Driven by the challenges of continuous health improvement, an ageing population and the urgent need to derive more value from shrinking budgets, Birmingham City Council and NHS Birmingham East and North are delivering innovative telecare and telehealth programmes in conjunction with private sector technology manufacturers and the third sector.
The success of their initiatives is already achieving more for less, with improved patient outcomes and greater engagement with hard-to-reach citizens, including those in economically and socially deprived areas. Through the use of devices such as motion and fall detectors, personal alarm fobs and temperature monitors, Birmingham City Council’s Adults & Communities is ensuring that elderly and vulnerable residents can choose to live independently and avoid admission to hospital or care homes.
Full details of their successes will be shared with public service providers from all sectors in the “Digitally Enabled Citizen” seminar, which is part of the forthcoming Beyond 2010 conference taking place at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham on October 20-21.
This session will include a presentation by Peter Hay, Strategic Director, Adults & Communities, Birmingham City Council, who will discuss how assisted living technologies are helping the elderly and disabled to manage their own health. He will also examine how these technologies are changing the way they work and highlight efficiency savings as well as how they have overcome the barriers to adoption. Crucially, Peter will disclose for the first time Birmingham Telecare programme's fully modelled business case which is forecast to save several million pounds.
The seminar will be chaired by Sophia Christie, Chief Executive of NHS Birmingham East & North and the panel will include Dr Richard Mendelsohn, Director of Chronic Disease Systems, NHS Birmingham East & North. This organisation has pioneered telephone-based support for patients with long term conditions by introducing a wide variety of telehealth technologies through its Birmingham OwnHealth service, through collaboration with Birmingham City Council Adults & Communities, NHS Direct and Pfizer Health Solutions.
Recently shortlisted for the eHealth Insider Awards 2010 in the category of “Best use of telehealth and telecare”, Birmingham OwnHealth is helping hundreds of people in the east and north of the city who have long term conditions including diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), plus a range of conditions for the over 65s.
Dr Richard Mendelsohn said: “The success of the service to date provides further evidence that telehealth and telecare technologies have a vital contribution to make in future patient care. According to a recent Birmingham OwnHealth patient survey, 63 per cent of patients have had fewer unplanned admissions to hospital since they started using the service and 67 per cent felt their general health was more stable.”
A further dimension to Beyond 2010’s “Digitally Enhanced Citizen” seminar will be the exclusive opportunity to hear how NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly have transformed services through the Whole System Demonstrator, overcoming the challenges and achieving truly integrated health and social care.
Organised by Birmingham City Council as part of its city-wide Digital Birmingham initiative, Beyond 2010 is part of Hello Digital Week, which runs from 18 - 22 October and comprises a number of events celebrating the city’s and the region's technological achievements against the best in the world.
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Quelle/Source: 24dash, 18.10.2010
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