Award for lone worker protection

A SPECIAL alarm system to ensure the safety of staff working alone at Peterborough City Hospital has secured a prestigious national honour.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Bretton-based hospital, has won an award which recognises how the trust ensures staff safety.

The trust has won the Hospital Security award for its ‘lone worker protection system’ in the Health Business Awards, which recognises excellence in the provision of NHS facilities.

The ‘lone worker protection system’ comprises units for lone workers which use GPS-based technology and interacts with alarm receiving software, so the system lets employers know exactly where their lone workers are whenever they need assistance.

The hospital has 85 security units and are mostly used by community midwives but also by pathology technicians and respiratory nurses in the community.

A hospital spokeswoman said the system was implemented to enhance the protection of staff who had been assessed as being at risk of attack or not being able to access immediate support from colleagues if injured or taken ill.

It is used while staff are alone on duty both within the hospital campus and the wider community.

The award states that the trust has made “significant steps towards a safer environment for patients and workers”.

Ann Stansfield, health and safety adviser, said, “We are delighted to have won this award. We always ensure that patient and staff safety are paramount to what we do.”

Deane Helpline safe despite £156000 losses

ELDERLY and vulnerable people have been assured a council-run phone lifeline will continue – despite possibly racking up weekly losses of £3,000.

Taunton Deane Council’s Deane Helpline, which offers round-the-clock support such as a push-button alert system, could lose around £156,000 over the next year.

The authority has pledged to underwrite the losses and implement changes to ensure more financial stability in the future.

A council spokeswoman blamed the situation on “internal and staffing issues”, uncovered when new management and technology was introduced and which have now been addressed.

She added that there will be no disruption in the 24/7 support to the Helpline’s 2,000 clients.

Cllr Jean Adkins, executive councillor for housing services, said: “We are acting quickly to put the problems right and our clients can be assured they can continue to rely on the Helpline they value.

“The Deane Helpline has received very high levels of accreditation for its telecare services – providing equipment such as sensors placed in the home which alert the carer, or a monitoring centre if there is a problem in the home, such as a gas leak or fire, or if the person they’re caring for has a problem and needs help.

“The service also provides the emergency response team that can respond day and night to situations such as an elderly person suffering a fall in their home.”

What you need to know about Telecare and Telehealth

 Technological equipment and systems, known as Telecare, whilst not a replacement for one-to-one contact, can provide support and independence for older people. It may help them feel safer and it may help relieve some of the anxieties of their families and carers.

The Counsel and Care guide explains the support that older people, their families and carers can get from the technology. It also gives information abut how choosing the best solution and how to get the technology.

The use of Telecare is on the rise with more than 160,000 using it in the last year. Telecare is available from local authorities and offers personalised solutions to suit people’s individual circumstances.

The guide gives examples of how telecare has helped older people remain in control of the way they want to live their lives. The guide can empower older people, their families and carers to understand and use these technologies more easily and get access to the best care and support to suit their needs.

Telecare and Telehealth are popular with clients, families and professionals alike because they can allow people to stay living independently at home for longer, leading to reductions in hospital or residential care admissions along with offering security and confidence for older people and those with long term needs.

The Guide is available download

GPS Device Helps Students Learn To Travel

On Thursday I attended the press launch of our latest Telecare initiative.  The  Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to use GPS  technology to train pupils who have some special needs. Its success builds on previous pioneering Telecare initiatives, which have helped hundreds of older people in the Capital remain independent in their own homes.

Traditionally some pupils being taught to self travel are done so by teachers who have to accompany them over an average eight week period as they travel from their homes to school.

However, thanks to a GPS device, the need for staff to accompany them is eliminated and training is completed a lot quicker, with teachers able to train more pupils.

The pupil carries the hand held device whilst the teacher is able to rely on the computer system to tell them the exact location of the pupil, with the added reassurance of two way communication and an SOS facility.

This initiative is terrific. It helps the user gain confidence and Independence and really opens doors  for them as many people can't get college placements etc if they can't self travel.

The scope of what we can do with this technology can be  widened to help maintain the  independence of others such as people with dementia.  All in all it is  a very exciting time for our telecare team.

Original Article: http://pauledie.blogspot.com/2011/01/gps-device-helps-students-learn-to.html

Satellite Technology Helps Special Needs Pupil Travel Independently

(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EDINBURGH, Scotland, Jan. 27 -- The City of Edinburgh Council issued the following news release: A 17-year-old Edinburgh special needs pupil has become the first in Scotland to learn to travel to school on his own using satellite technology.

Craig Nibloe, from Pilrig Park School, spent five weeks using the GPS device as he got the bus from his home to school and college.

He can now travel independently without the need for school transport, which allows him to have the opportunity to go to college to complete further education courses.

The City of Edinburgh Council has become the first local authority in Scotland to use the technology to train special needs pupils. Its success builds on previous pioneering Telecare initiatives, which have helped hundreds of older people in the Capital remain independent in their own homes.

And the success could lead to other schools in the Capital using the system. Traditionally special needs pupils are taught self travel by teachers who have to accompany them over an average eight week period as they travel from their homes to school.

However, thanks to the SkyGuard GPS device, the need for staff to accompany them is eliminated and training is completed a lot quicker, with teachers able to train more pupils.

The pupil carries the hand held device whilst the teacher is able to rely on the computer system to tell them the exact location of the pupil, with the added reassurance of two way communication and an SOS facility.

Craig said: "I always wanted to get the bus to school by myself but wasn't able to. I'm really pleased I can now do that on my own and go to college." Pilrig Park School head teacher Ellen Muir was full of praise for the GPS system. She said: "Self travel training is always time-consuming for our staff but this technology means we can concentrate on those pupils who need a higher level of support and train more children to gain more confidence and become independent.

"One of the biggest pluses is that students need to be able to self travel so they can attend college so now we should have more taking up further education with more career opportunities being opened up." Ellen also praised one of the school's self travel trainers, learning assistant Bill Lothian, who tutored Craig on his five week trial. She said: "Without Bill's support and enthusiasm for the project help I'm sure Craig wouldn't have made the remarkable progress he did." Councillor Paul Edie, Health and Social Care and Housing Leader for Edinburgh, said: "This Council has really embraced this new technology, which is transforming people's lives and making a real difference to them. There are hundreds of older people living safely and independently in their homes thanks to Telecare.

"Using this technology to help pupils make their own way to and from school is a natural progression and the amazing progress Craig has made shows how beneficial the system is." Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, Education Leader for Edinburgh, said: "Learning how to travel independently is so important for these pupils, yet can be challenging and frightening for them. This technology is giving youngsters and their families confidence and security in getting around." The City of Edinburgh Council has been pioneering Telecare technology in Housing and Health and Social Care areas since 2006, with hundreds of vulnerable and older people in the Capital benefiting.

The system allows vulnerable and older people to remain independent in their own homes, reducing the need for long term care or hospital admission and saving an estimated 3,000 hospital bed days and 3,000 care home days per year.

Devices include sensors and trigger alarms around the home, which alert a care team if the person has a fall, leaves a cooker accidentally on or goes out of the home.

Housing staff should learn more about Telecare

As the debate continues about how we will cope with caring for the growing number of older people in the population, it is clear that telecare or telehealth will be playing an increasing role.

“Telecare is the delivery of health care related services and information via telecommunications tools,” said Chloe Weatherhead, Head of Housing e-Academy.

“Many people working in the housing sector may not be aware of how widely it can be used, not just for residents in sheltered and supporting accommodation, but also by vulnerable general needs residents who could benefit from this type of support.”

Telecare supports independent living by providing health care services from a distance and there is an increasing need to lay the foundations for the rapid and widespread adoption of these solutions across the UK.

A recent report from the Centre for Social Justice on issues impacting on older people said ‘the provision of assistive equipment can be hugely beneficial on maintaining or improving an older person’s quality of life. Yet, as an Audit Commission report recently revealed, low importance is attached to such equipment. This is in spite of mass research finding it provides good outcomes and reduced costs.’

Chloe adds: “It is important that social housing staff have an increased understanding of how telehealth and telecare works, because by adopting these technologies, it will impact on the way they work and will guide them on how they should be preparing for the future.”

For more information about e-learning call 01943 885085 or e-mail info@housingea.co.uk.

NHS must embrace technology, says report

 A new report from the NHS Confederation has urged healthcare professionals to embrace the digital age or risk being left behind.

The publication, entitled Remote Control, cited several instances where the adoption of new technologies in the health service has "failed to truly take off".

It suggested new approaches such as telemedicine and telecare were constrained by "top-down initiatives" and stifled by a lack of engagement from clinicians and patients.

According to the report, the NHS remains too reliant on treatment provided through face-to-face contact.

Nigel Edwards, acting chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the health service should make a renewed effort to integrate digital resources as the role of technology in public service delivery continues to develop.

He suggested there is currently a "cultural barrier" that prevents the take-up of new technologies in the public healthcare sector.

Mr Edwards added: "The NHS, like any other sector of the economy, has to keep up with developments in technologies."

The report follows a recent survey from trade association Intellect, which found that 72 per cent of councillors expect their local authority to become more reliant on technology for the delivery of public services.

Odgers Berndtson is the UK's largest executive search firm working in healthcare, handling assignments globally for both public and private sector organisations.