A new report published by Care England and These Hands Academy, Managing Deterioration in Care Homes, highlights the outcomes achieved through the Connected Care Programme across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).

The Connected Care Programme, which utilises the Whzan Blue Box and platform, brings together technology, NEWS2 and workforce development to help care homes recognise deterioration earlier, strengthen collaboration with NHS services and support people to remain where they most want to be: at home.

What began as a pilot across 20 care homes in LLR has grown into a programme supporting more than 100 care homes and over 3,500 residents, demonstrating how proactive monitoring can transform care at scale.

The results speak for themselves.

The report describes measurable reductions in avoidable hospital admissions and ambulance conveyances, generating millions of pounds in system savings alongside an estimated return of around £30 for every £1 invested. It also found that 90% of participating care homes reported increased confidence using NEWS2 when communicating with GPs and urgent care services.

Beyond the statistics, the human stories are what stay with you.

Carers report feeling more confident in recognising subtle signs of deterioration. Residents gain a better understanding of their own health through routine observations. Families receive reassurance that changes are identified before they become emergencies. One example shows how proactive monitoring helped a resident remain comfortably at home during their final days, surrounded by family, rather than being transferred unnecessarily to hospital.

For us, that's what matters most.

Technology was never the point.

It exists to make conversations easier, decisions more confident, and care better connected. With the Whzan Blue Box, Bluetooth-enabled devices, and with NEWS2 automatically calculated, the Connected Care Programme gave care teams the confidence to identify deterioration earlier, record observations accurately, and communicate clearly with healthcare professionals. The platform removes barriers, but it's always the people behind it who make the difference.

One of the strongest messages in the report is that successful implementation depends on much more than simply providing equipment. Ongoing training, support and partnership were identified as critical factors in achieving sustainable outcomes. That's something we've always believed too.

Even the best platform delivers value only when people feel confident using it as part of their everyday care.

The NHS 10 Year Plan challenges the sector to shift care from hospitals to communities, embrace digital technology and place greater emphasis on prevention. The Connected Care Programme demonstrates that these ambitions are already achievable when care teams are given the right tools, properly supported and trusted to use them.

This independent evidence demonstrates the impact that approach can have, not only in reducing pressure on the wider health system but, more importantly, in improving the everyday experience of residents, carers and families.

We're proud that the Whzan platform has played a part in that journey, helping care professionals recognise deterioration earlier, intervene sooner and, ultimately, enable more people to remain safely in the place they call home.

Head here to download the full report

At Whzan we hold a very privileged position. We get to work with some wonderful organisations committed to making positive change for the people they care for and serve.

Often, we get some great evaluation data that show savings in money, bed days, ambulance call-outs etc. Sometimes we are lucky enough to hear about and meet the beneficiaries of that commitment. Their stories humble us.

We met Chris during Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland’s (LLR) Connected Care programme. Bringing together health & social care, LLR wanted to understand the impact that a digital remote monitoring system would have in their residential care homes, especially for those with additional needs. We were delighted to be chosen as the supplier and we got to meet Chris.

It was a real treat to meet Chris. with an amazingly generous personality and hidden talents that we uncovered during the preparation for filming, including winning gold and silver medals for swimming in two separate Special Olympics.

He’s also a football supporter and just like us, he gets anxious about his general health.

Living at a residential care home in Rutland, Chris would often call 999 or 111 when he felt anxiety. As you’ll learn from the video, by taking his own observations and NEWS2 scores, he was able to feel much more comfortable about his health.

Chris wanted us to share his story. It’s a story of hope, and one of improving outcomes for all, equally, so that people living with learning disabilities can live actively in the place of their choice for as long as possible.

There are also other organisational benefits. LLR deployed the Whzan Blue Box into 32 of its residential care homes in an initial pilot. They demonstrated savings of £600,000 during four months, as well as noticeable reductions in hospital admissions and ambulance callouts.

Whilst the statistics are impressive, meeting people like Chris reminds us of why we do what we do.

We’d like to thank all at LLR, Tara Marshall of These Hands Academy and the team at Willowbrook Residential Home for sharing these insights.

And of course, most of all Chris.

Primarily known for our Blue Box and Virtual Wards, our tech is now used to monitor over 140,000 patients daily across the UK – delivering accurate assessments, informing crucial decision-making and protecting people at risk of deterioration.

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex has supported the implementation of the Whzan Digital Health Blue Box in care homes for over five years.

Following a small pilot a few years before, by October 2023, 60 Blue Boxes had been set up in 40 homes in Surrey, with 400 NEWS2 assessments submitted each month.

Their findings showed a 53% reduction in hospital admissions, 41% reduction in 999 calls and a 36% reduction in unplanned GP visits.

A wider report by Health Innovation NENC showed eight care homes made savings of more than £750,000 in one year by using The Blue Box.

Paula Hook, Registered Manager at Woking Homes commented…

“The Blue Box is a must for every home. We’ve been using them for about a year, and they’ve really transformed things for us. We no longer need to contact the doctor every time we’re worried about a resident – we have the data to help us. The Blue Boxes give the staff confidence in what they’re doing and keep everyone reassured including the residents as they get to know what is normal for them. Our relationship with our GPs has improved because we don’t have to call them out so often.”

We’re delighted that we’ve been able to help

You can download the full report here

LLR (Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland) Connected Care Programme

LLR ICS Connected Care Programme recently ran a pilot of digital deterioration monitoring tools in care homes across the region. This pilot saw Blue Boxes deployed in 32 care homes to measure resident vital signs and escalate concerns.

A report was recently published on the initial results of this pilot - these were the findings:

• So far, homes have taken over 5,800 observations – 422 of these were full NEWS2 scores
• There had been a noticeable reduction in hospital admissions and ambulance callouts
• Communication between homes and GPs/nurses had also improved
• Learning disability homes especially benefitted
• Estimated savings were over £600,000 over four months
• Further savings were likely if the pilot was expanded

The full report put together by the wonderful Tara at These Hands Academy can be found below.

LLR Evaluation Final Report

Mid and South Essex ICS

Mid and South Essex ICS established two virtual wards in January 2022 – Respiratory and Frailty. The aim being to provide hospital-level care at home, avoiding admissions and enabling early discharge.

A report was published, analysing the impact, performance, outcomes and lessons of the virtual wards between January and July 2022. The results were as follows:

• There was an estimated reduction of 1,406 acute hospital bed days, this brought an estimated saving of £1.3m
• The monthly savings are estimated to be £100,347 in the Respiratory ward and £230,202 in the Frailty ward
• Other positive outcomes included increased patient independence reduced infections and low readmissions

Recommendations of the back of these findings were to optimise operations, expand capacity, address existing barriers and continue the evaluation.

Again, you can read the full report below

Mid and South Essex Evaluation Report


Outcomes like these are exactly what we set out to achieve with our technology.

Organisations with limited budgets are seeing huge savings and their people are able to deliver a better service for their patients and residents. Most importantly, vulnerable individuals are being kept out of hospital and able to live healthier lives in the place they call home.

Please get in touch for more information or an informal chat about your unique situation.

Paul is a resident at Lorenco House in Tottenham. Paul is amongst the tens of thousands of people throughout the UK who’s care and support is being enhanced by the Blue Box. This is Paul’s story.

Paul’s story isn’t unique – the Blue Box is enabling faster, more-accurate assessments for so many vulnerable people. This ensures they receive better, more-effective care when they need it. Signs of deterioration are identified at the earliest opportunity – reducing the need for emergency callouts lowering the burden on hospitals and the wider NHS.

Partnerships like the one we have with NCL are so important to us. We love the fact they are sharing the impact of technology-enabled remote monitoring like Whzan’s Blue Box on their work and lives. They’re the ones who make the progress we’re seeing in health and care possible and we’re incredibly proud to be a part of it.

Back in March, our partnership with NCL was recognised at the Health Service Journal (HSJ) awards when we were presented with the HealthTech Partnership of the Year award. It was an honour to even be shortlisted alongside some incredibly prestigious company, let alone to come out as winners. Awards are obviously not why we do what we do, but the recognition serves as positive reinforcement that we’re on the right track.

The biggest reward is hearing stories like Paul’s, knowing that our technology is making a difference to individuals who deserve the best possible care and support. We look forward to sharing more stories like this.