to the hospital and visits of nurses to my mother’s home.”

The Trust teamed up with colleagues providing social care at Herefordshire Council to run the pilot jointly. The scheme is being monitored closely and, if it proves successful, it is hoped that it will be rolled out across the whole of Herefordshire.