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