A UK firm called Mediaburst could soon launch its remote monitoring service in Manchester, according to UK newspaper Manchester Evening News. The service, which is called Florence, was developed with Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust and is already available in the Midlands.

The service is designed for patients with chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes who send updates via SMS from their mobile handsets to the local healthcare provider. The readings are analysed automatically and the patients receive a response within seconds to reassure them their data is OK or they are offered guidance if required. A clinician can also be alerted if necessary.

The service costs 50 pence per patient per day to deliver, says Mediaburst, which argues Florence is the cheapest form of telehealth currently available. Potential savings to the UK NHS could be as much as £80 million a year, the company says. Mediaburst says the service costs less than those forms of telehealth that use bespoke equipment and upload readings over landlines.

The service took 12 months to develop at a cost of £250,000 and, in addition to the UK, has also gathered interest from healthcare providers in Germany, Singapore and the US. The system is currently used by 1,000 patients in the UK at 22 Primary Care Trusts in the Midlands.