Transforming London's Health Future: How Datnexa's National Frailty Index Can Power the Capital's Neighbourhood Health Service Revolution

Datnexa's Response to London's Case for Change

London stands at a pivotal moment in healthcare transformation. The recently published 'A neighbourhood health service for London: The Case for Change' presents both an urgent challenge and an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine how healthcare is delivered across the capital. At Datnexa, we believe our National Frailty Index (NFIX) represents a crucial enabler for this transformation, offering the data-driven intelligence needed to make London's neighbourhood health service vision a reality.

The Scale of London's Challenge

The statistics paint a sobering picture of what lies ahead. London is experiencing what the document describes as a 'perfect storm' – deep-seated economic and health inequalities driving ill-health, which in turn creates increasing pressures on the NHS, local authorities, and community partners. The capital has already witnessed over a 20% reduction in GP practices in the last decade, with the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods disproportionately affected.

Perhaps most concerning is the demographic tsunami approaching. The estimated prevalence of people with moderate to severe frailty in London ranges from 12% to 26% in those aged 65 and above. With London's population in this age group projected to grow from 1.2 million in 2024 to 1.6 million in 2034, and the very elderly (85+) growing at an even faster rate, the challenge is immense.

The Promise of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams

London's vision centres on developing Integrated Neighbourhood Teams (INTs) that bring together professionals from health, social care, and the voluntary sector to provide joined-up, community-based services. These teams aim to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities by addressing the specific needs of local populations. The model emphasises three critical shifts: from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention.

However, as the Case for Change acknowledges, simply bringing together professionals around shared care plans will not be sufficient. The challenge lies in translating ambitious policy intentions into actionable interventions that can be delivered at scale across London's 32 boroughs.

Where Data Meets Action: The NFIX Solution

This is precisely where Datnexa's National Frailty Index becomes transformational. Our NFIX represents a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive healthcare, using advanced analytics to identify individuals at highest risk of falling within the next two years. By analysing complex national data at the neighbourhood level, we can provide local authorities with the granular intelligence needed to target interventions precisely where they will have the greatest impact.

The scale and sophistication of our approach sets it apart. By analysing data and validating it with local experts for over 3.1 million households, we have created a tool that provides insights at both national and local levels. As our Managing Director Adam Dustagheer explains: 'We've hit upon this idea of looking within as many data sets as we could get our hands on to try and do something good'.

The map below created using the NFIX highlights the levels of frailty across London. Red circles represent those areas of London with the highest levels of frailty and therefore where there is the greatest propensity for falls to occur. After red are orange, yellow and green circles, with green circles representing the areas with the lowest levels of frailty.

Addressing London's Frailty Crisis

The financial implications of frailty-related falls are staggering. With 8,500 falls daily in the UK, costing £4.4 billion annually, our solution isn't just innovative – it's essential for saving both costs and lives. In 2022/23 alone, England saw around 210,000 emergency hospital admissions related to falls for people aged 65+, with the total annual cost of fragility fractures estimated at £4.4 billion.

The NFIX directly addresses the Case for Change's emphasis on moving from treatment to prevention. By enabling targeted household interventions to prevent falls, early pilots suggest the potential for a staggering 2000% minimum return on investment. This aligns perfectly with London's recognition that without effective community rehabilitation and proactive support, too many Londoners will find themselves needing long-term social care that could otherwise be avoided.

Supporting Population Health Management

London's neighbourhood health service requires sophisticated population health management approaches. The NFIX enables exactly this by providing the risk stratification capabilities that INTs need to gain a deeper understanding of local community resources and deliver coordinated care. This approach has already shown success in areas like Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea, where digital frailty multidisciplinary teams have been recognised for their innovative work.

The beauty of the NFIX lies in its ability to support both strategic planning and immediate intervention. As Dustagheer notes: 'We are able to provide immediate insights for public health and then plan care pathway based doorstep interventions. Public health intervention may take six months to land and 10 years to emerge. The doorstep one may take a month to work out and then days to actually operationalise'.

Enabling the Three Shifts

Hospital to Community

The NFIX directly supports the shift from hospital to community care by identifying at-risk individuals before they require acute intervention. Our predictive analytics enable targeted community interventions that reduce hospitalisations whilst enhancing quality of life. This is crucial given that hospital executives have highlighted they have 'no plan B' for acute care, with facilities already stretched to breaking point.

Analogue to Digital

Our AI-powered approach exemplifies the digital transformation that London's neighbourhood health service requires. The NFIX demonstrates how advanced analytics can be deployed to create actionable intelligence that supports frontline healthcare professionals. This aligns with Londoners' expressed desire for technology-enabled services that provide consistent approaches to care across the capital.

Treatment to Prevention

Perhaps most importantly, the NFIX embodies the shift from treatment to prevention. By identifying frailty risk before falls occur, we enable interventions that can prevent the cascade of health complications that often follow. This proactive approach is essential for addressing the growing prevalence of long-term conditions and reducing the burden on an already stretched healthcare system.

Practical Implementation Across London's Boroughs

The NFIX's value proposition extends beyond theoretical benefits to practical implementation support. We provide free, detailed frailty data for local authorities, enabling them to target interventions precisely, optimise resource allocation, and measure impact effectively. In return, we ask only for feedback to improve our model and consideration of expanded NFIX services.

This approach directly addresses one of the key challenges identified in London's Case for Change: the need for consistent approaches that can be adapted to local needs. Our neighbourhood-level data provides the foundation for both standardised interventions and locally tailored responses.

Economic Impact and Sustainability

The economic case for the NFIX is compelling. Pilot projects have demonstrated positive returns on investment by reducing healthcare costs, optimising resources, and improving health outcomes. For example, one frailty management pilot achieved savings in hospital avoidance of approximately £63,450, delivering a return on investment of approximately 1655.4%.

This economic impact is crucial for London's sustainability challenges. With London Councils highlighting that spending on adult social care, children's social care, and homelessness has increased from 60% of net revenue expenditure ten years ago to 84% today, cost-effective interventions are essential.

Supporting Workforce Development

The NFIX also addresses workforce challenges highlighted in the Case for Change. By providing clear, actionable data, we enable healthcare professionals to focus their expertise where it will have the greatest impact. This reduces the 'moral harm' that many frontline staff experience when they cannot effectively address the root causes of their patients' problems.

Our approach supports the development of new ways of working that bridge traditional sector boundaries. By providing shared intelligence across health, social care, and community services, the NFIX enables the collaborative approaches that INTs require.

A Call to Action

London's neighbourhood health service vision is both ambitious and necessary. The challenges are significant, but so are the opportunities. At Datnexa, we believe the NFIX can serve as a cornerstone technology for this transformation, providing the data-driven intelligence that enables proactive, personalised, and coordinated care.

The time for action is now. With demographic pressures mounting and health inequalities widening, London cannot afford to wait. The NFIX offers local authorities and INTs the tools they need to begin making a difference today, whilst building towards the sustainable, prevention-focused health system that London needs for tomorrow.

As we look to the future, we see the NFIX not just as a technology solution, but as an enabler of the human connections and community partnerships that will ultimately determine the success of London's neighbourhood health service. By combining big data with local insight, advanced analytics with community knowledge, we can create a health system that truly serves all Londoners – one neighbourhood at a time.

To learn more about how the NFIX can support your local authority's journey towards neighbourhood-based care, contact Datnexa today. Together, we can turn London's vision of a neighbourhood health service into reality.