More councils realising the benefits of telecare as Falkirk Council launches end-to-end service
Falkirk Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to go live with an end-to-end digital telecare service.
Working alongside Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, the council has safeguarded its life and limb Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS), which currently helps 4,000 vulnerable people live independently at home.
Traditionally relying on analogue phone lines to operate, it is now the first telecare service provided by a Scottish council to be digitally enabled end-to-end, four years before telecommunication providers switch off all analogue lines in the UK.
The telecare service provides end-users with personal and home alarms that alert a control centre when they fall or are in difficulty so help can be sent.
Falkirk Council is one of many local authorities in the UK that are realising the benefits of technology-enabled care (TEC) services, which highlights a growing number of opportunities for telecare providers.
For instance, East Sussex County Council commissioned Doro Care UK to provide a telecare service model and welfare call checking service for local residents in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the need to reduce face-to-face contact.
Similarly, Cardiff Council is working with HAS Technology, as part of the local authority’s telecare response service, to provide residents with innovative wearable solutions that can help to identify certain health risks early on.
Now, Falkirk Council’s progress has been recognised, with the local authority and partnership awarded the Gold Level 1 Digital Telecare Implementation Award by the Digital Telecare for Scottish Local Government Programme.
Martyn Wallace, Chief Digital Officer for the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government and the Senior Responsible Officer of Digital Telecare in Scotland, said: “Receiving the award is a significant achievement and robustly demonstrates the overall functionality and effectiveness of Falkirk Council and Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership’s digital telecare solution.
“This enables them to confidently progress further on their journey and continue to share their learnings with other telecare service providers as leaders in the field.”
Pauline Waddell, Team Manager for MECS, added: “Becoming the first Council in Scotland to not only go live with an end-to-end digital telecare offering but also achieve recognition for it, is testament to the hard work undertaken to safeguard the critical service by all those involved in the project.
“It is only through their innovative thinking, collaborative working and quick decision making that the digital transformation of this service has got to this stage.”
The local authority and partnership will now work towards the Gold Level 2 Implementation Award, which requires user acceptance testing with a representative group of high-risk users, migration with this group and the solution rolled out to at least 40 percent of service users.
Once this has been achieved, the ‘Platinum’ peak award will be on the horizon, which requires the digital telecare solution to be delivered to a minimum 80 percent of service users for at least nine months.
https://thiis.co.uk/more-councils-realising-the-benefits-of-telecare-as-falkirk-council-launches-end-to-end-service/https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Falkirk-Council-telecare.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Falkirk-Council-telecare-150x150.jpgGovernment & Local AuthoritiesNewsroomSector NewsDigital Telecare for Scottish Local Government Programme,Falkirk Council,Falkirk Council telecare service,Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership,Technology Enabled Care Service,Telecare,telecare providers,telecare serviceFalkirk Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to go live with an end-to-end digital telecare service. Working alongside Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, the council has safeguarded its life and limb Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS), which currently helps 4,000 vulnerable people live independently at home. Traditionally...Sarah SarsbySarah Sarsbysarah@thiis.co.ukEditorTHIIS Magazine