Kent County Council’s website had a flurry of postings yesterday that included references to telehealth, but only in the context of the county’s draft plan for 2008-2009 where there are passing references to the continuation of their (pre WSD programme) teleheath project. There is also a reference to the WSD programme in the leader and chief executives’ introduction.

Following the ‘telehealth’ links in that item eventually takes you to the brief WSD page posted in November last year, at a time when no details were being made public.

Other Kent references to the future of telehealth? Well, there is a 2 minute Kent telehealth – actually telecare – video called ‘Telehealth 2010‘ on Kent’s TV channel. (And, for non-UK readers, Kent may be one of England’s largest counties, but it isn’t so big that you have to fly from place to place.)

Now that the Department of Health has ungagged them, the failure of Newham and Kent councils and PCTs to publish anything that looks like an enthusiastic explanation of what they are going to do by when with their project funding really makes one think that there must be something very awry. Are the councils that put in unsuccessful bids fuming at the successful bidders’ failure? Or are they thinking that maybe they had a lucky escape from involvement in a white elephant project?