Following the implementation of RITA across several hospitals participating in NHS England’s Enhanced Therapeutic Observation and Care (ETOC), RITA has been recognised as a valuable digital enabler. The platform is empowering staff to deliver more person-centred care whilst driving measurable outcomes. These include:
- Improved patient mood and wellbeing
- Reduction in falls—both in number and severity
- Shorter lengths of stay
- Lower demand for high-cost agency specialing
- Less patient deconditioning
A Trust Perspective: The Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAHT)
Janice Bernardo, Frailty Lead at PAHT, recently shared her experience embedding RITA into their ETOC initiative:
“In April 2025, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust launched its Enhanced Therapeutic Observations and Care (ETOC) Programme, supported by NHS England and aimed at supporting patients to aid recovery, preserve dignity and ensure staff are trained to provide innovative, patient-centred care solutions.
“As part of the programme, the Trust invested in multiple RITA devices. These have been distributed to wards most focused on frailty and care of the elderly, along with interactive teaching sessions to ensure staff are equipped to maximise the benefits for their patients.
“The RITA devices have been well received, with positive feedback from staff, patients and relatives or carers alike. One family carer commented that their relative was much calmer and more interactive during the day—and now, with access to RITA, they weren’t just watching busy people pass by.
“We are now taking the learnings from the ETOC programme and developing a new quality improvement (QI) project, specifically aimed at falls reduction using RITA devices.”
Demonstrating Measurable Savings
A few years ago, another client reported significant cost savings after introducing similar initiatives. By closely monitoring mood and wellbeing and significantly reducing TNR 1:1 staffing, Specialling Shifts dropped from 56 to just 16 per week. This resulted in annual savings of £166,000, and a projected five-year saving of approximately £820,000—net of initial investment, this equates to £754,000.
While these savings can’t be solely attributed to RITA (involving broader changes to working practices and staff training), RITA was a key enabler. It provided teams with a proven, easy-to-use tool to enhance productivity, efficiency, and delivery of genuinely person-centred therapeutic care.