The Scottish government's decision to invest £116 million in digital public services will enable the country’s elderly and vulnerable to benefit from the latest in ‘smart’ and technology-enabled care services, one of the country's leading providers has said.
Communicare247, which provides digital infrastructure for health, care and emergency service agencies, says that the announcement by Deputy First Minister John Swinney in Scotland's 2016/17 budget will be warmly welcomed by both providers and citizens as they look to use technology such as remote monitoring, video conferencing, fall sensors, and GPS location devices to help people remain independent for longer, whatever their location.
Scottish local authorities are looking to replace current outdated approaches to assisted living technology that rely on outdated, pre-digital equipment.
Now this fund, with its continued investment in country-wide broadband provision, will enable them to invest in platforms such as those provided by Communicare247 to provide the next generation of digital care services that consumers are already familiar with.
Technologies such as Nest, the smoke alarm-style product that can act as a hub for several smart home devices and can be bought by consumers, can be deployed at scale to support enhanced care delivery services such as real-time monitoring, and help cash-strapped councils provide care more efficiently.
Shona Robison MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport in the Scottish government, said: "We believe that everyone's health and wellbeing can be better supported through greater use of technology innovations - providing fully person-centred care that fits well within an increasingly digital lifestyle."
Communicare247 provides digital care services linked to a police-preferred specification monitoring centre in Dunoon. This enables the vulnerable and those at risk, such as the elderly and those who care for them such as care workers, to have access to the support they need using the latest digital technology.
Tom Morton, CEO of Communicare247, said: "As the Scottish government recognises, without the right technology approach, we risk building the country's integrated care models on increasingly outdated technology. Now local authorities can demonstrate how Scotland is at the forefront of digital telecare by providing a multitude of services designed around individual needs."
Communicare247's digital infrastructure technology, called Archangel, was recently listed on the Excel procurement framework, under its company name Safe Shores Monitoring. Its availability means that local authorities can for the first time offer services for their own employees and those for whom they care.
This was welcomed by Argyll and Bute Scottish National Party (SNP) politician Brendan O'Hara. "I am absolutely delighted to hear that the digital platform created by Communicare247 has been added to the Scotland Excel framework. This is a very welcome hi-tech success story for Argyll & Bute," he said. "I'm really pleased that their expertise in this field has been recognised, that their hard work and investment has been rewarded and that their product will now be available to social care providers across the country."
Argyll and Bute Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Michael Russell also heralded the fact the local authorities could access these services. "Created and developed in Argyll, Scottish innovator Communicare247 has developed a digital platform that can help the country continue its path to be a world leader in the use of technology to deliver person-centred care."
About Communicare247
Digital telecare platform provider Communicare247 is a pioneer in the field of person-centred technology-enabled care. Its advanced digital telecare and telemonitoring solutions enable people to be more independent and to live their lives as they would wish, reducing the need for unplanned care and unnecessary visits. It has a growing international recognition as a specialist provider of digital monitoring solutions designed to satisfy the duty of care owed to vulnerable individuals, and works with clients in the emergency services, charities such as Marie Curie, and Capita.
Communicare247 is the trading name of Safe Shores Monitoring Ltd, which is part of The Safe Shores Group Ltd.