So what to make of the report into the NHS by Lord Darzi?
For those of you commissioning services or deciding on major investment for your health trust, housing association or care organisation, will any of it have come as a surprise?
The challenge now is making the right decisions in the knowledge that no additional government money is coming to boost services or delivery, within the NHS at least – without strings being attached.
At Everon UK we believe that the UK health and social care sector must embrace technology enabled care if we are to fix the challenges facing health and social care in this country.
Earlier this month we shared a blog post asking if data led behavioural monitoring technology – the cutting edge of technology enabled care - could be the answer to the challenges of caring for an ageing population.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said it was now “over to us to write the prescription.” That’s great to hear. We hope he listens far and wide for the right treatment.
We say the prescription requires not being afraid of embracing proven technologies that can support early discharges from hospital, or even prevent the need for them to need emergency care in the first place.
The UK has an increasing ageing population and that’s growing over time. People are living longer with disabilities or life limiting and chronic illnesses.
These, as Lord Darzi’s report illustrates, are pushing health and social care providers to the brink. They simply do not have the resources to meet demand. Using the latest health tech for assisted living should be part of the response to flattening the curve of cost and demand, and making finite resources stretch further.
We know it can be done. We know the difference the new generation of AI and machine learning monitoring technology can make because we’re delivering these solutions at Everon already.
Peter Kerly, Managing Director, Everon UK, said:
“The Prime Minister today said the NHS is broken with no extra funding without reform. The government’s prescription for the changes required must include technology enabled care as part of the solution, embracing the potential of AI and machine learning. These innovations are already proving their worth in reducing costs and increasing capacity across the UK’s social care and healthcare system.
“Everon UK and our strategic partners are pioneering proactive technology in assistive care with the capability to quickly detect shifts in behaviour that may indicate emerging health concerns. These preventative approaches are key not only for the future of our health service, but for improving the quality of life for those most in need.”
Everon UK are sponsoring and attending Innovative Horizons: Shaping the Future of TEC at the King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester from 9am until 3.20pm on Wednesday, 25 September.
The one-day TSA members event promises to be a dynamic day of insights, discussions and networking opportunities. Our new UK Sales Director, Mark Smith will be there. To find out how we can transform your service delivery, email: mark.smith@everon.net
On the election trail the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting said the new government would be honest about the challenges facing the UK and serious about tackling them.
Less than two months on from election day and it all feels depressingly familiar when it comes to the changes to both mindset and delivery that are urgently required when it comes to social care. It’s not just the NHS that is broken.
Instead, having listened to the Prime Minister’s recent Downing Street speech, it feels like we’re about to make the same mistakes with all the signs being that the new administration is going to kick any reforms back into the long grass.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Businesses like ours operating in the technology enabled care space in the UK are ready to deliver on the kind of innovative solutions that will help support the wider health and care system.
By working more closely with - and listening to - the private sector the government can achieve its ambitions of reducing hospital stays and spiralling costs for care home and emergency admissions. The Secretary of State has said he is intending to do just that. He has a busy in-tray but we’re ready to have that conversation.
Peter Kerly, Managing Director, Everon UK, says: “It’s undoubtedly a prickly nettle to grasp but unless action to change the UK’s approach, it risks destabilising much more than our health and social care system alone.
“This government is clearly not afraid of tackling thorny issues, so I would urge them to grab this nettle, get all the heads around the table to look at the issues holistically and find a pathway that works.
Report showcases TEC impact
Monitoring technology to support assisted independent living has the capacity to make a vital contribution to fixing the funding crisis affecting health and social care providers across the UK. We’ve known that for a long while and the data is starting to back that up.
A new industry report published this month suggests the NHS could save more than £1.2 billion through widespread use of non-intrusive lifestyle monitoring technology, including supporting early discharges from hospital.
Clearly, we have a vested interest in that success as a health tech business, but the results based on data from local councils that have embraced technology enabled care and responded to this research is particularly compelling.
The report concludes town halls across the UK responsible for social care could save £3bn by 2035 if they adopted proactive monitoring technology now.
This would give more people the option to live independently at home for longer and prevent thousands from entering more expensive care settings.
Responding to the report, Peter Kerly added, “The evidence is there as this report from a business that shares our passion for data driven, technology-enabled care reveals. A preventative-model of care that isn’t afraid of utilising proven technologies needs to be embraced and soon.”
Data backed solutions are the future for care
At Everon, we support health commissioners, housing associations and other care providers across the public and private sector with digital, data driven solutions that can make this happen.
Increasingly that is no longer a pendant that needs to be pressed to raise the alarm but technologies that can detect changes in behaviour and warn both families and care providers of health issues that may be emerging.
At the end of March, we announced a strategic partnership with Howz alongside Develco Products, IRIS-IoT and Cair to power the next generation of intelligent technology solutions for the health, housing and social care sectors.
That collaboration is already having an impact, and with growing interest from customers. As we get closer to digital switchover in 2027, by which time all analogue systems in the UK will need to be replaced, we expect that momentum to grow. Investment decisions will be required sooner rather than later.
That investment should include the kind of technologies that we are delivering with Howz. Using unobtrusive sensors around the home, and linked to an app and data analysis portal, this system uses intelligent AI machine learning to keep people safe, families reassured, and care providers informed.
Through work with NHS Trusts and local authorities Howz has shown just how effective these behaviour-led technologies can be in supporting a preventative model of care – delivering a 32 per cent reduction in ambulance call outs and a 23 per cent fall in hospital admissions.
Kate Fairhurst, Managing Director, Howz, says: "Howz are pioneering proactive technology in assistive care, designed to build a comprehensive picture of daily life and quickly detect shifts in behaviour that may indicate emerging health concerns.
“Our collaboration with Everon UK is bringing the future of assisted living into the present, offering providers cutting-edge insights that support timely interventions.
“With the rapid adoption of Howz proactive monitoring across health and social care, fuelled by the increasing need for early detection, Howz and Everon are at the forefront of this transformation.
“By integrating Everon’s devices with Howz’s machine learning and pattern detection capabilities, our clients gain the ability to spot issues early, ensuring that care is delivered before problems escalate—ultimately improving the quality of life for those in need."
Everon UK are sponsoring and attending Innovative Horizons: Shaping the Future of TEC at the King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester from 9am until 3.30pm on Wednesday, 25 September.
The one-day TSA members event promises to be a dynamic day of insights, discussions and networking opportunities. If you’re interested in the potential and delivery of technology enabled care, this event organised by the TSA is for you.
To find out more about this free event, including registering your attendance, click here
Everon, the European market leader in digital grouped assisted living solutions, will use an event in Manchester later this month to issue a rallying cry for the technology enabled care (TEC) sector.
The Maidstone based company has used 2024 to embrace the potential of data-led monitoring technology, signing new strategic partnerships with exciting innovators like Howz to develop the next generation of intelligent technology solutions to power a national transition to a more preventative model of care.
Everon is sponsoring Innovative Horizons: Shaping the Future of TEC, a one-day event taking place at the King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester from 9am to 3.20pm on Wednesday, 25 September.
Organised by TSA, the independent advisory body for the TEC sector, this important event will be a place for networking and discussions including the transformative potential of AI, machine learning and big data.
It comes at a time of significant pressures on social care and health care, in terms of both capacity and cost, set against the backdrop of a demographic time bomb caused by a growing older population
Peter Kerly, Managing Director, Everon UK, said: “Businesses across the TEC sector are investing now in developing the innovative data driven solutions that can transform the wider health and care system, reducing hospital stays and spiralling costs for care home and emergency admissions.
“We want to use this event in September as a platform to call on government policy makers, health care commissioners and housing association leaders to put their trust in the future. That future lies in a preventative model of care.
“This means moving away from products that are analogue in delivery, if not in technology, to the latest monitoring systems that can detect changes in behaviour. These have the capability to warn families of loved ones, and the care providers they rely on of health issues that may be emerging. Action can then be taken before they become an issue not after a fall, when it may be too late.
“With digital switchover now set for 2027, it’s vital that those providing support for assisted living invest their finite resources in systems that will benefit the wider health and social care ecosystem - easing pressures and reducing costs for the long term. If the government is to achieve its ambitions of fixing the NHS and social care those investment decisions being taken now will be critical.”
To register for the Innovative Horizons: Shaping the Future of TEC event in Manchester visit the TSA website: https://www.tsa-voice.org.uk/events/
Everon, the European market leader in digital grouped living solutions, has announced the appointment of Mark Smith to lead the company’s UK sales and partnerships team at a time of significant change and opportunity for digital healthcare.
As UK Sales Director for Everon, Mark will draw on more than 35 years of experience in the technology enabled care (TEC) sector, to continue strong relationships with project teams within NHS community healthcare and private sector housing organisations.
Mark joins Everon having worked with several industry leading companies supporting digital transformation in the public sector as well as opportunities for business growth across health, housing and social care using his technology, SaaS and Smart City experience.
He is also someone with a passion for driving improvement and improved health outcomes, through the potential of TEC, having become an established thought leader on the impact that digital solutions can make to improving at-home preventative care and reducing pressures on public sector services.
Peter Kerly, Managing Director, Everon UK, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Mark to the team, and look forward to the impact he will bring as we enter an exciting new chapter for the business. Our thanks go to Lee Balfour who has played a pivotal role in the company’s growth as Sales Director over the past four years and we wish him all the best for the future.
“We are determined at Everon UK to make it easier for our existing and future clients to invest in our game changing digital solutions, including our recently announced partnership with Siemens Leasing, allowing health, housing and social providers to access the technology services now with flexible commercial options."
“This year we have also announced new strategic partnerships that have given us the capability to deliver systems that will bring the next generation of proactive care technology to assisted living providers, ensuring people can live independently for longer.
“By 2027 UK TEC will be fully digital and Mark will play a pivotal role in terms of bringing Everon to the attention of new health and care providers as they make that transition to a more pro-active and supportive approach, delivering TEC solutions that have the potential to transform healthcare as we know it.”
Mark Smith, Sales Director, Everon UK, said: “Everon UK is on an exciting journey, and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to play my part in the company’s continued growth as a leading UK TEC solution provider. This is not just another job for me, but an opportunity to share my experience to support, grow and motivate the next team of thought leaders driving change in health, housing and social care. I can’t wait to get started.”
