Government Data from Scotland Provides Evidence on the Economic and Social Benefits of Telecare

April 24, 2009 - PRLog -- The national Telecare Development Programme (TDP) in Scotland has delivered cost savings estimated to be over £11 million and is improving health and social care delivery and quality of life for telecare service users, according to data released by the Scottish Government’s Joint Improvement Team (JIT).

In the JIT evaluation report* compiled by the York Health Economics Consortium at York University, community-based health and social care models which use telecare are delivering economic benefits and ensure the most effective use of available resources.  

The 2007-2008 year has delivered monetary calculated savings of £11.15m based on 7902 people being in receipt of TDP-funded equipment and the total cost savings delivered over the period 2007-2010 are on track to be a minimum of £43m.

The report also estimates a total of over 81,000 bed days have been saved in Scotland in just one year as a result of the telecare services in place.  This is broken down into 5668 hospital bed days which were saved by facilitating speedier hospital discharge, 13,870 through reduced unplanned hospital admissions, and 61,990 care home bed days saved by avoiding the need for people to enter care homes.

Alan Bell, communities & information manager at West Lothian Council said: “The results confirm the potential of telecare to transform care provision, and reflect the benefits we have witnessed first-hand.  Mainstreaming telecare within West Lothian has improved quality of life for older people and their carers, and the cost savings realised have been reinvested into further healthcare provision – a virtuous circle which is driving continuous improvement, and which has telecare at its core.”

David Kelly, managing director Scotland and Ireland at Tunstall added: “The study has confirmed that telecare delivers real qualitative benefits and improved outcomes, and a tangible improvement to the quality of life of service users and of those who care for them.

“The experiences of the Partnerships show that they have made a really promising start, and the report demonstrates that telecare services not only deliver best use of valuable health and social care resources, but also makes a real and positive difference to the lives of so many people within our communities.

“93% of telecare service users questioned said that they felt safer as a result of having the telecare service in place, and over two thirds felt more independent.  87% of respondents also felt that their families now worried less about them, as the technology provides valuable reassurance to both service users and their carers and families that timely help is on hand if required.”

The reassurance provided was further highlighted by the carers questioned during the study, with 75% of respondents confirming that telecare had reduced the pressures on them, providing valuable peace of mind and reducing stress.

Carers also felt that people with learning disabilities and conditions such as dementia could remain living in the community for longer, and could enjoy greater independence by using telecare solutions.

Since 2006, the Scottish Government has promoted telecare service provision through a Telecare Development Programme (TDP) fund of £8.35m.  Using this funding, local care partnerships have developed, extended and mainstreamed telecare solutions to meet care needs according to local requirements and priorities.

Telecare packages are being used by people with long-term needs, physical or learning disabilities and cognitive conditions such as dementia, providing round-the-clock preventative support and help to keep service users healthy, safe and in control in their own homes, in line with the Putting People First agenda.

*York Health Economics Consortium at York University/Scottish Government Final Evaluation Report, Jan 09
http://www.jitscotland.org.uk/action-areas/telecare-in-sc...