Case Studiess

Our Journey to Digital Telecare – Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership

Key drivers for transitioning to digital telecare:

• To sustain a life service to the impacted user group after the switchover;
• Opportunities exist around the improved collation of data to assist the user’s wider health and social care needs;
• Operational efficiencies can be made in the area of equipment installation and repair;
• Opportunities to broaden the scope of the telecare offer and explore options such as self purchase.

Key challenges and overcoming them:

• Corporate services have a varied understanding of the complexity of the telecare service area. Discussions are and sharing of detailed documentation is ongoing to improve this understanding;
• Cyber security is under scrutiny and continues to be an ongoing challenge. Ongoing discussions and exploration of new methods of working to meet these concerns is a priority.

Next steps in digital telecare journey:

• Moving forward with an agreed plan to change the Alarm Receiving Centre in Edinburgh which will enable a full digital service delivery;
• Appointing a full time Project Manager to take a dedicated focus on the programme.

One ‘top tip’ based on the transition journey:

• Executive level buy-in to a Business Case that outlines the urgency of the programme over the coming years, as well as the expected capital and review expenditure expected to meet the challenge.

Published date: November 2020