Swedish and Finnish local authority officials and health and social care leaders have visited the UK to view the success of telehealthcare initiatives in offering personalised community-based care, ensuring an efficient use of available healthcare resources and improving quality of life. The Scandinavian delegation took part in a fact-finding trip organised by UK Trade & Industry in conjunction with Tunstall Healthcare. They visited the Department of Health to learn how telehealth and telecare link into the transformation of social care, ensuring the most effective use of available resources and delivering person-centred care in line with prevention and efficiency agendas.
The Scandinavian delegates also visited two innovative Local Authorities to witness first-hand how the solutions are being used to deliver more timely and preventative care.
The group visited the London Borough of Newham, which received the prestigious European Ageing Well award in 2008 as a result of its innovative use of telehealthcare to promote social inclusion. Newham has installed more than 2,400 telecare systems as an integral part of its Newham Advanced Telecare (NeAT) and Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) programmes, which have successfully helped lower the number of admissions into long-term residential care by more than 40%.
Newham has installed telecare solutions from Tunstall to monitor risks and automatically alert healthcare providers in the area so that timely and proactive support can be provided. This has enabled older people to remain safe and well in their homes and play an active part in the community for longer.
Delegates also visited Essex County Council, which uses intelligent telecare solutions from Tunstall to support an estimated 6000 people in their own homes and help to improve their quality of life.
The council launched its Independent Living Centre in 2007 and the Telecare Smart House demonstrates how technology can be used to manage risk, support well-being and promote independence for older people and those with long-term conditions such as COPD, removing the need for costly residential care and enabling early supported discharge from hospital.
Mats Victorin, managing director Tunstall Nordics said: "Witnessing first-hand how telehealthcare is driving transformation in social care in the UK will undoubtedly help to shape future models of care within Scandinavia and meet the challenges of an ageing population, ensuring greater efficiencies in healthcare delivery through a more preventative approach."
James Buckley, chief executive officer at Tunstall added: "The UK is leading the way in the use of telecare and telehealth to transform health and social care delivery. The delegates have seen the real success and concrete benefits the technologies are delivering, and will be able to draw on these examples of successful deployments to help further improve their healthcare models."
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About Tunstall
Tunstall Healthcare Group is the market leading provider of telehealthcare solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstalls solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, to live independently, by effectively managing their health and well-being. Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives. For more information on how telehealthcare can improve quality of life, visit www.tunstallhealth.com.