The trust has partnered with Decently, a company based in the North West of England, to develop an online platform called Melo.

Melo uses information, which clinical staff enter into the system, to identify behavioural triggers in patients with neurological illnesses such as dementia. This will enrich the information clinical teams have on a patient's personality to make effective clinical decisions while they are in hospital.

Over a 12-month trial period starting later this year, staff on wards 20 and 34 at Aintree University Hospital will complete a digital behavioural assessment on the app, which can be shared with a patient's clinical team. This information will determine the ways to help an individual be settled on a ward, advise on how to de-escalate challenging behaviours and ways to stop them occurring all together.

Melo uses data-gathering technology to detect patterns in behaviour, which provide a holistic overview of a patient's condition, making it easier for clinical staff to handover to community care when a patient is ready to be discharged from hospital.

David Melia, chief nursing officer at LUHFT, said: ‘Finding new and innovative ways for us to provide the highest quality care is something we are passionate about at LUHFT.

‘By providing colleagues with intuitive technology to record behavioural information about a patient living with dementia, we hope this trial will continue to support how we are improving the delivery of care for this vulnerable group of patients.'

The Decently team has worked closely with clinical and innovation staff at LUHFT to adapt the Melo app, giving it personalised features for its use on the wards.

Sessions have included focus groups with staff from different areas of care delivery to discuss ways the app could benefit both patients and staff.

As part of the project, the innovation team at LUHFT has engaged with the information governance team to ensure the app is a secure platform to store patient records, compliant with the UK General Data Protection.

James Chapman, co-founder of Decently, said:  ‘Our Melo platform has the potential to revolutionise behavioural assessments and patient understanding in dementia care, and we're committed to developing a solution that addresses the specific needs of both patients and healthcare professionals.'

Dr Andrew Rose, assistant director of innovation at LUHFT, added: ‘We hope that our trial of this platform will demonstrate that the innovative app can support our staff in improving the care and safety of patients with dementia.'

The initial project is set to launch at the end of 2024.