Home monitoring of patients will cut the costs of hospital care

Published on Tuesday 4 August 2009 22:04

THOUSANDS of hospital and care-home beds are set to be freed up in the next year, with funds for remote monitoring of patients more than doubling.

Edinburgh City Council is spending almost 1 million in 2009-10 on "telecare" packages to help people stay in their own homes.

Measures include sensors that turn off cookers, GPS trackers for people with Alzheimer's disease and alarms so elderly residents can call for help.

The projects are part of a growing number of "telehealth" schemes emerging across Scotland in recent years.

In the last three years, Edinburgh City Council has spent an average of 405,000 on telecare. But this year it is rising to 950,000, as the services are offered to more people.

As well as helping those with medical conditions and the elderly, for the first time about 50,000 will be spent dealing with domestic violence.

Listening devices will be fitted that will alert police and relatives if an incident is taking place, such as an abusive ex-partner arriving at the house.

Council health and social care convener Paul Edie said the schemes would free hospital beds and save money.

"We reckon we can save 3,000 hospital beds a year, that's 600 per hospital bed day, and 3,000 care home beds which are around 60 a day," he said.

"Often people are going into a care home, for example, because they can't remember they have left the cooker on. We have something that will switch the cooker off for you after 20 minutes, which keep you in your home longer."

Mr Edie said another telecare device was a movement sensor worn by people at risk of epileptic seizures, which meant people did not have to be checked throughout the night.

Sensors can also alert staff if someone wets the bed or has not moved for long periods, meaning help can be sent.

Mr Edie added: "We have also been trialling something like a wristwatch with a GPS system.

"If granny has Alzheimer's and goes out in the middle of the night in her nightie, then everyone will notice her, but during the day when she is fully clothed and gets lost that is more of a problem. We have a GPS system where you can mark off an area and when she goes out of that it phones a call centre and they can track her down."

Mr Edie said the domestic abuse scheme was being run in conjunction with the police.

"It is voluntary, so say your abusive ex-partner comes to the door, you press a button and it starts recording the discussion you are having with them and it phones the police and/or relatives so they can remonstrate with the person," he said.

"The police reckon it can save them four officers for a domestic abuse incident."

Mr Edie said the aim of the funding was to help people live their lives as they wanted for as long as possible.