We are offering a free digital health coaching programme to eligible patients to help them prepare for surgery.
Surgery Hero aims to reduce the risk of complications before a procedure and accelerate a patient’s recovery.
Selected patients will receive information about the offer, in a text message or email from Surgery Hero, inviting them to download the app and complete a sign-up process.
Participating in the programme is completely optional, but Mid Cheshire Hospitals recommends that patients take part.
Funded by Cheshire & Merseyside ICB, Surgery Hero then provides 12 weeks of digital assistance before a person’s operation.
Once patients sign up, they have access to the Surgery Hero app which includes one-to-one calls with a personal health coach.
The service also provides tailored, on-demand resources and information, peer support groups, and learning workshops.
An incentive spirometer, a device which strengthens the lungs and reduces the risk of chest infection, is also sent to the patient's address.
Surgery Hero is available across multiple Trusts in Cheshire and Merseyside; supporting patients to prepare for their surgery, which can help to reduce their length of stay in hospital and the chances of readmission.
Leighton Hospital patient Tim Ashcroft was chosen to take part in the Surgery Hero programme.
The 74-year-old, from Winsford, received an email from Surgery Hero and signed up before operations for a hernia repair and stoma reversal.
He found the offer of one-to-one calls with a personal health coach particularly useful, including the information and advice she provided on nutrition.
Tim said: “When I was contacted about Surgery Hero, I thought that it sounded good, so I downloaded it to see what it offered. If this technology is a process that saves time and lives, then that’s great.
“It was really interesting to use. There are all sorts of things on the app that provide personalised support. Mental health is one of the strong areas where they’ve focused on, linked to resilience.
“The part that I found most useful was the one-to-one coach, with sessions that you can join online. Their job as a mentor is to talk to you and support you, find out where you need help and what your challenges are.
“It was great because it gave you a sounding board for advice, with someone meeting you at your convenience wherever you are – you don’t have to go off to a hospital.
“Because of my condition, I couldn’t put weight back on, so we talked about food and nutrition, including trying to increase the amount of protein in my diet. She gave me practical ideas of what I could do and I have kept up those changes.”
