Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of Sate for Health, today announced the three ‘demonstrator sites’. Kent, Newham and Cornwall will, between them, receive £12m this year. They will be working with patients with chronic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or type II diabetes and frail older people with complex health and social care needs. Over 7000 telehealth and telecare devices are expected to be installed over the next two years. It is hoped that, through the formal independent evaluation planned, the significant potential benefits of large scale adoption of these technologies will be shown.
Let’s hope that the trials are not dominated by one technology alone, but that there will be room to try out a variety of approaches and equipment.
3 thoughts on “Hewitt announces £12m for telehealth and telecare demonstrator sites (UK)”
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Congratulations to the DH and the winning teams in Newham, Kent and Cornwall.
Now I hope these three projects will take some time to review the latest telehealth solutions such as the diesease management Windows software tool named the RemoteNurse system (see http://www.hometelehealthltd.co.uk) a PASA available product. Or click the link on this website.
Also these project teams should seriously consider a totally technology agnostic integrated call centre software solution named UMO that accepts protocols from all types of telecare technologies – care phones, telehealth kit, lifestyle monitoring, video, door locks, pill dispensers – and much more…and operating in the UK right now. Call 029 2044 4795 for more info or visit http://www.verklizan.com.
I am not a healthcare professional or a technical wizard. I love my Dad but don’t want to be constantly checking up on him. He has his own life to lead and also needs his own privacy and dignity and freedom to please himself. I lead a very busy life too. When my mother died suddenly I was there for him nearly every day for weeks. When he was very ill I was at his bedside every afternoon. Now he is better again, just 82 and getting frail. I have to take a chance and hope he is ok when I don’t ring. But as we all know, even a child checked every half-hour is not safe. Will somebody please invent a watch that he can wear so that if he falls off the step-ladder while he is pruning the hedge or has a dizzy spell or falls on the stairs he can access help via a wireless link to his BT landline? He doesn’t need some poofy necklace designed for women or pull-cords in the house that are no good if he is down the garden!
Hi Sue,
There are a couple of watch-like devices. (Search this site for Vivatec – or Wristcare and Columba. However, the latter isn’t on the market in the UK yet.) You might also consider the Alertacall safety confirmation service, which, whilst not connected to an immediate alarm button, provides a means of low-cost, self-install daily checking for people who are still independent.
Regards, Steve