Catch up on the latest from TEC Cymru’s Telecare team in our new blog; featuring the new Telecare Programme Strategy that outlines what we will be doing to support the sector over the next 18 months and what you can do now to prepare for digital migration.
“I am delighted to share with you our newly developed Telecare Programme Strategy that outlines what we will be doing to support the sector over the next 18 months; it is based on our earlier published Discovery Report and incorporates the latest industry learnings gained through our work with organisations across the sector.
Our top priority remains to provide consultancy, support and advice to all 7 Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) in Wales in making the transition to digital connectivity (IP) by the end of 2023, ensuring vulnerable citizens in Wales can still generate alarm calls when required.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council was the first to announce plans to upgrade to a SaaS-based digital ARC and I’m pleased to report this was successfully completed this summer – read in detail about the project here and congratulations to the team. The project has provided our team at TEC Cymru with valuable insights into the opportunities and pitfalls that a digital migration provides, as well as informing our model Migration Strategy which can be used to assist further ARCs to complete their migration to digital on a larger scale. We continue to work in the open, sharing our learnings and resources, so please consult our continually updated online toolkit, particularly if you’re interested in learning more about the steps you can take NOW on your journey to digital technology enabled healthcare.
Our collaboration with the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government continues to be a productive partnership that has enabled us to accelerate our approach while learning and building upon the excellent work to date. Maximising our collective resources has to be the way to achieve the best possible outcomes for both users and delivery partners and we are currently working together to develop Minimum Telecare Datasets that will build better informed understanding of telecare services and user needs across Wales (and Scotland.)
TEC Cymru’s Telecare Programme is also supporting Welsh councils who do not have an ARC by providing advice and guidance on the latest digital telecare products on the market.
Finally, I’m very pleased to introduce TEC Cymru’s new Telecare Business Change Manager, Sarah Turvey-Barber who will be leading our Engagement strategy.
Sarah is already known to many local authorities and has previously led on the development of regional telecare service delivery across areas of ABUHB. Additionally, she will ensure where possible a collaborative approach with the Housing Sector who face similar challenges with regard to digitalisation. Sarah is an advocate of the possibilities telecare offers and wants us all to bring the ‘world’s best kept secret’ to the core of citizen care planning. Sarah says by doing so it will “allow people to remain living independently in their own homes, safely and for as long as possible.”
Talk to our team about how we can help you – we look forward to working closely with you through this transformative period for health and social care.
- Aaron Edwards, National Programme Manager: Aaron.edwards@wales.nhs.uk
- Sarah Turvey-Barber, Telecare Business Change Manager: Sarah.Turvey-Barber@wales.nhs.uk