A new guide on developing innovative telecare services that will help
at least 160,000 vulnerable people live independently for longer was
launched today by UK Care Services Minister Liam Byrne.
The guidance provides practical ideas for social service departments
and their partners on how to use £80 million in new funding announced
in July 2004 for innovative telecare services.
The money will be available from April 2006.
Liam Byrne MP said;
'After a life-time's work, the very least our older residents are
entitled to is peace mind. We know that 90% of older people want to
live independently at home, and so do 35% of people living in
residential homes.
'Telecare is about using new technology to give people the peace of
mind they need to live in their own home for as long as possible
knowing that help is at hand if anything goes wrong. But it's also
about practical toolslike automatically switching on the lights if
you get up and night that make living in your own home easier.
'Telecare is a key part of how we want to help ensure dignity for
life for all older people.'
Better use of telecare could have an important impact on cutting the
number of older people admitted to hospital in an emergency and the
number who suffer falls each night.
Falls are a major cause of disability and the leading cause of
mortality resulting from injury in people aged over 75 in the UK.
One-third to one-half of people aged over 65 fall each year.
Furthermore, over 400,000 older people in England attend accident and
emergency departments following an accident and up to 14,000 people
die annually in the UK as a result of an osteoporotic hip fracture.
Falling, therefore, has an impact on quality of life, health and
healthcare costs.
Through the Preventative Technologies Grant, £80m will be allocated
over two years from April 2006 as part of the Government's commitment
to modernising and transforming care services provided by local
authorities and the NHS. It is also expected to contribute to the
wider health, housing and social care policy agenda, including the
delivering on National Service Frameworks (NSFs), the NHS system
reform agenda and the new Vision for Adult Social Care.
The DH guidance is available from Department of Health, PO Box 777,
London, SE1 6XH, or by calling 08701 555455, faxing 01623 724524 or
emailing dhprolog or online at
dh/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications.
To accompany the guidance, the Department of Health's Care Services
Improvement Partnership (CSIP) has published an online pack, which
includes detailed information and best practice examples of telecare
in action together with sources of additional information. There is
also an accompanying CD Rom available from housinglineac. The
Telecare Implementation Guide is available on the CSIP Website at
icesdoh/telecare
GNNREF: 118318 - Issued by : DOH Press Office