Why Is £4 Million Being Pumped into Home Care Technology?

Posted on by Betty Hall

Recent years have seen a considerable investment in home care technology. And it’s a win-win situation: people who need support with day-to-day living can benefit from technologies which enable them to live comfortably in their home for longer – and the burden on the NHS is reduced, with fewer and shorter in-patient stays and less demand for residential placements.

Overall, the majority of patients prefer to stay at home wherever possible, and this reduces the stress they may associate with a hospital stay according to the BBC.

How Did This Come About?

April 2023 saw the launch of the Adult Social Care Technology Fund. The fund’s objective is to develop an evidence base proving how useful technology is in improving the lives of people who need support to continue living at home.

We have already seen considerable increases in the technology used in home care in recent years: for example, wireless call buttons provided by specialists such as //www.dinggly.com/products/wireless-call-buttons/ are a lifeline to many people at risk of falls, allowing them to call for help easily and promptly.

What Sort of Technologies Are Included?

Technology really is amazing and can allow all kinds of things to happen which had to be done in person before. For example, Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board are developing a system which allows the monitoring and dispensing of medication in real-time. Of course, the main benefit of this is that a patient can receive the correct dose of their medication at the right time, with no risk of their taking too much or too little.

Elsewhere, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB are working to develop a pain management tool which allows healthcare professionals to ascertain what pain a non-verbal patient is experiencing. This is a major advancement, since previously non-verbal patients may have had no way to communicate the level of pain.

As we look to technology to streamline and simplify our lives, it’s exciting to see what further advancements in home care technology are just around the corner.