Cumbria Deploys Telecare Solutions to Provide Advanced Health and Social Care for Rural Communities

Council healthcare initiative will deliver telecare services to 500 homes across the county, supporting independence for older and vulnerable people

[ClickPress, Thu Nov 30 2006] Cumbria County Council has mainstreamed the use of telecare as part of an innovative health and social care initiative to provide advanced, round-the-clock care for people in rural communities. These services will support people in their own homes and reduce the need for residential care.

Telecare packages from leading telecare provider Tunstall will be installed in 500 homes across the county. This will effectively manage risk, support well-being and promote independence for older and vulnerable people. It will also enable early supported discharge from hospital, as part of the Council’s Virtual Care Village model.

Peter Woodhouse, Strategic Development Officer at Cumbria County Council said: “As Cumbria is so large, we created the Virtual Care Village Model, to give people in remote locations access to the same resources as those in urban areas. We are now well on track to achieve the development of a fully integrated mainstream telecare service, and this model is being used to demonstrate to other authorities how to best achieve this.”

Kevin Alderson, Public Sector Policy Director at Tunstall said: “Telecare will play a key role in driving future innovations in health and social care, helping to move more care services into the community and into people’s homes - Cumbria has taken a leading role in mainstreaming telecare services, and other councils look set to follow suit.

“This is a great opportunity for everyone in Cumbria, with telecare packages offering a cost effective alternative to traditional residential care and helping to reduce some of the burden on healthcare providers, hospitals and residential care homes, while also giving users the help and support then need and enabling them to remain independent for longer.”

Since launching the initiative in August 2006, Cumbria has already installed 60 telecare packages into users’ homes, with full roll-out scheduled to take place over the next 18 months. The telecare packages consist of a Tunstall Lifeline unit which provides a link to a 24-hour response centre if help is required, and a range of intelligent telecare sensors raise an automatic alarm if falls, intruders or environmental extremes such as fire flood or gas are detected.

Cumbria County Council was awarded £860,000 in funding as part of the £80m Preventative Technology Grant (PTG), and took the decision to mainstream telecare services across the county following a successful pilot, which demonstrated the ability of telecare to support independent living and reduce the need for residential care, as part of an ongoing, proactive care programme.

Recent funding from the Department of Health such as the £80m PTG funding is a clear indication of the Government’s commitment to harnessing telecare solutions on a national scale as a means of reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and developing cost-effective, preventative models of care for older people and those with long-term conditions.

About Tunstall
Tunstall is the world’s leading provider of telecare solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. As the leader in the majority of major healthcare markets, including the UK, Germany, France, Benelux and Australasia, Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives. The Tunstall brand is recognised for the value and support the company offers to both vulnerable and older people, and those living with long term conditions: helping them to stay living within their own communities. For more information on how telecare can improve quality of life, visit www.tunstall.co.uk