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In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, SIM-based Technology Enabled-Care (TEC) solutions are seeing greater demand from service providers across health, housing, and social care sectors. However, misconceptions about the technology can deter your organisation from harnessing the full potential of this type of solution. In this article, we will aim to debunk 12 common misconceptions about SIM-based TEC solutions and provide clear answers to help you make an informed decision for your organisation.

#1: SIM-based TEC solutions are unreliable.

Reality: A SIM-based solution offers a high level of reliability, as they are not dependent on analogue, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth connection and have no single point of failure.

#2: SIM-based TEC solutions are not secure.

Reality: SIM-based solutions are very secure. They are cloud based and use encryption to protect your data and adhere to strict industry standards and guidelines.

#3: SIM-based TEC solutions are limited in coverage.

Reality: With multiple network providers using a non-steered roaming sim, this type of solution offers extensive coverage. If one mobile network goes down, or is at capacity, the device can roam to another network provider offering you greater resilience.

#4: SIM-based TEC solutions are difficult to setup.

Reality: Setting up a SIM-based TEC solution is simple. In most cases, all you need to do is insert the SIM card and turn on the device. This is timesaving and less cumbersome than most solutions that require CAT6 in-line wiring and in most cases, completed by the supplier at setup.

#5: SIM-based TEC solutions are expensive.

Reality: While initial setup and SIM costs exist, they are more cost effective than traditional wired solutions as they are often plug and play. The long-term benefits, including, initial cost savings, zero need for on-site … Read the full article here.

Astraline, Johnnie Johnson Housing and Liverpool John Moores University to deliver another pioneering research project.

If you’ve ever banged your head on a cupboard door, or tripped on the stairs, you may be interested in a new initiative by scientists to design-out home hazards.

The study, funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, is based on neuroscience and biomechanical principles and aims to reduce accidents, particularly for older people, by understanding how our brains help us navigate safely through our homes.

A team, led by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in partnership with Astraline – part of the Johnnie Johnson Housing Association (JJH) group, is studying our domestic behaviour in unprecedented detail to create a new breed of human-centric architecture.

Researchers will spend three years tracking older residents’ walking characteristics, and what they look at, as they move through their homes. This data will then be used to create 3-D blueprints of living environments that are optimised for users’ safety. Outcomes of the study could have a big impact on the prevention of falls and accidents in the home, particularly among older and more vulnerable people.

Falls in the home are estimated to cost the NHS £435 million in England alone and research shows the causes often lie in design details, like lighting, floor colour schemes or distracting features that affect where people look.

Mark Hollands, Professor of Movement Neuroscience, at LJMU said: “Our study will turn participant’s homes into living laboratories and will produce data that can be fed into design software, routinely used by architects and interior designers, with a view to making our homes safer. We want to understand exactly how we navigate around our homes and why little details might lead to trips, falls and accidents.”

The scientists, with the help of the Dunhill Medical Trust, have teamed up with Astraline and Johnnie Johnson Housing to run the experiments at two housing sites in Manchester. Volunteer residents in the over-55 properties will wear a series of sensors which will measure their body and eye movements, providing accurate data in much more detail than would be achievable via manual recording methods. The technology includes an accelerometer, eye tracking software and a wristband that measures heart rate and electrodermal activity to give an indication of stress/anxiety levels.

Dr Timmion Skervin, a Biomechanist at LJMU, explained “Tests in our biomechanics laboratory at LJMU have shown that some older people don’t always move their eyes in an optimal way when walking. The ability to see hazards clearly can be affected by colours, patterns or simply lighting which is too dim. Anxiety about falling can also change looking and stepping behaviour which, paradoxically, can increase the risk of falls.”

“As people age, aspects of our surroundings can become increasingly challenging, and these can be minor things that could be modified if we can see where the problem lies.”

“It could be as simple as changing the colour of a carpet, or avoiding using certain light bulbs which take a long time to fully brighten. These changes should reduce residents’ anxiety and allow them to move around in a safer manner.”

Around 20 housing association residents will initially take part in the study, wearing the movement trackers for up to a week and eye-trackers for a maximum of 90 minutes at a time. They will also be monitored with Apple air tags to ascertain when they are not at home.

The study will compare residents in an older location, which has been identified as ready for renovation, and a more modern, recently refurbished property. Data will be analysed and used in the update of the older property to address any problems highlighted by the research. Testing will then be repeated to see if the changes have made a difference to residents’ ability to move around safely.

Joe McLoughlin, Managing Director of Astraline said, “We are excited to see what a difference this could make in real terms for JJH residents and beyond. Some of the key aspects of our work are to try to prevent accidents before they happen, and help residents to live safely, and for longer, at home. This research could pave the way to a rethink in how housing associations and developers design homes. Creating safer homes for residents and reducing avoidable injuries.”

If you would like to know more, and keep up to date with our work, please connect via our social channels:

Peter Reed-Forrester, CEO and Founder of Yorbl Technologies, has written the following article:

The Benefits of Co-Production in the development of Assisted Living Technologies

NRS Healthcare and Sheffield City Council partner to transform technology enabled care provision in the city

NRS Healthcare are delighted to announce a new partnership with Sheffield City Council as their Service Development Business Partner for Technology Enabled Care (TEC).  The NRS Healthcare TEC team are assisting with the transformation of Sheffield City Council’s TEC service offer, undertaking co-production activities that will help them develop a new commissioning strategy.

James Lampert, Head of Innovation & Partnerships, TEC at NRS, has said of the partnership

“We’re excited to be embarking on this journey of change with Sheffield City Council.  We are committed to co-design and co-production and will be collaborating with local stakeholders, including people with lived experience to help inform and support the developments. We will be working closely with other stakeholders and have already engaged with hundreds of people working across health, housing, and social care.”

The first co-production event took place at the end of May as part of Sheffield’s “Festival of Involvement” at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United’s ground.  The event was well-attended by health and council staff, people from the voluntary sector, people who draw on care and support and technology suppliers. Co-design workshops ran throughout the day, giving everyone who attended the chance to have their say.  

This is the initial step in the joint project; to assess the current level of TEC provision within the city and to collate the views of people across Sheffield.  The audit will inform the next steps to future proof the TEC services, with the aim of delivering a personalised, outcome focused service.

Alexis Chappell the Strategic Director of Adult Care and Wellbeing Services commented, “Sheffield’s aim is to become one of the UKs leading health and social care communities in the deployment of TEC, very much supporting people to fulfil their potential for independent living, enabling them to live the life they want to live in a safe environment. Our vision is to have a joint TEC Commissioning Strategy which connects Health, Housing, and Social Care, with a new service delivery model that enables the combination of proactive care, reactive care and in-person care, to deliver the best possible outcomes for people in receipt of care at the same time making the best use of available resource.

To this end we are delighted to be partnering with NRS Healthcare in the transformation of our TEC services, they bring with them wealth of knowledge and experience with a proven track record in the co-design of TEC services.”

Juha Sarsama has been appointed CEO of Everon Group as of July 1, 2023.

Everon is the European market leader in digital grouped living solutions for the elderly. Everon has been providing digital solutions since 2007 in Finland and Sweden and were introduced into the UK in 2019. Our work demonstrates that we can provide tailored solutions that are being used across 70,000+ clients across 3 countries. Juha Sarsama has a Master of Laws and until recently, worked as the CEO of Ilmatar Energy. Prior to this, Juha worked for several years as the CEO of the Finnish publicly-listed private equity investor Panostaja Oyj. He is also chairman of the board of the publicly listed law firm Fondia Oyj and a member of the board of Business Finland Venture Capital Oy. Commenting on the appointment, Mika Suomela, chairman of Everon’s board and partner of Verso Capital said: “Juha’s experience and know-how in managing and growing growth companies into leading international companies in their field is perfectly suited to Everon’s rapid growth as one of the leading suppliers of technology solutions for elderly care in Europe”. Commenting on his appointment Juha Sarsama said: “Everon’s solutions enable better living for the elderly. The solutions are also important from the perspective of the national economy due to the growing population of the elderly in the western world. The positive impact of what we’re doing is apparent and I am proud to join Everon’s journey and be part of a great organisation”.

About Everon
Everon is the European market leader in digital grouped living solutions. Through significant investment in innovation over many years, our flexible, wireless, open platform provides personalised, trusted, and sustainable solutions that enhance life.
Everon uniquely invests 10% of its revenue in research and development pa. All systems can be quickly configured to suit specific client requirements in any care setting including care homes, assisted living, or at home.

Health, housing, and care partners can be reassured of the utmost quality, value for money, and future-proofed investment. With cloud-based, secure data sharing, our systems enable one holistic view and deliver proactive service models.

Furthermore, the risk register should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains relevant and up to date.

A risk register is crucial to mitigating the risks associated with the analogue to digital switchover. Read the full article here: https://everon.net/blog/is-your-risk-register-up-to-date/

Careium is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the Telecare Service Association (TSA) QSF accreditation. The audit recertification is testament to the incredible hard work and dedication everyone at Careium has put into ensuring the business is delivering a high-quality service.

Careium’s audit took place during April 2023, and it passed all 10 standard modules, TEC monitoring, TEC response, TEC installation and assessment and Supplier Modules, with no inadequate findings and no improvement needs. 

The QSF framework is a set of outcome-based standards developed in partnership with key stakeholders to provide quality standards to the TEC sector. It is the only United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited scheme for technology enabled care.

Careium is proud to hold the industry’s primary accreditations and credentials that reflect its commitment to quality and customer service. They also hold the globally recognised ISO accreditations: ISO 9001 (quality), 14001 (environmental) and 27001 (information security).

Paul Goodrich, Careium Regional Director said “Accreditation to the QSF framework demonstrates Careium has quality embedded at every level in the organisation. I would like to thank my colleagues on this impressive accomplishment, and also our customers for their loyal support and feedback during the last 12 months. We are now very much looking forward to continuing to deliver services and smart digital technology to provide people with a safer, active and more meaningful everyday life”.

Press Release 25th April 2023

TeleAlarm Europe GmbH, a leading provider of home emergency call systems and solutions and a subsidiary of KATEK SE, today announced that they have entered a strategic partnership with Skyresponse AB, an established and trusted Swedish Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company, to launch the ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre) of the future: Cloud Monitoring System (CMS). The partnership aims to integrate Skyresponse’s cutting-edge technology with TeleAlarm’s offering to provide a reliable and innovative solution for emergency response management in the care for the elderly and those in need of care.

In Germany, around 96 percent of people over the age of 65 live at home. A third of them live alone. To be able to reach someone in emergency situations and to call the emergency services directly in case of an emergency, home emergency call systems are a reliable helper. TeleAlarm’s and Skyresponse’s CMS aims to provide a state-of-the-art solution that enables interoperability with different technologies, allowing efficient coordination of emergency response.  

“We are proud to launch the Cloud Monitoring System together with our partner Skyresponse,” said Dr. Arnd Karden, Managing Director of TeleAlarm Europe GmbH. “Our goal is to provide a state-of-the-art solution that allows seamless integration with various technologies to enable efficient coordination of emergency response and ultimately improve the safety and well-being of elderly and dependent people.”  “We are excited to announce this strategic partnership with TeleAlarm and to have our platform as the driving force in digitalization of the Care sector in Europe,” said Mats Berthem, CEO of Skyresponse AB. “Our vision at Skyresponse is to Improving lives in a connected world, and this partnership allows us to do that on a broader scale. By combining our alarm management platform together with TeleAlarm’s home emergency call systems and solutions their customers can now experience a complete end-to-end digital alarm handling solution that leverage the benefits of digital and smart care for both the care givers and care receivers,” continues Mats Berthem. 

The partnership between TeleAlarm Europe GmbH and Skyresponse AB is expected to bring significant advances in emergency management in Germany, improving the safety and well-being of the elderly and those in need of care.

For more information, please visit: www.telealarm.com and www.skyresponse.com. 

Skyresponse is an established and trusted Swedish Software-as-a-Service company which provide a 100% true cloud-based alarm management platform used by major international care and security organisations across the public and private sectors. Skyresponse offer a flexible, secure, and resilient alarm management solution for distributed as well as centralized response centre alarm handling within Technology Enabled Care, Nursing Homes, Smart Buildings and Facility Services. 

Skyresponse has around 700 companies and organizations that uses the company’s services around Europe and is now handling more than 10 million alarms and events through the platform each month. www.skyresponse.com 

TeleAlarm Europe GmbH is a leading provider of home emergency call systems and solutions. The brand stands for quality, reliability and innovation in the field of care for the elderly and those in need of long-term care. www.telealarm.com  

KATEK Group, headquartered in Munich, is one of the fastest growing electronics companies in Europe and aims to make a decisive contribution to the “elecrtonifications of the world”. KATEK sees itself as an end-to-end service provider for high-value electronics. The range of services covers the entire product life cycle. FRom the development of software and hardware, through rapid prototyping of electronic assemblies and production, to subsequent support of the process at the customer’s premises, including logistics, after-sales and service activities. https://katek-group.com.

Using care tech in the community also speeds up patient discharge from hospital

A high-tech device costing around £100 is helping social care teams in local communities care for up to nine times as many vulnerable people than previously, offering hope for the UK’s stretched social care system.

A pilot study in Telford and Wrekin using smart telecare devices created by UK care tech company Oysta, allows two mobile care workers who would previously have only been able to care for two people over night, to support between 16 and 20 people instead. 

The devices, which are being provided by Telford and Wrekin Council for residents receiving support by local care provider Supreme Home Care, allow people who need access to care overnight to call for support by simply pressing a button which is monitored by a small team of mobile care workers who can respond quickly.

The system is helping to increase the number of people who can receive care in their own homes, including many who might otherwise remain in hospital or move into residential accommodation, by providing care support when it is needed rather than scheduling in potentially unnecessary night visits.

Sue Robson, founder of Supreme Home Care said the use of technology allowed them to provide “reassurance for vulnerable people and their families with a service which allows us to serve a greater number of people who need our care.”

“Before we started using the telecare devices, we would have one carer per client on one shift from 10pm – 7am whether or not the client was sleeping or needed any assistance. But now the client – or a family member – can alert us by pressing their button and we can respond with any help that is needed.”

The Telford-based company say the service has been very popular with staff and clients since it provides a reliable yet non-intrusive way of supporting vulnerable people. They are now looking to recruit additional team members to meet the growing demand, which will enable them to provide support to more people including those who might otherwise occupy beds in NHS hospitals. 

“When someone is ready to leave hospital, they may be nervous about being at home on their own. With this new system, they can have the reassurance of help on hand when they need it – but we often find that after a few nights they are confident on their own,” Ms Robson explains.

“For those who are recovering at home – or those with long term conditions who don’t want to be moved out of their own home – we can provide the right help at the right time.”

The service is also popular with those providing care, who can keep busy during their shift helping a greater number of people in the local area.

Coral Chaproniere, Supreme Home Care’s Area Manager who looks after clients using Oysta, says:

“If we were still doing traditional ‘night sits’ we couldn’t support as many people as we do now which means there may have been people left without support. As a carer, I don’t like to think of people out there on their own.

“The Oysta devices give people confidence that they can return to their own home. For someone who has been in hospital they are used to having someone there all the time. Now, if anything happens, they know they can call on our team and it builds up their confidence to remain in their own homes.

“With pendant alarms, families are often the first port of call so it puts additional pressures on families who still need to get a good night’s sleep. We can now provide that overnight support and help our clients and their families.”

Mr Moore, a Supreme Home Care client from Telford, said using a device “gives me the confidence to remain in my own home.”

“I can go to bed knowing that if anything happens in the night, I will have a carer on my door in minutes ready to put me right.”

Oysta’s founder, Mario Zuccaro, believes that using digital technology is the best way to help address both short- and long-term problems in health and social care, saying recent reports “demonstrate the need for better technology solutions to allow care workers to provide support for a greater number of vulnerable people without compromising care.”

And with increasing focus on the funding shortfall in social care, Oysta can also demonstrate an average saving of £160 per person per night.

“A recent CQC report called for new ways of working to bridge the gap between health and social care services, not just prop up existing approaches, and that is exactly what we have been doing both with Supreme Home Care in Telford and in other local authorities around the country,” he adds.

“Many people who need additional support are still independent, they just need a cloak of care to provide that extra layer of protection which also enables family and friends to be integral to that person’s needs.

“Most people these days are comfortable with using smart devices, such as a phone and are happy to use devices particularly if it means they can leave hospital sooner or stay active and independent.”

Jonathon Rowe, Executive Director Adult Social Care, Health Integration and Wellbeing at Telford & Wrekin Council said:

“We are proud that Telford & Wrekin Council is among a handful of Councils in the UK embracing digital devices, such as those provided by the care tech company Oysta, as a new way of helping vulnerable residents to immediately get in touch with their care provider when needed, from the comfort of their own home.

“Supporting independent living for eligible residents is something we are really passionate about, as it enhances their independence and confidence and also provides peace of mind for their families.

“We will continue to invest in digital opportunities to facilitate the best care for our residents.”

Supporting Links:

Link to BBC Radio Shropshire Interview , interviewing user of Oysta technology: https://vimeo.com/816467370

Link to ITV piece: New device aiming to tackle social care crisis piloted in Telford and Wrekin | ITV News Central

Full story: https://www.oysta-technology.com/en/oysta-stories/case-studies/care-workers-able-to-support-up-to-nine-times-more-vulnerable-people/

South Northamptonshire MP Dame Andrea Leadsom met with UK care tech company Oysta 

TOWCESTER, 25^th January 2023

Social care devices developed by Northamptonshire-based Oysta can help patients be discharged three days earlier than before, trials have shown.  

This was the message when the company welcomed its MP, Dame Andrea Leadsom, to its offices to see how the company’s products can help people remain independent and active both in and outside of the home. 

“It was exciting to visit Oysta and see the work they are doing to address critical issues in health and social care and the technology they are using to help speed up patient discharge from hospital,” said Dame Andrea Leadsom.  

“The government is working to address delays in delayed discharges and the use of technology and data is one way which can help medically fit patients leave hospital sooner and return to their own homes.” 

On average, around 14000 patients deemed fit to leave hospital are stuck in beds every day, according to the latest official statistics.  

Oysta have already helped local authorities around the country to get patients back home from hospital faster: Figures from a pilot study in the London Borough of Camden demonstrated that using Oysta’s ‘Help at Home’ saved the NHS an average of £1,100 each time the device was used and an estimated £252,000 over the course of the pilot. 

And now they want more people to benefit from the technology which helped patients in this London borough get home three days sooner.  

The meeting included a live demonstration showing how the devices work in real time including GPS locators, falls sensors and two-way calling.  

GPS and geofencing has more than halved the number of people with dementia reported as missing to Hampshire Police since the device has been used in the county.  

“It was a great pleasure to show Dame Andrea the work the team here have been doing to help people remain independent and to support health and social care teams with their work both in hospitals and at home,” said Mario Zuccaro, Oysta’s founder. 

“Social care is one of the biggest issues in the UK right now and people have realised that we cannot deal with the problems in the NHS without bringing social care into the 21^st century. 

“If the use of technology was scaled up across the NHS we could save millions of pounds a day and free up beds for patients waiting on ambulances or in hospital corridors.  

“A solution which not only speeds up hospital discharge but also saves money, seems like a no brainer to me – particularly when medical advice is for people to get out of bed and stay active to avoid losing their independence and mobility.” 

Deb Knowles, Technology Enabled Care Clinical Lead at Millbrook, leading UK providers of assistive technology and equipment in health and social care, provided the view from a healthcare professional’s perspective. 

“It was a valuable opportunity to meet with Dame Andrea Leadsom and explain the vital benefits of technology-enabled care included faster discharge from hospitals, allowing people to live for longer in their own homes and bring peace of mind to family, friends and carers.  

“We were able to highlight the efficiencies and benefits that technology can bring in enabling care within both the fields of health care and social care which could have a significant improvement on key NHS targets such as ambulance response times and discharge from hospital. 

“The age of keeping people tucked up in bed has passed. We need to encourage mobility and independence in all of our patients – young or old.”  

“There is an element of a lack of understanding of what’s going on and a lack of how to change or improve and innovate. So the danger is you’ll have more of the same-old”.

Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN in a new blog, tells Everon why some providers have been slow to embrace the role of digital, how the cost-of-living crisis is impacting and why doing nothing is not an option. 

Read what Jeremy Porteus says in his blog.

An exciting partnership announcement for the TECS sector!

UKTelehealthcare are delighted to announce the launch of our new Technology Enabled Care consultancy arm in partnership with TECS Advisory, one of the UK’s leading sector specific advisory businesses.

Over the last few months, the move to digitisation and its associated stepped increase in spend is causing concern to our membership. As a membership body we are committed to supporting our members to the best of our ability and to ensure they are able to provide world class telecare and telehealth services to their customers.

Whilst we are always open to taking calls from members and have been proactive in running a number of online and physical meetings with systems suppliers and communication providers, we still feel there is a need to do more. We also recognise that the end of 2025 (the proposed date for the closure of the analogue phone network) is now less than 3 years away and the associated pressures are unlikely to recede in the short term. Due to this and a number of other factors, we believe the time is now right to offer an increased level of support to our members where required.

UKTelehealthcare and TECS Advisory will be supporting clients across all sectors to develop, commission and deliver next generation solutions that empower people, enhance and transform services and effect positive change. We will be working with a wide range of client groups:

The TEC sector – NHS and Local Authority Housing, Health and Social Care Commissioners and Providers – Housing Associations – Domiciliary and Residential Care Providers – Voluntary Sector Organisations – Investors and businesses – Innovators and developers – Individuals

Openreach has once again reiterated that analogue telephone equipment and services will be decommissioned by the end of 2025 and that Communications Providers such as BT and Virgin will need to transition their customers to digital products and services by this date at the latest. However, the transition programme has already started and many customers will need to be offered alternatives much earlier than this.

Housing Groups are increasingly needing to commission independent advice on future proofing systems so that they continue to operate across the transition from analogue to digital telephone networks and to evaluate options for implementing technology enabled care and support models for their residents.

We offer technical and operational expertise and experience to support you in evaluating existing infrastructure and services, developing options appraisals and implementing new systems and services. 

We recognise that managing a telecare business can be challenging in the best of times. Our focus, which is commercial rather than academic, covers a broad range of areas:

• Strategic analysis
• Evaluating services and technologies
• Sales and marketing
• Implementing new technologies and systems
• Business plans
• Improvement plans
• Cultural change programmes
• Bid writing/management – Specifications
• Options appraisals
• Mergers & acquisitions

Whilst the service will be open to non-members, existing UKTelehealthcare members will benefit from discounted rates.

Gerry Allmark, UKTelehealthcare’s Managing Director, said: “We are very happy to be working in partnership with TECS Advisory to deliver a range of consultancy services to our members and the wider TECS industry to support them in developing and growing their businesses.”

For more information or an informal chat, please give us a call on 0208 004 9229 or email gerry@uktelehealthcare.com.

Caring for the Future is a brand-new podcast that asks big questions to tackle the care sector’s most difficult challenges.

Season one of Caring for the Future is focused on two key themes; the analogue to digital transition and future-proofing care. In each episode, host, Richard Keyse, will interview an expert guest to unpick challenges and pursue answers.

Listen to Episode one, ‘How and why to build a digital strategy?’ today!

In this episode, Richard Keyse interviews James Lampert, Head of Innovation and Partnerships at NRS Healthcare to analyse what a digital strategy really is, why it’s important and how tech enabled care leaders can create and execute their own digital strategy in 2023.

Caring for the Future is a podcast brought to you by 2iC-Care.

2iC-Care is the end-to-end digital technology solution for modern tech enabled care services. 2iC-Care bring telecare and telehealth together so care providers can …

• Respond quickly to emergencies based on the right information.
• Provide personalised, preventative & proactive care based on real knowledge.
• Enable service users to live independent and exciting lives whilst feeling safe and secure.

Astraline and Johnnie Johnson Housing are working with CATCH (Centre for Assistive Technology and Connected Healthcare) at the University of Sheffield to deliver a trailblazing research project that enables organisations and researchers to test technology and ideas, in an ethically governed Independent Living Lab.

Awarded and funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust, TELLAB (Technology-Enabled Living Lab for Ageing Better) aims to help develop smart technologies for supporting older people to live independently and well. The funding supports academic researchers, working with community organisations and older people themselves, to undertake an innovative programme of study.

TELLAB is led by Professor Mark Hawley and Dr Stephen Potter, both of CATCH, with Astraline and Johnnie Johnson Housing as partners. The research aims to understand the healthy ageing needs and aspirations of older people from diverse backgrounds, and translate these into criteria for evaluating innovative assistive technologies.

Joe McLoughlin, Managing Director of Astraline, said, “Technology products, and services, are still largely built and developed by a small segment of society. It is important to create technology that serves a diverse population. The research plans to create social impact through working alongside seldom heard communities. It is through listening and dialogue we ensure we are in step with people’s needs, and that the technology can serve its purpose.”

We will set up a Living Lab within Johnnie Johnson Housing backed by a live-in researcher to support the development and testing of digital assistive technologies. Interviews, design workshops, journey mapping exercises, and co-creation processes with participants will guide the work.

“The facility is a bridge between the laboratory-based research environment and the homes of people in the community – creating a user-centric environment to evaluate emerging technology. A core of residents supported by a residents panel will experiment with emerging technology in their own homes,” said Kathryn Fox-Rogers, Johnnie Johnson Housing’s Chief Operating Officer.

The outcome will be a fresh approach to the assessment criteria and procedures for evaluating innovative technology. Astraline is updating its design process with insight gained from seldom-heard communities and a modern ethical approach to ensure no one is left behind.

“Our vision is to transform the ways in which people are enabled to live well and age well through the application of ubiquitous and personalised technology. We are excited to create a sustainable approach to technology choice and evaluation through the TELLAB project,” said Professor Mark Hawley, CATCH Director.

Press Contact :
Vicky Pulman
Marketing Lead
vicky.pulman@astraline.co.uk
07851255123

As we continue to make gains on the learnings that have been made over the past few years, a better understanding of the benefits of technology within the health, care and wellness space is continuing to develop.

Dawn Watson, Clinical Application Specialist at Tunstall Healthcare, explores the key trends in health technology that are expected to emerge as we look to a world that is more open to embracing digital solutions to support health and care services.

1. Hospitals at home will become more common

On average, at any given time, five percent of NHS England hospital beds are occupied by patients awaiting discharge and the majority of these beds are in acute care¹.

Since the pandemic, we have continued to see the growth of virtual wards², and we’re expecting to see them become more of a focus in health and care delivery. The majority of the population would rather receive care in the comfort of their own homes, and virtual wards will enable this³. A recent study coordinated by the NIHR and researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford found that caring for vulnerable, older people at home can improve patient outcomes⁴. 

2. The growth of consumer engagement

The consumer health and wellness market is big business, with more people than ever before becoming invested and engaged in the monitoring of their physical and mental health. For example, wearable electronic devices have quickly become an integral segment of the electronics and consumer wellness industries, with smartwatches in particular experiencing a sharp upturn in sales. This is likely to continue, with an expected revenue of £43.8bn by 2025⁵. 

This of course means that consumers across our population are becoming increasingly technologically savvy, and understanding of the benefits of digital devices and how to use them. This digital upskilling of the nation will encourage the integration of readily available consumer devices within clinical practices and care delivery, to engage with citizens and support improved health outcomes. 

3. Improved cohesion to support frontline workers

Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are moving to ensure our services are able to facilitate efficient data-led decision making in care delivery, which is a crucial step in becoming a global leader in population health management. 

Through this, we will see more cohesion and improved data gathering from technology providers and data companies. This will help to support clinicians and other frontline workers in their goals of improving the health outcomes of our population. Ultimately, effective data gathering and extrapolation will result in improved information and insight which can then be used to influence decision making in healthcare. 

For more information, please visit www.tunstall.co.uk/telehealth-solutions. 

Press Release 6/01/2023

Mindme are delighted to announce that we have expanded our integration with Enovation’s UMO platform. In addition to being able to send SOS alarm data to the platform, we are now certified to also send low and empty battery alerts as well as geofence alerts. We are particularly excited about the latter because our geofence functionality was enhanced during the second half of 2022 to allow for rectangular and fully polygonal geofences in addition to the more standard circular ones. We also added timed geofences so that alerts can be disabled during, for example, the daytime.

The Factory Acceptance Test we have just completed applies to all of our GPS devices; the pendant Locate, the pendant alarm, the wearable Locate and the wearable alarm. To future-proof ourselves we have plans to certify our platform itself since it, rather than the devices themselves, generates the alerts.

Simon Wolf, Mindme’s CTO, said, “Enovation’s UMO platform is growing in popularity in the UK and one of our long-standing customers recently switched to it, prompting the updated certification. Allowing integrations with response centres is all too rare and so working with Enovation gives us a huge amount of pleasure. Improving integrations between services should be on everyone’s roadmap for 2023 and beyond.”

Minder Limited, trading as Mindme, has been helping to keep people safe since 2007 via the Mindme Locate, a button-free device which is designed for people with dementia or learning difficulties, and the Mindme alarm which includes SOS calling to our 24/7 Response Centre where professionally trained staff can respond appropriately, whatever the situation. The alarm and Locate are available as pendants or as wearable devices and both use GPS and the mobile phone data network to send locations to our bespoke monitoring platform every few minutes. Our devices are established products which are used by County  and District Councils, charities, schools, industry, the police and  private individuals.

To find out more about Mindme and their products and services please visit https://www.mindme.care.

Oysta – a caretech provider- have completed two successful pilots with local authorities which went on to become care pathways to alleviate bed-blocking and three pilots are now starting in local authorities to replicate the success of the initial projects. 

Camden council, for example, used the device in three hospitals in North London. Patients who took part in a pilot project returned home an average of three days faster.  

• £1,100 saved on average each time the device was used: an average overnight bed in hospital costs £400 a night. 
• An estimated £252,000 was saved over the course of the pilot which, if it were scaled up across the NHS, could save millions of pounds a day and free up beds for patients waiting on ambulances or for surgery. 

Patients are issued with an Oysta Pearl+, a mobile care device linked to a cloud-based platform called IntelliCare, which allows them to return home and receive round-the-clock monitoring and emergency alarms linked to the council’s Careline. 

In his autumn statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced new funding for social care aimed at aiding hospital discharge rates and freeing up beds. Oysta’s service has been proven not only to free up hospital beds, but to save money.

A spokesperson from Camden council and Oysta’s founder, Mario Zuccaro, are available for interview to discuss the project and how it can help expedite discharges from hospitals including demos of the device and platform.

Camden trials care tech device to help residents return home from hospital sooner   

Oysta Pearl+ allows patients to return home an average of three days faster 

Camden Council, in partnership with Oysta, has successfully piloted a care tech device to allow residents to return from hospital sooner and be fully supported to recover at home.

So far, the Oysta care device has supported over 200 residents who were medically fit enough to be discharged from hospital but required ongoing social care support at home to leave hospital sooner, reducing pressures on the NHS.

The ‘Help at Home’ mobile device, provided to residents who are supported by Camden’s adult social care service, has a falls sensor, status alerts and an SOS button linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre, allowing people to recover independently at home but knowing help is readily available.

Residents who were given the device returned home on average three days sooner than those waiting for a social care assessment before they could leave hospital, freeing up hospital beds and helping to address patient backlog.

Calls from the devices go to Camden Council’s ‘Careline’ which allows care teams to respond to calls directly.

Following this successful trial, the care device will now be used permanently for adult social care users in Camden who are returning from hospital.

Councillor Anna Wright, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said: “These Help at Home devices have allowed people to return to their own homes faster, with the confidence that they have technology-based support at the touch of a button. Using these devices, linked to our Careline team, not only provides peace of mind to the individuals and their families but allows the hospital social work teams to develop a plan to support people with what matters to them. But it’s more than just an alarm: our residents can talk directly to our teams through their devices, who also receive alerts in situations such as someone having a fall, allowing us to send a team around to help.”

Mario Zuccaro, Founder of Oysta said: “What we’ve demonstrated in Camden is that not only can our device free up beds for other patients with urgent need for treatment, but we can reduce the unnecessary risk that a longer than necessary stay in hospital can bring. Some people around the country are waiting weeks for their care assessments and by using an Oysta device they have something to keep them safe and monitored which also takes the strain off under pressure social care teams who can schedule in visits in the person’s home when they have returned from hospital.”

A Camden resident who was given an Oysta care device said: “After a long stay in hospital I was desperate to get back to my own home. The staff at the hospital gave me a device whilst I was still on the ward so I could get used to it and I was surprised how easy it was to use. On one occasion I used my Oysta Pearl to call for help after a fall and within 20 minutes the Careline team were at my door to help me. I would recommend it to anyone in my position who was medically fit to be discharged. I had a care assessment when I was back at home and the Council were able to provide me with the things I needed to stay in my own home.”

For more information on Camden’s Adult Social Care service head to: camden.gov.uk/adult-social-care

To find out more about the Oysta Care Device head to: oysta-technology.com/

Since the pilot started in July 2021, 210 people in Camden have used ‘Help at Home’ saving an estimated 630 bed days – equating to £252,000 in financial savings – which would otherwise have been occupied by patients awaiting social care assessments rather than hospital treatment.

Hi Peter, thanks for speaking with us today. Can you give us an insight into your role at Careium?

My pleasure. I’m one of the Category Managers within our Product & Portfolio team, mainly dealing with our fixed range of digital social alarms. It’s an exciting and central role. The main goal is to map our portfolio and roadmap in line with customer needs to make life safer and more independent for the service users.

On a day to day it is about aligning technical details for new product and services, supporting sales with tenders and maintaining our broad portfolio of existing products throughout their life cycle.

You’ve been working in the TEC industry for many years, firstly with Doro. I bet you have seen some changes, what’s the most memorable piece of work you’ve been involved in?

I have been part of a long journey within the industry. A lot has happened and changed throughout the years. The most memorable thing is when we managed to unite the TEC industry to develop the Social Care Alarm Internet Protocol (SCAIP). It was not just the joint development, but we managed to publish it as an official standard in a rather off-beat, but effective way. SCAIP rapidly became the European de-facto. At a later stage this also led to a European Technical Specification, TS 50134-9, fully based and compatible with SCAIP. This was managed by Cenelec, TC79, WG4, where I’m one of the active members.

What key advice would you give to UK customers going through transformation planning?

Face the fact, have faith and set a fixed schedule. Aim only for a pure digital, end-to-end solution that is future proof and designed for the digital communications infrastructure.

The UK TEC industry is currently going through one of the biggest changes it’s seen with the Analogue to Digital switch. What can the UK learn from Sweden, who have already been through this?

What Sweden did at an early stage was to make a very strong recommendation and statement to stop all analogue sales and installation. This was led and supported by the Swedish government and the municipality administrations who are the major procurer of TEC equipment, and it was stated in all major tenders from that day on. This may sound harsh and hasty, but it wasn’t. The industry was well prepared and a key player in the transition. We developed a common protocol, made large test installations of digital equipment that was monitored closely, digitised the major ARCs and performed compatibility test schemes between the manufacturers. All this was done approx. 10 years ago and in a rather short window.
If we now reflect on this, it was done just in time. At that time the telecom industry started to literally tear down the copper network and digitise the exchange equipment making analogue protocol communication impossible or unreliable on the plain old telephone system (POTS). What happened as well, that may have an even greater impact, is that the seniors themselves terminated their expensive and old-fashioned analogue telephone subscriptions and fully embraced mobile.

Careium is one of the global market leaders in digital social alarms, from your extensive personal experience what do you think are the key selling points of our products?

As already mentioned, we were unselfish when we promoted SCAIP and are still convinced that the move to a digital, open and standardised protocol will gain our customers freedom of choice, instead of being locked in by one manufacture’s proprietary protocol. That open mindset, together with our long experience and knowledge in digital products, will make the difference. Another advantage, thanks to the digital communication, is that we and our customers can monitor all devices on a minute-by-minute basis with automatic notifications as well as remote configuration and remote upgrade. All this giving an effective and pro-active way of managing the organisations fleet of devices through our excellent device management system, i-care® online, available around the clock.

We know that historic telecare operated over tried and tested analogue technologies, what part do you think mobile will play in the future of TEC?

Mobile won’t just be a part of it, it will be the major communication interface for future TEC. There are several reasons:

– Affordability – fixed internet subscription is relatively expensive, as well as the old fixed
landline subscription. Everybody needs to be able to afford the safety of TEC!
– Supplier responsibility – by offering mobile communication, tailored by TEC, as a vital part of the service we can take full responsibility and monitor the communication in a proactive way and don’t need to rely on private network equipment and other communication suppliers.
– Functional safety – With a built-in mobile interface we can control and offer a long battery back-up according to the standards and customer requirements. This isn’t easy or in most cases not even possible when relying on private consumer routers that aren’t specified or designed for that purpose.
– Finally, a combination of above. With a mobile communication interface we can offer the full service, plug & play instead of sometimes advanced IT settings required in a private
network/equipment.

If we are talking about mobile in the sense of carrying the safety with us, it will play a growing part within TEC. Everybody that wants to be safe when out and about should have the freedom to choose such a solution, whilst a fixed installation will be better suited for others and in a wider purpose. The greatest advantage for a portable GPS alarm, in my opinion, is not just the ability to push a button for help anywhere but it is the self-confidence it gives you, knowing that you can live life out-and-about if you like and don’t need to compromise on safety.

Are you able to give us an insight into any new innovations you and your team are working on?

Unfortunately I can’t reveal any details but the digital world gives so many opportunities. I would say that proactive, predictive and preventive care services will take-off in combination with the core values of easy to use, easy to manage and peace of mind.

As one of the UK’s leading Careline services, our aim is to be there in an emergency. To enable the right response to be provided at the right time and throughout that journey ensuring the service user is as comfortable and reassured as possible.

We are a small but important cog in an emergency process, there are many elements that are outside of our control. One of the main elements is how we can’t be with the service user in person, and we are unable to determine the time it takes for the emergency services to attend.

However, we have greater control over ensuring the situation is managed efficiently and effectively to enable the best outcomes for the service user and ensuring they have reassurance throughout.

An instrumental element to achieving this is through deterioration calls, a term used by our industry body TSA. In this blog Gill Atkey, Director of Monitoring Services at Appello, explains the importance in enabling the best outcomes for all stakeholders…

What is a deterioration call?

“When we receive an alarm call or other form of notification that someone needs assistance, we immediately action this, following the agreed procedures with our customer. This may be requesting the attendance of the emergency services or part of the individuals care network. This assistance may not be immediately available though, so our industry body TSA state that we should ‘continue to monitor a Service User’s welfare where a call has been passed to a responder’ which is what a deterioration call is. There is no guidance though on how this should be done beyond ensuring that an outcome is achieved.”

With over 30 years’ experience in these services, at Appello we do this by checking back in with the customer every hour. We look to understand whether there has been a change in their circumstances, for better or worse and provide them with any updates we have on the response. Empathy is also critical in an emergency, so our team of emergency operators are also here to provide a reassuring voice and let the service user know we are always available. When we end that call, we always remind the service user that if anything was to change or worsen they just need to press their alarm again to let us know.”

Why do Appello deliver these calls?

“In my opinion, these calls are instrumental to the delivery of a great Careline service. We understand that monitoring the situation and maintaining the customers wellbeing can improve the outcome.

I understand that in parts of the sector, organisations are increasingly starting to charge additionally for these calls, this isn’t something we do as it is a core part of our service. However, I do recognise the challenge faced as a result of the knock-on effect of increased ambulance wait times. For instance, in the last shift we have had an ambulance take 17 hours to attend a service user, our commitment to checking in hourly means that we have delivered 17 outbound calls to that service user during this period. Therefore, delivering deterioration calls can come at a considerable resource cost to a Careline provider, one that managed incorrectly can have a wide impact on the overall service.

That could have been 17 calls charged to our housing provider customer, who provides our Careline service to their vulnerable residents. This is an increasing trend, and over the course of a year it would amount to a considerable expenditure. But we know that housing providers, local authorities and the whole care network is facing financial strain, so we are continuing to deliver this as part of our commitment to focusing on the best outcomes for the individual.”

Why are these calls so critical?

“If you have ever needed help in an emergency, time can feel like it stops still, minutes can feel like hours, hours like days. As we all know, the emergency services are incredibly stretched, as an emergency first responder myself I have seen first-hand the challenges they are facing. At Appello, we are seeing ambulance response times frequently beyond 10 hours and have even been informed of times over 24 hours.

“This is far from ideal, we sympathise with the challenges that the ambulance services are facing though. For the service user needing support, this is incredibly tough, therefore frequently checking in on the wellbeing of the service user is very important, not only monitoring their condition but providing the reassuring voice that can support them.”

What happens if there is a change on a deterioration call?

“A change can occur at any time, so we always remind the service user to press their alarm again, however often this is only identified when we check back in with the service user.  

Identifying these changes is critical to ensuring the best outcome, as it helps to ensure the response is still appropriate. If for instance their condition has deteriorated, we immediately update the relevant stakeholders, such as the emergency service who will potentially reprioritise the dispatch of an ambulance or will amend their response, so they attend the service user with as much up to date knowledge of the situation as possible.

Equally, although they are termed ‘deterioration calls’ a service users’ condition can improve. This is obviously excellent news, and we treat this information just as importantly. It can mean emergency services can potentially be stood down, avoiding them attending a situation where they are not required. This is incredibly important given the challenges they are experiencing. So, these calls not only help to improve outcomes for the service user but also help to ensure our emergency services are not attending avoidable call outs at the expense of someone who may be in need of their help.”

What is the role of families and wider care networks?

“When delivering deterioration calls, we also, where appropriate, aim to keep a main designated contact up to date. Given the challenges faced by the emergency services, wider care networks are becoming increasingly important in the care of everyone in our communities. We know that no one wants a loved one to be in need of help for a minute, so long wait times for an ambulance can be distressing. We inform these designated contacts and our advice is for them to try to attend the service user’s property, if only to provide comfort and have ‘eyes on’ the situation which may result in ambulance escalation or in the ambulance being stood down.

“Not everyone has this type of support though, and commonly now families are geographically dispersed. Furthermore, more and more social housing providers are moving away from having staff permanently onsite in communal living properties, so this isn’t always possible and therefore our commitment to check in with the service user becomes ever more important in ensuring the best outcome.”

Closing Thoughts

“In summary, these are challenging times for all stakeholders and the impact is reverberating across many sectors associated with the care and wellbeing for the most vulnerable in our communities. In my 20 years’ experience working in multiple Careline environments, I have never seen such strain on our ambulance service, and the impact that has on delivering a life critical Careline service.

As a result, the importance of deterioration calls has never been greater. We can be the only voice that someone in need of help hears for hours, and we know that our service users value this immensely.”

To learn more about of the Appello Careline service book a discussion with the team here: Talk to Appello

Briefing | 10.11.2022

Results from a four-year-long evaluation of Nordic biotech company Evondos’ pharmaceutical robots by Capio Närsjukvård in Södertälje reveal that patients are happier, the working environment of healthcare staff improved and valuable time was freed up for staff to perform other important tasks by spending less time dispensing medicines.

In response to this the healthcare administration in Stockholm and Capio Närsjukvård began a pilot project back in 2018 to evaluate the impact of Evondos’ service (which includes medicine dispensing robots). During the four-year project 109 patients received medicine dispensing robots, and approximately 116,000 doses of medication were dispensed in Södertälje.

“In Södertälje compliance – or delivery reliability – has been even higher during the pilot than what we would normally expect from our robots, which is 99.6 per cent”, says Clarence Jacobson.

The results of the pilot show that the use of medicine dispensing robots appears to lead to higher levels of patient engagement, as well as to an improved work environment for healthcare staff. Patients seem very satisfied with the service, while healthcare staff have generally welcomed the use of medicine dispensing robots, which free up time for them to perform other important tasks instead of handing out medicines to patients.

“We feel more secure with Evondos. The service contributes to us being able to ensure the proper distribution of medicines, regardless of the patient’s situation. We are confident those who need medicine will receive their correct dosage at the exact same time every day. It’s very reassuring”, says Susanne VanCrete, Operations Manager at Capio.

Throughout the course of the pilot study both patients and their relatives had to indicate how likely it was that they would recommend pharmaceutical robots to someone else in a similar situation using a scale of 1-10, where 10 represents the highest probability. Patients gave an average value of 9.8, while relatives gave the Evondos service the maximum 10 points.

“We already knew that relatives were extremely satisfied with our medicine dispensing robots. They feel secure that, for example, their frail father gets the right medicine at the right time and that healthcare professionals will receive an alarm if the medicine is not taken”, says Clarence Jacobson, who continues:

“In addition, patients gain a greater sense of independence. They don’t have to adapt to homecare staff’s scheduled visits to give them medicine so they get more control over their own time. And if they go away for the day staff can ensure patients get multiple doses dispensed at the same time. Medicine dispensing robots create a great deal of freedom and provide the opportunity to stay at home for longer”.

Read the full press release and Capio report here: Successful pilot of pharmaceutical robots in Södertälje, Sweden – Evondos (cision.com) 

Briefing | 02.06.2022

Evondos, the leading provider of automated medicine dispensing services in the Nordics, and Group Saltó, a Spanish point of reference in technological services, have signed a frame agreement for cooperation in Spain. With the cooperation Evondos builds its capability to serve home care organizations in Spain. Evondos service ensures medicine adherence, safety, and support seniors to live independently at home.

Group Saltó will support Evondos by providing with local support to the care organizations in Spanish, Catalan, Euskera and Galego. It will also be logistical partner to Evondos and installs and maintains medicine dispensing robots. For care givers Group Saltó is also responsible for giving the basic level training on Evondos service. Both companies are known for exceptional customer service. “Group Saltó is an ideal partner for Evondos, helping to be successful in Spain and helping us to grow from Nordics to Europe”, says Eetu Koski Evondos Group CEO.

Evondos is the leading provider of automated medicine dispensing services in the Nordics. Evondos’ unique service provides significant quality  and benefits  for  professional  home  care  organizations by ensuring high level of medication safety and adherence. The service enables people in need of medical treatment to get the right medicine at the right time and in the right dose automatically, which improves patient safety, medical adherence and supports independent life at home. Evondos service enables 99% medication adherence, and it has already dispensed 15 million medication doses in the Nordics. The service is based on advanced technology and consists of an automatic medicine dispensing robot installed in private homes, with a cloud-based Telecare system and service elements. Today the service is in use in nearly 300 home care organizations in the Nordics. Evondos currently employs more than 150 people in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Evondos’ headquarters and production facilities are located in Salo, Finland.

Group Saltó is since 1994 committed to provide global services, adding value to ICT through its implementation, evolution and maintenance. Being present in different business areas, such as tech services, consulting and robotics, Saltó has become a preferred partner throughout the Spanish territory, also collaborating with well-known international companies.

In recent years, Salto’s need-of -improvement healthcare systems awareness has lead the company to develop projects involving assistance robots in social and health environment. After being awarded for its proposal in the Mobile World Capital Barcelona 5G challenge in 2019, Saltó started to deploy robots, with its own developed platform, in senior private homes to combat loneliness, assist those in need of reminders of daily tasks and help caregivers being able to monitor their status’ anytime.

The company is currently collaborating with the Barcelona city Council to improve the quality of life of elderly people through the optimization of the management and care using robots.

“For Group Saltó, the collaboration with Evondos is an ideal opportunity to put technology at the service of people”, says Jaume Saltó, Group Saltó CEO.

SALO, Finland; LLEIDA, Spain, June 2nd 2022

Contact for Evondos:                                                             
Eetu Koski,CEO                                                                          
Evondos Group                                                                        
eetu.koski@evondos.com         

Contact for Group Saltó:
Jaume Saltó, CEO
Group Saltó                                 
jsalto@esalto.es

Briefing | 29.03.2022

Evondos, the leading provider of automated medicine dispensing services in the Nordics, has secured a €42M loan from funds managed by the BlackRock Private Credit platform, in support of its global growth plans. The company continues to enjoy robust growth. Its 2021 revenue was, up by 48% from the previous year.

Eetu Koski, CEO of Evondos, commented:
“This milestone agreement enables Evondos to implement its ambitious international growth strategy and develop its technology infrastructure. We are delighted that BlackRock shares our vision to improve patient safety, medical adherence and provide greater support for independent life at home.”

Powered by advanced technology and a cloud-based telecare system, Evondos’s unique service helps municipalities and professional home care organizations reduce the number of home care visits needed to deliver medication to patients. This frees up valuable nursing time for healthcare professionals to focus on urgent patient care. An aging population combined with a shortage of nursing staff is a global challenge that most developed countries are now facing and a pressure point that the Evondos platform can help resolve.

Stephan Caron, Head of European Private Debt at BlackRock, commented: ”Evondos is an ambitious healthcare technology company delivering an innovative and effective solution, and we are delighted to be helping them expand their global footprint. This deal highlights BlackRock’s strong deal sourcing capabilities across the Nordics and our growing presence in the region in private debt.”

About Evondos

Evondos is the leading provider of automated medicine dispensing services in the Nordics. Evondos’ unique service provides significant quality and cost benefits for professional home care organizations. The service enables people in need of medical treatment to get the right medicine at the right time and in the right dose automatically, which improves patient safety, medical adherence and supports independent life at home. The service is based on advanced technology and consists of an automatic medicine dispensing robot installed in private homes, with a cloud-based control system and service elements. Today the service is in use in nearly 300 home care organizations in the Nordics. Evondos currently employs more than 150 people in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Evondos’ headquarters and production facilities are located in Salo, Finland.

About BlackRock Alternative Investors

BlackRock Alternative Investors serve investors seeking outperformance in real estate, infrastructure, private equity, credit, hedge funds and alternative solutions. We strive to bring our investors the highest quality investments by drawing upon our global footprint, superior execution capabilities and position as a preferred partner. BlackRock manages US$300 billion in alternative investments and commitments on behalf of clients worldwide as of December 31, 2021.

Notes to editors:

This transaction does not impact Evondos’s current ownership. Verdane Funds remains the main shareholder of this company.

Contact:
Eetu Koski
CEO
Evondos Oy
eetu.koski@evondos.com

Utilita Group acquires Oxfordshire-based assisted living provider

Utilita has added award-winning Assistive Technology provider Canary Care to its portfolio.

The deal provides the energy challenger brand – one of the largest in the UK – with a presence in Oxfordshire, where Canary Care is located, and strengthens its foothold in the home services market.

Canary Care was founded in 2013 and its wireless home monitoring service is used by more than 100 UK local authorities, NHS trusts, care and housing providers and private families.

George Walters, Chief Home Services Officer at Utilita, comments:

“We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of such a well-respected business in Canary Care.

“As well as significantly strengthening our foothold in the home services market as we look to grow and diversify, this purchase also allows us to expand Utilita’s geographical footprint into Oxfordshire.

“I would like to welcome Canary Care employees to Utilita and look forward to meeting and to working with them in the weeks and months to come.”

Canary Care will continue as a separate entity but will work closely with Utilita’s tech arm, Procode, to bring new products and services to market.

Stuart Butterfield, Managing Director, at Canary Care comments:

“Utilita is one of the most successful energy challenger brands in the UK and is well-known for being a tech innovator. This is great news for our customers, partners and staff and we are truly excited about what being part of Utilita will enable us to achieve. Watch this space!

National telecare provider Careium has moved its UK headquarters to Blackburn, Lancashire. The company, whose head-office is in Sweden, employs over 500 people supporting vulnerable adults to continue living in their own homes through technology and response services. The new head office is in a purpose-built high spec 4,000sqft newly renovated building where its alarm receiving centre and support staff will be based. The office benefits from being open plan and air conditioned in an attractive landscape setting overlooking a reservoir. Kate Hollern, MP for Blackburn said “Careium’s relocation is an exciting opportunity for Blackburn, placing our community at the heart of new innovations in telecare. I look forward to seeing Careium’s expansion and investment in the area.” Nikki Powell, Careium Operations Director added “We are incredibly proud to be basing our business in Blackburn, it’s the ideal location for our head office. It is a heartland for call centre trained staff and is at the centre of the motorway network. We have undertaken a recent successful recruitment programme, employing over 100 fantastic local people. As our business continues to invest and expand in the area, we are now looking for more people to work days, evenings, nights and flexible hours.” Careium is the market leader in technology enabled care across Europe and supports over 400,000 people. In its simplest form it is a pendant alarm that the user wears and presses when they need help in an emergency connecting them with specially trained call operators, 24 hours a day. Additionally, the company provides a CQC registered service providing personal care to people living in their own houses. With the pressures on ambulance services who are struggling to meet response targets because of staff shortages, demand and having to wait longer with patients outside hospitals, Careium has seen an increased need for its services. In the UK it now handles more than 30,000 incoming alarms every day. Paul Goodrich, UK Country Director said “Our investment in Blackburn comes at an exciting time for Careium. The UK is undergoing a transition to digital connectivity and this creates a huge opportunity for our sector. By relocating to Blackburn, we are able to offer local people the chance to work in a rapidly growing sector, one in which people have a real sense of pride in the important work they do. We are proud to be contributing to boosting the local economy and our commitment to providing many jobs across the county”.

Yorbl Technologies, a leading innovator of digital health and care solutions, announced today that it has completed a major rebranding, creating The Vita Range of Digital Dispersed Alarm systems.

This rebranding exercise reflects the evolution of the company’s products through hugely successful customer testing and trials in recent months. Moving forward, the beta product previously known as Yorbl Lifeline will now be known as Yorbl Vita and the advanced solution now becomes Yorbl Vita+.

“We believe that this rebranding moves us firmly into our position as a leading innovator in the world of digital health and care. It will also ensure that our products will not be confused in any way with what we believe are outdated solutions from other manufacturers, the new Yorbl Vita Range represents the future of digital health and care and not its analogue past.” said CEO Peter Reed-Forrester.

Visit www.yorbl.com to explore the website and Yorbl solutions.

About Yorbl Technologies Limited

Yorbl Technologies Limited is an innovator of Digital Health and Care to the B2B markets since 2020. Collaborating with experts in fields such as Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Sensor Technology, coupled with the knowledge of the real world provided by experts in Health and Social Care, Yorbl continues work with the Surrey Heartlands Health Tech Accelerator, the Surrey Heartlands Health and Care Partnership, Surrey University, SetSquared and the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on the research and development of its solutions.

30^th September 2022

Everon has implemented iotcomms,io’s Alarmbridge to empower its digital grouped living solution to communicate with alarm receiving centres only capable of receiving an analogue protocol.

With the analogue to digital transformation underway, there is urgency for local authorities, housing associations and service providers to move away from analogue connectivity and to solutions and products that connect digitally, to ensure service users’ safety. Hence the need to replace analogue systems with digital solutions that are specifically designed to work on the new digital infrastructures. 

Faced with the challenge whereby alarm receiving centres are unable to accept and handle digital alarm calls, thus delaying their analogue to digital transition, Everon’s digital grouped living solution in partnership with iotcomms.io’s Alarmbridge, allows local authorities, housing associations and service providers to deploy digital solutions that connect to their alarm receiving centres via an analogue protocol.  

Everon is pleased to have been supported by PPP Taking Care in integrating its grouped living solution to enable their customer, St Marys Almshouses, in connecting their digital equipment to their local Tunstall PNC system. 

“We are happy that Everon has chosen our Alarmbridge for their modern solutions. The ability to handle both analogue and digital protocols is something we see important to make a smooth migration to a digital offering”, says Gunnar Reinholdsen at iotcomms.io.

“On behalf of St Marys Almshouses, I would like to thank your whole team for their diligent work. A lot of time and attention has been spent which has enabled us to return to our control centre of choice” says Susan Porter, Scheme Manager at St Marys Almshouses.

For service providers, local authorities and housing associations who want to start their analogue to digital journey, Everon’s digital solutions in partnership with iotcomms.io’s Alarmbridge provide a trusted way forward.  

“This has been a demanding but exciting project for the Everon Group to move to completion. Our R&D team in Finland have worked tirelessly to complete this project. iotcomms.io has been a delight to work with. We are so pleased that we have opened the doors for all local authorities, housing associations and service providers to progress with earnest their analogue to digital transformation”, says Richard Hosier, Head of Product Development at Everon UK.

Everon is the European market leader in digital grouped living solutions. Our flexible, wireless, open platform provides personalised, trusted, and sustainable solutions that enhance life. We’re excited to work with local authorities, housing associations and service providers who share our passion for Technology Enabled Care.

Lean more here: https://everon.net/

Key Features and Benefits

• Pendant up to 300m range, neck/wrist worn options (+ free easy press), waterproof (IP67), 5yrs battery 
• Quick dispatch – delivery within 5 working days
• Award winning design
• Dual resilience using 4G with 2G as backup
• Ethernet and SIM connectivity
• Up to 50 peripheral sensors can be added
• Quick, easy and flexible installation
• Programming portal means units can be set up in less than 5mins
• Bespoke SIM billing – only charged for units that are installed and online
• Free full training provided for device management platform
• Bluetooth / Zigbee enabled allowing the unit to connect to future peripherals on the high street including IoT e.g. smart plugs
• Improved speech quality
• Smoke/Heat/CO detectors can all be interlinked

In partnership with Housing LIN, this briefing paper considers what progress has been made so far and the challenges we still face to ensure essential telecare services are safe now and in the future.
In this briefing, we look at:

• What progress has been made so far.
• Are we on track for the transition to digital telecare?
• What are the challenges?
• What is holding housing providers back from going digital?

What should they do now?

Webinar

21/09/2022 (16.00-17.15)

With reference to the briefing paper above, this HAPPI Hour session puts the spotlight on what progress has been made so far and the challenges we all still face to ensure essential telecare services are safe now and in the future. Agenda: 16.00 – A brief explanation of the HAPPI Hour format – Sally Taylor-Ridgway, Communications and Events Officer, Host, Housing LIN 16.05 – Welcome and Chair’s introduction – Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN 16:10 – Tim Barclay, CEO, Appello. 16:30 – Steve Sadler, Head of Technology Strategy, TSA. 16:40 – Dr Kate Hamblin, Co-Investigator, Sustainable Care Research Fellow, Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities at Sheffield University. 16:50 – Audience Q&A 17:15 – Chair summary and close – Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

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Access solutions company shine a light on their innovative new offering at The UK’s leading event for the health and social care community.

Earlier this month at The Health Plus Care Show, The Key Safe Company announced the imminent arrival of their latest and most innovative police preferred mechanical key safe, the ark Tamo™. The two-day conference, hosted at London’s ExCeL arena on the 18^th and 19^th of May, was the perfect occasion to showcase the ground-breaking ark Tamo™ to over 6,000 health and social care professionals.

“The Health Plus Care Show was the ideal platform to highlight our new ark Tamo™ key safe as it’s one of the top events for the health and social care sector. We always look forward to attending as we get to engage with such a wide variety of people, including carers and care agencies, NHS staff, as well as other forward-thinking industry experts. We were particularly delighted to attend this year to share our excitement for the ark Tamo™ – our first ‘OEM’ innovation which has been developed in the UK by Ark Life, our sister manufacturing brand and, as with our existing products, will be serviced by our fantastic UK based sales and support team,” said Suzi Viljoen, Chief Revenue Officer for The Key Safe Company.

With innovative technology protected by multiple patents, The ark Tamo™ key safe combines the unparalleled levels of physical security and code protection and is the outcome of extensive research, end user consultation and product development. Built to LPS1175 Issue 8 A5 attack standard security rating and Secured by Design’s Police Preferred specification, it also features world-first, patented multi-push keypad technology. This allows the same button to be pressed up to four times, resulting in over 9.7 million possible code combinations – the highest number for any mechanical key safe ever built.

Designed with ease of use in mind, the industry leading ark Tamo™ also features an illuminated LED keypad with large, easy-press buttons, an inner vault light and two key hooks allowing users to store more keys and easily retrieve them, whatever the light conditions.

Attendees of the Health Plus Care Show were quick to comment on the cutting-edge features of the ark Tamo™ and the benefits these will bring.

“We had great feedback from visitors, who were eager to see the new ark Tamo™. It was clear to them that this product offers something to everyone,”said Suzi.“For health and social care professionals in particular, it was the illuminated buttons and the light inside the key safe, meaning they will be able to enter the code and see the keys no matter what time of day or night. Many end users may receive key safe as part of a care package, which is then linked to a monitoring centre. Therefore, service providers were very excited about the new possibilities offered with the QR code integration with the ark Tamo™, which enables smart functionality whilst maintaining the reliability of a mechanical key safe, offering the best of both worlds. The bigger, easier to operate multi-push buttons also received a lot of attention meaning not only higher code security but ease of use for those with dexterity issues. It was fantastic to hear so many positive comments, as the development of the ark Tamo ™ was strongly driven by customer voice. We are delighted the ark Tamo™ will be meeting so many of our customers wants and needs.”

 The ark Tamo™ will be available to purchase from early Q3 2022. To register interest, visit http://eepurl.com/h0J4NH    

Founded in 1995, The Key Safe Company, a trading name of Supra UK, are leading key safe experts in the health and social care industry, enabling better lives with high quality security and access management solutions.

https://keysafe.co.uk/

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The Key Safe Company, a leading provider of domestic and business key management solutions, has pledged its commitment to continuously reduce its carbon emissions by achieving carbon neutrality. Taking responsibility for the company’s impact on the environment, Key Safe has partnered with sustainable development expert ClimateCare to offset the company’s carbon footprint through providing carbon financing to projects that develop greener infrastructures and improve lives.

Carbon neutrality is achieved by calculating the company’s carbon footprint and reducing it to zero through a combination of in-house efficiency measures, renewable energy and financing external emissions reduction projects.

As well as implementing a continuous carbon reduction strategy that includes switching to greener energy sources and vehicles amongst other measures, The Key Safe Company has opted to offset its emissions by providing carbon financing to the Global Renewable Energy Portfolio and Acre Amazon Rainforest REDD projects in Brazil.

Global Renewable Energy projects help to reduce greenhouse emissions by building sustainable infrastructure and speeding up the adoption of renewable energy around the world. This work is vital to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the growing global demand for energy, which is one of the largest contributors towards greenhouse gases. Carbon finance by companies such as The Key Safe Company provides essential funds to support the development of global renewable projects.

Acre Amazon Rainforest REDD, Key Safe’s second chosen project, prevents the deforestation of Amazonian rainforests by providing agricultural training and promoting sustainable economic livelihoods.

Current rates of deforestation mean that Amazon forest footprint could reduce from 90% to just 65% by 2030. Tropical rainforests are home to 70% of the Earth’s species of plants and animals.

As well as cutting carbon emissions and helping to preserve one of the most diverse habitats on the planet, Acre Amazon Rainforest REDD projects work with local communities to help eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through providing training and strengthening local business skills. 

Marcus Taylor, Deputy CEO at The Key Safe Company, commented: “As a responsible business, the team at Key Safe understand that the impact of our business on the environment matters. We wanted to take action today, not tomorrow. Our customers and staff expect nothing less. Our plan has already delivered Carbon Neutral status for Key Safe and we’ll now go further over the next few years to achieve our goal of Net Zero.”

A spokesperson for ClimateCare explained: “We work with forward-thinking organisations to turn their climate responsibilities into positive outcomes. Our trademark Climate+Care approach helps organisations take a smart approach to addressing their environmental impacts by offsetting their carbon emissions through projects which also support sustainable development”.

Launching today is the next guide in our series focussed on managing the transition to digital telecare.

The business case for digital telecare is clear: this offers significant benefits for both your customers and your organisation. As you plan a move to digital, it’s important to consider your customers’ role in this – and why you need to make customer engagement a key part of your plans.

Any change to your current telecare offering directly impacts those living in your properties. After all, they are the end-users of these services. They may already have personal alarms, such as a pendant, or rely on sensors, such as fall detectors. Whatever telecare equipment they are using to support them in their homes, they understand how this works and are comfortable with it. 

Digital telecare can be a whole new landscape for them, albeit one that offers many more advantages. But you will need your customers’ buy-in to ensure that your new systems are successful.

We’ve put together a guide to help you, covering when to engage your customers and how your aims with this will change at different stages of the project. We look at how to overcome barriers to engagement, plus what to focus on to generate interest and excitement. There are also tips for planning an engagement programme and pitching your communications correctly.

Download our guide here:

Managing the Transition to Digital Telecare: How to Engage Your Customers

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