Telecare can be defined as a service bringing health and social care directly to a user, generally in their own homes, supported by information and communication technology. It provides safety and security monitoring, physiological and activity monitoring and information. Telecare addresses a range of government policies and the Department of Health (DH) has outlined ambitious targets for telecare to be available in all homes that need it by December 2010.
Telecare systems can support the independence and well-being of older or disabled people. They enable carers to respond to a crisis and can help prevent problems arising in the first place by providing early indication of deterioration in an individual's well-being. Telecare consists of assessment and referral of users; installation and maintenance of equipment; monitoring of users, and response in the event of an alert or change in condition.
A local telecare strategy needs to start from an identification of priority users and the level of service deemed appropriate to meet their needs. Many of the problems in implementing telecare services relate to the organisational context within which it is being implemented, rather than the technology itself, and in the difficulties in apportioning the investment costs between different agencies. Different business models can be envisaged, depending on the local conditions and care priorities to be addressed. Telecare also raises ethical questions about surveillance and possible loss of privacy and autonomy, and legal issues relating to confidentiality and data protection. As telecare is a care service delivered by means of technology, quality standards need to cover the organisation of services and equipment (section 4).
There is a pressing need for better co-ordination of telecare implementation at both national and local levels and for more integrated guidance to support local implementation. A central change agent team should be established to promote telecare services
Included in this report:
- What is telecare and what can it do?
- Components of a telecare service
- Designing a telecare service
- Recommendations