Patients with chronic diseases in Northern Ireland will now be able to monitor their health at home with the launch of a new telehealth scheme.

The £18m service will be rolled out to 3,500 patients each year for six years across Northern Ireland.

Three-quarters of people over 75 suffer with chronic diseases in Northern Ireland, accounting for 69% of the total health and social care spend in the country.

Addressing the Northern Ireland Assembly, Health Minister Edwin Poots said the inclusion of modern technology will allow patients to check their vital signs daily without the need to visit a GP.

"This is the generation for whom transport and mobility pose the biggest problems," he said.

"Using technology in the right way can empower patients and carers to feel involved in their overall management in a safe and supervised way."

Poots expects the new system to generate around £40m of savings.

The newly named Centre for Connected Health and Social Care (CCHSC) - part of the Public Health Agency (PHA) - partnered healthcare solutions provider TF3 to develop the Telemonitoring NI service in March this year.