Amazon Echo among the tech being funded by NHS to improve social care

Amazon Echo is just one of the digital ideas being tested out, as a result of NHS Digital's decision to give 16 councils up to £50,000 each to spend on technology to improve social care.

Hampshire Council is seeking to trial the use of the Amazon Echo, a voice-activated home audio speaker, on 50 people who are using adult social care services.

Individuals can use the Echo to ask for basic information while the Echo will provide TV alerts (for example about medication) as well as help people at home communicate with family members and carers.

The pilot is one of many trials taking place up and down the country as a result of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Local Investment Programme, which has been funded by NHS Digital.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Technology can never be a replacement for care, but it can play a really effective role in helping people to live at home for longer.

“We were extremely impressed by the interest shown in the programme and the high quality of the bids we received."

Linda Whalley, NHS Digital director of strategy, said the funding will enable investment “in some really great projects that will benefit local people.”

Essex to use TV sets to make video calls

Essex County Council is using the money to pilot video calls as part of care packages for individuals. The project will allow people to make video calls through their existing television set to communicate with friends, family and health and social care professionals.

Meanwhile, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council is looking to manage its homecare provision across Liverpool better with a 'joined-up' digital process for requesting home care services and a real-time view of all home care service requests, delivery and home care capacity in the area.

The London Borough of Harrow is working with NHS Harrow Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to extend its My Community ePurse (MCeP) system, which enables the purchase of social care and equipment from personal budgets, to include those in receipt of personal health budgets.

Luton provides Wi-Fi in care homes

Luton Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council are piloting work which enables care homes to access electronic shared care records with health services to smooth residents’ transfer between health and care settings and will provide Wi-Fi in care homes to offer electronic consultations with medical staff.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is developing technology to allow their Online Care Plan tool to be shared with all professionals who have explicit consent, so that people only have to tell their ‘social care’ story once.

While Bath & North East Somerset Council is testing out a range of assistive technology apps and devices as part of its rehabilitation service, Wolverhampton Council is leading a pilot involving 14 local authorities across the West Midlands to bring together health and social care data, and use predictive analytics to improve commissioning.

But Wolverhampton is not the only council collaborating with another local authority in a trial. Peterborough Council is working with Cambridgeshire County Council to 'align' its social care systems, to ensure integrated working across council boundaries.

The LGA has said it will liaise with all participating councils to share knowledge gained from pilots and examples of best practice.