Telecare is playing a central role in supporting Oldham's goal of delivering better services to more people for less money. It provides constant reassurance and support, ensuring timely assistance is available when needed, while also maintaining dignity, freedom and independence.

An independent evaluation carried out by Lancaster University on the introduction of Individual Budgets across pilot sites found that 86% of service users reported an improved quality of life, and 72% said they had a greater level of choice and control in their lives, as a result of receiving self-directed support.

Oldham currently provides telecare services to 4500 residents, and the decision to mainstream Individual Budgets is part of its prevention agenda and commitment to delivering more flexible, person-centred care within the community setting.

The Council is working with service users at an earlier stage to support their independence in their homes and communities, improving their quality of life and at the same time reducing admissions to hospital and residential care.

Beverley Maybury, head of modernisation adult services at Oldham Council said: "Individual Budgets have enabled a radical transformation of social care in Oldham, that has involved supporting people with much more flexible services in a cost effective way. This has enabled us to invest in prevention, and telecare has played a key role because although we have made significant efficiencies in being more flexible with people's needs, we have reinvested that money in low level preventative services."

Ali Rogan, marketing director at Tunstall Healthcare said: "Individual Budgets form part of the wider agenda for change in social care that moves away from traditional, centralised methods of service delivery to more practical support and reassurance at an early stage to help delay or reduce the need for more intensive services. Telecare has the flexibility to support evolving user needs, complimenting the provision of health and social care services, promoting a preventative approach for people with lower level needs and also supporting the management of more complex conditions."

Oldham took a proactive stance to ethics and set up a Risk Enablement Panel in the early stages to ensure that they could defend decision-making through a robust mechanism. It is very much a person-centred approach and for telecare they went a stage further and the scrutiny committee worked intensively with the team over a three-week period to make sure all decisions were made appropriately, giving the team the confidence that they were doing the right things in a professional manner.

Service user feedback to Oldham Council has shown that providing even a basic telecare system greatly increases feelings of safety, by providing 24-hour reassurance. It also enables users to become familiar with the technology before installing additional sensors as circumstances change.

In order to allow people to try available technologies, Oldham Council has also established a Centre for Independent Living, incorporating a suite of rooms that have telecare installed and trained assessors are on hand to assist if required.

One service user in Oldham has Asperger's Syndrome and has recently moved into his own home. The Individual Budget has funded his telecare system including a property exit sensor, which means that if he leaves home at unusual times of the day or for lengthy periods, a carer or relative will be alerted, ensuring support is on hand when needed, without restricting his independence.

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About Tunstall
Tunstall Healthcare Group is the market leading provider of telehealthcare solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstall's 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.