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NHS Highland supporting new technology to protect care home residents, staff and visitors against Covid-19


By Gregor White

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Castlehill Care Home is to start using the new app from next month.
Castlehill Care Home is to start using the new app from next month.

NHS Highland hopes new technology will help prevent the spread of coronavirus in care homes.

A new smartphone app developed with Highland Health Ventures (HHVL) and tech firm Wyld Networks will decide whether visitors and staff can or cannot enter a facility based on their health status and level of risk.

The technology also monitors and alerts social distancing between staff, visitors and residents with heat maps generated in real-time to visualise areas where social distancing is being inadvertently broken

Changes can then be made to the building layouts, routines and room occupancy numbers.

In the case of an outbreak of Covid-19, those at risk can also be informed and scheduled for testing within the NHS.

Frances Hines, research, development and innovation manager at NHS Highland, said: "NHS Highland is interested in implementing many new measures to support care homes to help protect residents and staff and assist in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

"We are now seeking to bring together innovative technologies to deploy in care homes who wish to participate in supporting these actions."

Castlehill Care Home in Inverness is expected to become the first care home to use it, from October.

Owned by Morar Living, director Linda Meston said: "We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality care while giving our residents the choices that they would have if they were living independently.

"We have created a safe environment for our residents and staff in our care homes and believe that technology will play a vital role in ensuring that continued safety."

Alan White, a director of HHVL, said: "We have successfully implemented new innovative technologies into the healthcare system in Scotland, and believe that deploying this new solution from Wyld Networks will go a long way to help prevent further outbreaks of the virus not only in care homes, but also in business in general to help get people back to work safely and re-boot the economy."

Highland Health Ventures is a company established to bring innovation into the healthcare system and has a collaboration agreement with NHS Highland and Wyld Networks.


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