New COVID-19 Care Assistant to deliver essential end-to-end service to patients during global pandemic
Babylon Health has launched the COVID-19 Care Assistant, a complete service which can be used 24/7 and combines continually-updated information, triage, live chat, symptom tracking, virtual consultation and referrals for patients.
The new end-to-end service delivers information and care for each individual according to their needs, allocating doctors’ time to the patients who need it most. It is designed to increase the support Babylon provides to its patients during the Coronavirus outbreak and relieve pressure on healthcare professionals.
Patients can use the service to check their symptoms, track their illness, cope with self-isolation, access information, chat with trained staff and consult doctors.
According to Babylon, its latest service enables patients to have their questions answered while still providing detailed and thorough care to people who need more intensive attention.
The COVID-19 Care Assistant provides:
- Continually-updated information and videos to help people as they self-isolate, care for others and minimise contamination
- A handy symptom checker that gives information on possible next steps to be taken, including around self-isolation
- 24/7 access to a live chat with a trained Babylon team member to discuss COVID-19 concerns and receive information
- Daily in-app logging of symptoms, with informational care plans based on the latest guidance
- Virtual consultations for those who need them
- Swift referral to hospital care when needed
The Care Assistant was launched in response to the global Coronavirus pandemic in a bid to relive pressure on healthcare professionals and to support anxious and concerned patients. Drawing on up-to-date information about the virus, Babylon says its new service can assist large groups of people while the UK faces a potential shortage of clinicians.
Dr Ali Parsa, CEO and Founder of Babylon, said: “COVID-19 is the biggest public health threat to our communities for nearly a century and Babylon has a huge obligation to help. We know how hard governments and healthcare systems are working to battle this pandemic and fully support their tireless work.
“We were founded to help tackle the challenges of accessibility and affordability of healthcare for every person on earth by using technology to increase the reach and impact of healthcare professionals.
“The combination of our technology and clinical service allows our doctors and nurses to use their time for the most suited tasks, whilst amplifying their expertise for the benefit of all our patients. We stand ready to help our communities in any way we can and in any manner they need.”
Babylon says it will turn on the COVID-19 Care Assistant for all of its UK patients in stages over the coming days and for many others soon after.
The app is free to download for anyone in the UK.
Babylon Health aims to provide an accessible and affordable healthcare service to individuals by combining technology and medical expertise to bring doctors and people closer together. It provides 24/7 access to holistic healthcare services such as digital health tools and video doctor appointments.