Just in this morning, a press release from Aberdeenshire Council announcing the publication of the evaluation of their 18 month telecare project. It’s a cracker, in every sense of the word*.

The headline news is excellent: Out of 51 people referred to the project, 34 people benefited from an increase in their independence at home, 8 people managed to stay at home instead of entering into a care home, and in 6 cases an unplanned hospital admission was prevented.

No corny jokes, just some great gifts pop out when you download the 64 page report.

I have only had time yet to skim-read through it but I can see that the report contains information that should shake things up on the UK telecare scene. Telecare Aware readers will find their own significant elements, but of particular interest to me were comments about suppliers, their delivery times and relationship to end users, and observations on the NHS PASA National Framework Agreement.

Thank you, Aberdeenshire, and the researchers at the Robert Gordon University, for such a readable, informative and potentially explosive report! Press release: Benefits of homecare technology highlighted in report.

* Ok, ok, for non-Commonwealth readers who don’t get the Christmas cracker reference, see here.

Telecare gas detector saves a woman’s life while she sleeps. Press release from Lincolnshire County Council (UK).

Just flagging up this story in the terminology category, although as the ‘Telecare Crisis Line‘ began in 1989, it has a prior claim to the term.

Drat! I was going to set up a ‘telecare crisis line’ for telecare services running into problems.

The CommonWell project will support independent living and improve the quality of life for a total of 400 older people and people with long-term conditions in four locations in Europe.

However, when you read the press release, remember that the impression that this is an EU-inspired project is not all it seems. The part-EU funding comes from the EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme. This is actually a fund to which companies can apply for projects that support the EU’s Enterprise Policy aim of increasing the competitiveness of European-based companies. In this case, the company is Tunstall.

It seems hard to believe this really is a first in Wales, but it’s a nice little article anyway. From WalesOnline.

Cambridgeshire-based Hidalgo Ltd has announced that its Equivital system (which already has US FDA (510k) registration) has met CE marking requirements. This will open up possibilities for it in EU countries. Press release.

An article just published on the UK’s Health Investor site is essential reading for anyone outside the UK who wants to start understanding what is going on. It also has food for thought for the rest of us. It begins:

The government sank £80 million in helping local authorities adopt preventative technology, and new consumer-led ways of buying services represent an unprecedented opportunity for growth in the sector. So why is the industry still struggling?

I’ll not spoil it for you by quoting more – hop over and read it soon. If you have trouble loading the page, you may need to register for a basic account first. [I don't normally send readers to sites where they have to register, but in this case I make an exception.] Article: Cause for alarm: The telecare industry hasn’t grown as quickly as expected. What is holding it back?

The title of this item is an amusing example of a small company producing a press release headline that draws attention by ‘hopping on’ to a mainstream news theme. As it happens, the company, Hop-on Inc., produces a mobile phone that is geared to the older-people market, with GPS location and a panic alarm button button built in. It is called the ChitterChatter – although you will be pushed to find it on the Hop-on website.

I suspect many Telecare Aware readers will have reservations about the technology and the company’s gaming connections (see its home page). However, the company is nothing if not ambitious. CEO, Peter Michaels said, “Every consumer with medical needs should have this technology. It is affordable and costs less than one hour’s time for a hospice caretaker or nurse. Hop-on will make a pitch to Congress to give this phone away to seniors on Medi-Cal, so if an emergency happens, they will have the patient’s information, location, and nearest medical services, with the touch of one button.” Press release.

The British Standards Institute is currently inviting public comments on the draft of BS 8484, a standard for the management of lone worker protection services. The draft standard covers the provision of services using electronic monitoring and alarm techniques.

Although lone worker protection is not currently perceived as telecare, it could be argued that it is. In any case, many telecare and telehealth services are potential users of lone worker protection services for their own staff and some also provide these services for in-house and external staff. Here is an opportunity to shape the development of the relevant British Standard.

Information and alert from HPS Consulting.

Short Invicta press release charts another step in its growth.

The use of computers to keep aging brains alert is a new project at IBM-Israel, which has announced a collaboration with European Union partners. The three-year HERMES Cognitive Care for Active Aging project will be based on audio and visual processing and reasoning. A combination of home-based and mobile device-based systems are planned to help older people combat the natural reduction in cognitive capabilities; special focus will be put on developing a comfortable interface for older people with little or no computer experience. More interesting details in this item from the Jerusalem post.

Tangentially-related to telecare: there are a number of companies producing these kinds of in-sea tracking devices, but the author of this gCaptain blog item is clearly impressed with a new product from Mobilarm.

Devon County Council and the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SWAST) has launched a dedicated service to respond to community alarm calls. Historically, SWAST’s clinicians have been called to non-medical situations where an elderly person may have fallen but fortunately not sustained an injury. Consequently, any attending resources – clinicians, vehicles and equipment – which were allocated to these calls were prevented from attending life threatening emergencies. Many people are also reluctant to contact the ambulance service for incidents that do not appear to them to be an emergency, and have put themselves at risk by not calling for assistance. The new partnership provides a 24-hour service specifically for non-injured clients and those with other identified health and social care needs. News report.

In an imaginative marketing move, Assistive Technology Services, the US company that trades by trumpeting its Christian-faith based credentials, says it wants to give away 1000 alarm systems in 2009. But only if other people donate towards the cost of doing so! Press release.

Telecare system provider Mediagrids has confirmed to Telecare Aware that it is subject of a winding up order from Inland Revenue. This is despite cost-cutting measures, including redundancies, during the past year. So, despite the UK Government’s policies of encouraging telecare and supporting businesses through the recession, a Government agency is pulling the plug on the only broadly-based, broadband, video conferencing telecare system with potential to link users with not just telecare and telehealth monitoring but with online services, family and other users with shared interests.

The provider of a similar system, Netherlands-based Impact Valley, also went bust in the summer of 2007 and, like Mediagrids, lack of cash was the immediate cause. However, the root cause seems to be that commissioners and service operators are reluctant to dip a toe into innovative waters, which is a huge shame.

A Mediagrids spokesperson said “I think we were 4-5 years ahead of the market. Selling to the public sector and NHS is a nightmare and, whilst they all loved what we showed them, nobody was prepared to take the slightest risk to commit to trying it or spend any money with us…[they] have no need or desire to save money by adopting innovative software.”

Sadly, this will ring a bell with many UK equipment and service providers. It is a very common experience that it takes two years for initial local interest to evolve into a trial order. If anyone can throw any light on the reasons for this ultra-conservative mindset, please leave a comment.