INTEGRATED CARE XXXX
How telecare can help bridge the gap between home and hospital
A study by the Royal Voluntary Service has shown that patients could be left vulnerable to hospital readmissions if they aren’t given the right support once they have been discharged. Wendy Darling, managing director of Centra Pulse, believes telecare could play a key role in helping patients manage a smooth transition between hospital and home.
R
esearch carried out in December last year found that more than 150,000 people
hadn’t received adequate continuing support after they had left hospital. Nearly a quarter of older people felt very vulnerable when they returned home after an overnight hospital stay, the Royal Voluntary Service charity found, with 15.3% of over-75s readmitted to hospital within 28 days of discharge. The research also revealed that more than two-thirds of people admitted to hospital are over 65 years old, and that readmissions within 30 days carry a cost to the NHS of £2.2bn per year.
As the UK’s largest independent provider of telecare, Centra Pulse provides technology to help more than 125,000 customers stay at home for longer and we’re passionate about the benefits this service can bring to both the customers we support and the professionals with responsibility for their care. Telecare supports those living with long-term conditions to stay living more independently
Case study
Peter Savage has a history of strokes and his wife Lee lives with a physical disability. In 2013, he returned home from hospital after a 14-week stay. He had collapsed after being paralysed by myelitis and spent three weeks in a semi-coma followed by 11 weeks learning to walk again.
Lee had arranged for urgent medical attention via Peter’s telecare alarm. Once he arrived back home, the couple continued to rely on the technology as they returned to their usual routines, safe in the knowledge that they could get emergency support if Peter suffered a relapse.
Peter said: “If Lee hadn’t pressed that alarm, the doctor did say that another half an hour without treatment, that would have been it. Goodnight Irene.
“Up until being admitted to hospital, I had only really worn my pendant when Lee left the house. Now I wear it all the time. Lee goes on two holidays abroad and a long weekend away each year. Knowing I have my alarm, she can go away with complete confidence with the knowledge that help is there for me if I need it.”
52 | national health executive Nov/Dec 14
without the need for more invasive and costly support. It can therefore play an increasingly important role in easing the burden on health and social care professionals and helping them to deliver a more integrated service.
Telecare support can be easily tailored to a wide range of needs. Many people will already be familiar with in-home devices like personal alarms or fall detector sensors, for example, which provide vital support to help people stay safe at home.
At Centra Pulse, we now offer GPS tracking systems and mobile communications to provide the same kind of support outside of the home.
The Vega, a new wristwatch developed by Finnish technology firm Everon, brings emergency care and support directly to the wearer if they are outside
of the home. It instantly tracks their location and connects them with a trained professional at Centra Pulse’s monitoring centre via a two-way
speaker function on the device if needed. It
can even be used to trigger an alert to Centra Pulse if someone strays beyond a preset area or leaves the home at an unscheduled time.
By ensuring people can be instantly located and provided with immediate care in an emergency, this kind of technology is ideal for professionals who want to make sure those in their care who may be suffering from dementia or a long-term condition have the freedom and confidence to leave the home once they have been discharged from hospital.
We would urge profes- sionals to explore how tel- ecare can help bridge the gap between hospital and home.
Wendy Darling
FOR MORE INFORMATION W:
www.centragroup.org.uk/mobiletelecare
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