Bids begin to increase telecare
At Telecare 2007 exhibition held in Birmingham, UK, this September, Moira Mackenzie, the Scottish Executive's Telecare Programme Manager spoke of aim of the country's new government (minority Scottish Nationalist party, elected in May 2007) is keen to reform healthcare which it will change through administrative reform.
By 2010, she said, the Scottish Telecare Programme hopes to have telecare services (excluding community alarms) available to 75,000 people across Scotland, and an additional 19,000 patients will be able to live at home. Net savings from the telecare services are estimated to be over ?57 million, over five times the cost of the telecare programme. In its first stage, projected outcomes are that 3,800 more people will be able to live at home and there will be 1,574 less unplanned hospital admissions and 430 fewer delayed hospital discharges.
Bidding has been invited for the almost ?12 million telecare start-up funding from the Scottish Executive. Each bid must cite the specific health outcome that it aims to achieve.
Funding will be allocated to local Health and Social Care Partnerships which include local healthcare providers, local authorities and other organisations, on a formula basis according to size and population.
15.11.2007
