Telecare delivers savings in Scotland

Telecare in Scotland has delivered savings of more than £11m and is improving health and social care delivery and quality of life for users, according to an evaluation report.

The report on Scotland’s Telecare Development Programme concludes that it has delivered savings of £11.15m in 2007-08, based on 7,902 people receiving telecare equipment. It estimates that total cost savings over the period 2007 to 2010 are on track be a minimum of £43m.

The evaluation by the York Economic Consortium,also estimates that 81,000 bed days have been saved in Scotland in a year as a result of telecare services.

The estimate is broken down into 5,668 bed days saved because of faster discharge, 13,870 saved by reduced emergency admissions and 61,990 care home bed days saved by reduced need for people to enter care homes.

The study also found that 93% of telecare service users felt safer as a result of having telecare services in place and 87% also felt their families worried less as a result.

Alan Bell, communities and information manager at West Lothian Council, said the results confirmed the potential of telecare to transform care provision.

He added: “Mainstreaming telecare within West Lothian has improved quality of life for older people and their carers and the cost savings realised have been reinvested into further healthcare provision – a virtuous circle which is driving continuous improvement and which has telecare at its core.”

Link: Evaluation of the Telecare Development Programme