Jenny Stewart: We can’t afford to keep health care as it is

Published on Monday 10 October 2011 00:16

PEOPLE living longer and healthier lives is a huge achievement, but the health and social care services, on which we all rely, will come under intense pressure.

In Scotland, the number of people aged over 75 will increase by 61 per cent in the next 15 years, according to Registrar General statistics. And the NHS drugs bill in Scotland has more than doubled in the last ten years, costing £1.3 billion in 2010.

But unlike other countries, Scotland cares for people often in expensive institutions, rather than in their own homes. If current trends continue, Scotland could end up spending over half of its GDP on healthcare in the 21st century. That is not sustainable. We must move away from traditional models of health and social care to create more “integrated” services, where flexible and responsive services focus on bringing home-based care. In Scotland there is strong cross-party political will to make this happen.

In making integrated care a success, new and simple technologies can play a huge role. For the elderly and those with chronic diseases, new monitoring equipment can be installed easily and cheaply in homes with results instantly available for them, their carers and clinicians. This can help prevent multiple, expensive and inconvenient hospital visits. These technologies, known as telehealth care, give people confidence and greater ability to live independent lives with the knowledge that support is always available.

Scotland has recognised this with a National Strategy for Telehealth and evidence from pilots across the UK show that a combination of different ways of working, supported by new technologies can have a major impact. One study in Ipswich found home-based systems resulted in a 75 per cent reduction in GP visits and a 75 per cent reduction in hospital bed days over six months.

Wholesale change is now needed. Just doing what we’ve always done is not the answer. l Jenny Stewart is head of public sector, KPMG Scotland.