AI community healthcare: testing a proactive model of care across Thames Freeport
Partnering across the Thames Freeport area to transform how community care is delivered, helping people stay healthier at home through proactive digital health monitoring.
We’re delighted to be working with the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, Feebris and Thames Freeport, to launch CarePort, a new community health and care programme designed to improve health outcomes for people with multiple care needs and reduce pressure on hospitals.
Backed by a £500,000 investment from Thames Freeport, CarePort provides support at a grass roots level to improve the health of the people in the local community.
Barking & Dagenham is leading the programme bringing together local authorities, care providers and digital innovators to deliver a more proactive model of healthcare using Feebris’ AI-supported virtual health technology to detect early signs of deterioration and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Why Change Is Needed
Health and care services are under increasing strain from rising demand, especially as populations age and more people live with multiple long-term conditions. The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and London Borough of Havering are no exception, each seeing growth in the number of residents with complex health and social care needs. This trend poses significant challenges: more frequent hospital visits and emergencies, greater demand for home care packages, and escalating costs for councils and the NHS.
Demand is rising and the current model of care remains largely reactive, intervening only after someone’s health has deteriorated or a crisis has occurred. The case for integrated, proactive, population-based care is well established. Yet many local systems still operate with fragmented services that cannot effectively support people, particularly those with complex needs, to remain well at home.
In the current climate of budget and structural uncertainty, integrated care boards (ICBs) are finding it increasingly difficult to test and scale new care models. The CarePort project tackles this challenge head-on by bringing together health, social care and digital partners to design and implement a new, integrated model of care. It will transform service delivery through new digital infrastructure and change management, providing evidence and delivering financial benefits to support long-term sustainable health solutions.
Poor health limits people’s ability to take up work opportunities, training and education and places long-term pressure on local public services. Improving population health at a grass-roots level is therefore essential to delivering inclusive growth across the Thames Freeport area.
Transforming Community Care
Over 18 months, CarePort will embed AI-supported virtual health monitoring into everyday care settings that people already know and trust. Using Feebris’ technology, care staff will be able to identify early signs of deterioration and escalate concerns sooner, preventing avoidable hospital admissions.
Building on earlier successful pilots, the programme will operate across Barking & Dagenham and Havering, supporting:
- over 1800 people with complex care needs
- 50 care homes
- 15 domiciliary care providers
- 1 hospice
- 1 Extra Care service
- 100 care workers training in digital health monitoring
Alongside improved outcomes, the programme will generate real-world evidence on impact and cost, helping to inform future commissioning decisions locally and nationally.
“CarePort shows how local leadership and partnership can drive meaningful system change. By combining service redesign, workforce development and digital innovation, we can deliver more proactive, person-centred care.”
Supporting Healthy Growth
CarePort forms part of Thames Freeport’s wider investment in social infrastructure, ensuring that economic growth is matched by healthier, more resilient communities. By aligning neighbourhood health, digital innovation and workforce development, the programme offers a model that could be scaled across the UK.
Get involved
Care providers and community partners interested in taking part can contact us to find out more about training, onboarding and participation.
