Birmingham City Council Showcases City-wide Telecare Programme (February 2012)

Birmingham City Council Showcases City-wide Telecare Programme (February 2012)

Article Type: News and events From: Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Volume 13, Issue 2

Birmingham City Council has launched a city-wide telecare service in partnership with Tunstall. The service, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK, will benefit up to 25,000 people over the next three years and marks a significant milestone in how the city council is supporting more adults to remain in their own homes for longer, reducing the need for hands-on home care or a move into residential care. Paul Burstow MP, Minister of state for Care Services, states that telecare can alleviate pressure on services and family members and improve people’s quality of life whilst maximising their independence.

Birmingham City Council has invested £14million into its city-wide telecare initiative, which embodies the Department of Health’s recently announced “3millionlives” approach. The aim being to transform the lives of three million people with long-term conditions and social care needs over the next five years, through the use of telecare and telehealth.

The Birmingham Telecare Service combines a response service with a range of telecare solutions from Tunstall, including motion detectors and temperature sensors to support older people and those with long-term needs. By extending telecare service provision to more people, the city council intends to create a systemic shift towards early intervention and preventative services, to meet growing demand for increasingly personalised care packages.

The telecare service will be delivered across chosen care pathways, which include enablement of service users, prevention services and assessment and support planning. A Birmingham Telehealthcare Delivery Centre has been set up to ensure services are available locally and developed in conjunction with the voluntary sector. In addition, an independent Citizen’s Quality Assurance Group will be established to monitor effective outcomes for users and deciding the future direction of the service.

To see telecare case studies about the service visit: www.tunstallwsd.co.uk/service-users