Equipment sitting on shelves

Nobody likes the idea of expensive equipment gathering dust on the shelves of service providers. However, the popularity of eBay and similar auction sites shows that we are all guilty of buying things that aren't quite what we thought they were, or which don't exactly do the job that we wanted.

The current generation of telecare sensors made their debut (at least in prototype form) in trials in Anglesey, Cheshire and County Durham, as far back as 1998. It is hardly surprising that newer products have emerged that look better, work better and are easier to use. Nevertheless, the older products work and are capable of use somewhere if only they were made available.

So I guess that I'm proposing a form of Telecare Swapshop (or even a Tel-eBay) that would allow owners of now unwanted but functioning products to be exchanged for different products (or perhaps for financial credits). To make it work, we need a form of brokerage - a trusted intermediary who can perhaps establish value, and advise on operational limitations, interoperability(!) and testing procedures. Maybe this is a role for a charity, a housing association or a social enterprise.

When times are hard, it would be a shame if anyone, anywhere in the country, was denied a telecare service (medical or social) because their local authority couldn't afford the cost of new equipment.