Time has come to adopt telecare in connected home care services, says Tanaka Business School, 15 June

Professor James Barlow today told an HSA conference on connected home care services that at least a dozen major government reports since 1998 had called for telecare to be introduced.

Barlow said that advances in technology meant telecare would bring both a major sense of reassurance to older people and their carers, and also bring savings from reduced social care costs.

“Many older people want to continue to live independently in their own home, but ill health and reduced mobility mean they have to rely heavily on home carers. Telecare is a real option for ensuring that they can do this without unsustainable pressure on health and social care resources."

But he cautioned that implementing telecare needed a longer term vision:

“The Government is appreciative of telecare service and cost benefits, but the time required for these benefits to become significant may be longer than politicians’ time horizons. The road ahead won’t be easy, but it will be critical not to give up too soon”

Professor Barlow felt that all the elements of a telecare infrastructure were in place but the many stakeholders and complex funding arrangements might slow the introduction of telecare, despite the proven benefits.

“We now have a unique opportunity to introduce telecare. Government has a responsibility to develop a clear strategy for the way forward when the £80m funding comes on stream in 2006. And local authorities will need clear advice on how and where to spend the money to get the maximum benefit.”

Notes to editors

About Tanaka Business School www.imperial.ac.uk/tanaka The business of science, the science of business

Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk <file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/shaywood/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK9DD/www.imperial.ac.uk>

Imperial College’s Tanaka Business School is a world-class provider of business education and research, focusing primarily on Imperial strengths in innovation and entrepreneurship, finance, and healthcare management. It offers full-time and executive MBAs, Masters programmes in Finance, Risk Management, Health Management and Management; and a PhD programme. The Financial Times currently ranks Tanaka Business School as 4th in Europe for research excellence, 10th in the world for its Executive MBA and 1st in Europe and 5th in the world for entrepreneurship.

 
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