NHS Connecting for Health to advise Assistive Technology Industry
The work being done by Kent, other local authorities and the NHS will help inform the future of assistive technology (telehealth and telecare) in the health and social care arena. They are demonstrating that assistive technology can help people retain independence and improve their quality of life. Funding of £80 million has been allocated to local authorities over the next two years as part of the Preventative Technologies Grant to support even more people in their own homes.
The Government's White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, makes it clear that assistive technology is set to grow as health and social care services move to provide people with more independence, choice and control. The White Paper highlights the "exciting new possibilities opened up by assistive technologies" and makes a commitment to demonstrate how assistive technology can make a difference to people's lives through a series of pilot sites.
NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH) is contributing to the debate by exploring how assistive technology might be provided on a bigger scale but in a sustainable way for the longer term. The alliance aims to develop technologies that work together to provide an opportunity to improve quality of life, help reduce unnecessary hospital use and enable more efficient use of resources. Universal standards will also help improve safety.