How Suffolk County Council’s cost-saving digital care offering is supporting users at home
New data from Suffolk County Council has revealed how its Cassius digital care service is significantly enhancing the quality of life of its users and supporting them at home.
Marking the second anniversary of Cassius, Suffolk County Council has revealed how the service has effectively integrated innovation, data, and technology, dramatically reducing costs and improved lives across the county.
Its research found that the service has led to 180,000 less care hours used over the past year, with 12,900 hours less in relation to the hospital discharge pilot alone.
Since its inception, Cassius has supported 4,700 individuals, providing them with 9,600 devices with 3,500 individuals found to be using Cassius Technology daily.
There has been a £12.9m reduction in spend for Suffolk County Council as a result, and the service has generated £430,000 and £1.31m in reduced spend from lower ambulance call outs and preventative measures, respectively.
Flagship programmes include a reablement initiative in two Suffolk care homes and personalised tech support for individuals with learning disabilities and autism.
These projects, it states, have demonstrated how resident needs can be met through a data-first approach, and have led to the creation of more targeted care plans.
At the centre of Cassius’s ethos is to continually evolve, improve data-driven care and make more technology available.
From initially launching with 10 devices, Suffolk County Council, with its delivery partner Alcove, now offers a portfolio of 100 different devices, with each designed to enhance user experience and independence.
The incorporation of state-of-the-art devices such as the Vayyar Radar Sensor, Ring Doorbell, and C-Pen showcases Cassius’ commitment to harnessing the best of technology for care.
Cassius+, a spin-off of the Cassius service, introduces additional health monitoring and assessment tools, including blood pressure monitors, oximeters, scales and thermometers.
By giving patients with long-term conditions the tools to monitor their own vital signs, Cassius+ has turned passive patients into active participants in their care journey.
Rebecca Rolfe, Community Heart Failure Nurse, commented: “Patients knowing all the information they give is going to be monitored and used is really beneficial. People want to stay in their own home; if they have something to support them then that’s hugely important to them.”
Councillor Beccy Hopfensperger, cabinet member for adult care at Suffolk County Council, added: “Cassius stands out as a beacon of innovation in social care, and has produced excellent results in keeping individuals independent regardless of their needs.
“Together, we believe we can redesign services, improve customer experiences, and harness data to optimise care planning and delivery.”
In 2021, digital care service Alcove revealed that it had partnered with health and care transformation agency Rethink to launch a rapid rollout of digital technology to help care for the elderly and vulnerable people of Suffolk.
