We will post some of the more interesting reports, such as these… Telehealth verdict: ‘It’s complicated’ One of the more balanced takes, from the UKAuthority [!] site. Data does not support the DH’s extraordinary claims for telehealth. Only the headline… Read moreReactions to the WSD results publication (UK)

Published simultaneously with the BMJ’s WSD results article, the Nuffield Trust’s part of the analysis: patients’ hospital use and mortality. “For intervention patients, the overall costs of hospital care (including emergency admissions, elective admissions and outpatient attendances), were £188 per… Read moreNuffield: The impact of telehealth and telecare: evaluation of the Whole System Demonstrator project

At last, the BMJ has published the first of five articles giving detailed results from the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) Programme. This analysis “reports on how telehealth affected the use of secondary healthcare and mortality. The other analyses will assess how telehealth affected quality of life and cost effectiveness, and explores [sic] the patient, professional, and organisation factors related to implementation.” Effect of telehealth on use of secondary care and mortality: findings from the Whole System Demonstrator cluster randomised trial has been released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial License so the link should be available permanently. However, just in case, you can download the full PDF version here. The abstract gives us…

Because the NHS is so dear to the heart of British people, it is not difficult for Secretaries of State for Health who try to improve it to become unpopular. Holding that office has blighted numerous ministerial and political careers…. Read moreKiss of death for telehealth in the UK?

One in our occasional non-telecare/telehealth items but an important read for anyone involved in the care of older people, particularly in the UK. If you are not outraged or worried (depending on your age) check your pulse. Small-screen saviours Laura… Read moreSmall-screen saviours

And the headline results are: 60% saving of COPD patient unplanned hospital admissions 33% saving of CHF patient unplanned hospital admissions 32% of patients escalated during ‘out of hours’ After a period of three years telehealth monitoring of (n=766 COPD… Read moreOutcome data for the remote patient monitoring over three years of over 1000 patients in Northern Ireland with a long-term chronic illness (abstract)

When will the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) Programme results be published? Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services) re-confirms in the answer to a Parliamentary question that it’s out of the control of the Department of Health and in the… Read moreDate of WSD results publication – your guess as good as the Minister's (UK)

The authors of the article Calling for Care: ‘Disembodied’ Work, Teleoperators and Older People Living at Home challenge the view that “The provision of ‘distant’ care to older people living at home through telecare technologies is often contrasted negatively to… Read moreTelecare monitoring is not ‘disembodied’ work

For the second year running Tunstall has won the ‘Telehealth/telecare provider of the year’ award at the HealthInvestor Awards, London. This time it was for a project with Bridgewater Community Health Services NHS Trust in St Helens and Halton. David… Read moreTunstall wins 'Telehealth/telecare provider of the year'