Leicestershire has a higher proportion of older adults than the national average, with 36% of the population aged 50 years and over, and its population of over 85s is set to double by 2025. An ageing population results in increasing numbers of people with dementia, rising from 8,115 in 2011 to 12,728 by 2025 in the county, and older people are also at greater risk of falling. The demographic shift has also meant a significant increase in the number of people living with long-term conditions such as CHD, Stroke and COPD.

The council wanted a solution that could help support people in their own home, facilitating early intervention and reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and dependence on residential care. In order to achieve these objectives, the council developed a personalisation agenda to ensure each resident has control over their individual budgets, allowing them to spend money in a way that meets their specific care needs.

Leicestershire County Council is dedicated to improving independent living for its residents, supporting more people in the home by providing personalised, flexible care. In doing so, they are enabling significant cost savings by reducing hospital and residential care home admissions, and in turn contributing to the council's efficiency targets and addressing issues across council-led services.

Over the next twelve months, the council plans to support a significant number of people by using telecare, with funding from NHS transfer funding for Social Care.

David Stanton, Assistive Technology Project Manager from Leicestershire County Council said: "Telecare can make real improvements in the way people with health and care needs are supported, helping them and their carers to feel safe, confident and in control of their day-to-day lives. For us, it is about putting people in control of their own conditions by allowing them to choose how and when they receive support based on personal preference.

"Our Assistive Living Technology service is making a valuable contribution to meeting the care needs of Leicestershire's ageing population by facilitating prevention, early intervention and reablement and our partnership with Tunstall reaffirms the council's commitment to helping people maintain their independence for as long as possible."

Tunstall was chosen following a procurement exercise, and is supplying a telecare service to Leicestershire County Council that includes a monitoring and emergency response provision. They are also working alongside the council's dedicated Assistive Technology team, who will be responsible for carrying out the assessments and installations to deliver person centred and evidence-based results.

As part of the new service, the council has extended its provision of the 'Just Checking' system to support people with dementia who are undergoing a period of reablement from the Homecare Assessment and Reablement Teams. This has allowed Leicestershire to obtain more accurate information and take action to remove or reduce the risks to enable safe, independent living.

For one elderly resident who lives alone, and was frequently found wandering out of her house, the telecare monitoring service has enabled carers to personalise her care plan and reduce her night wandering by approximately 90%.

Alison Williams, Head of Managed Services at Tunstall said: "Leicestershire's commitment to community-based support and early intervention directly reflects Tunstall's ethos of a more preventative, community-based model of care that meets the growing demands of an ageing population. By expanding the provision of integrated telecare, staff are better able to assist more residents living with health and care needs, improving their quality of life and delivering proactive support around the clock. We are proud to help deliver Leicestershire's vision of a system that provides support and care in a place that is tailored to the individual.

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About Tunstall
Tunstall Healthcare Group is the market leading provider of telehealthcare solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstall's solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, helping them to live independently by effectively managing their health and well-being. Its solutions have been proven effective in the world's largest telehealthcare trial. Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives.