Led by Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) and funded by the local NHS Integrated Care Board, this programme is a brilliant example of what can be achieved when healthcare meets people wherever they may be. By offering free NHS Health Checks in trusted community settings, the outreach is connecting with vulnerable residents who may be less likely to attend traditional appointments, particularly those at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

We always like to hear about forward-thinking health programmes that blend clinical care with a strong community presence. The use of portable digital tools, like the Whzan Blue Box, help ensure checks can be delivered quickly, safely and accurately in non-clinical environments, from community centres to libraries.

What’s Happening?

Qualified nurses are delivering full NHS Health Checks, assessing key indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI and lifestyle risk factors. Attendees can receive tailored advice and signposting to local support, from GP follow-ups and stop-smoking services, to social prescribing and wellbeing groups.

A Model for Local Prevention

This is exactly the kind of community-first approach we champion at Whzan: proactive, preventative care that is made accessible to all. By meeting people in spaces they trust, with tools that make data capture seamless, this outreach helps turn a simple check into the first step on a healthier journey.

Whether someone learns their risk score, receives a referral, or connects with a local fitness or nutrition programme, every outcome moves us closer to a personalised and joined-up system of care.

Technology in Action

We’re proud that Whzan’s portable health monitoring kit supports NHS Health Checks and patients. Our Blue Box, commonly used in care homes, domiciliary care and virtual wards, helps nurses perform vital sign checks and quickly assess a person’s health.

It’s an inspiring model of what’s possible when partnerships between the NHS, local charities and digital tools come together for the good of the community.

Head here to learn more about this initiative, how to get involved, view drop-in session locations, or book an appointment.

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.

Always a progressive partner, their use of Whzan technology is caring for patients in the place they call home, with a variety of conditions including respiratory, OPAT and frailty. This is aiding faster recovery and reducing hospital-acquired infections.

The portable Blue Box is used to take vital signs, NEWS2 scores and any other relevant assessments as detailed in the patient's personal care plan. Patient data from the Bluetooth instruments is recorded on a tablet, and then automatically transferred to a central Virtual Ward hub, where specialist nurses are on hand to monitor and look for any changes/deteriorations that need escalation.

With 26 places available at any one time, their Virtual Ward has helped hundreds of people stay out of hospital freeing up beds for emergency care. As NHS winter pressures are now amongst us, there are plans to expand this ward further.

As always, please get in touch for more information on how this could help you.

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.