Telecare: a crucial opportunity to help save our health and social care system

Start date: 31 July 2009
End date: 31 August 2009
Funder: Tunstall Healthcare
Primary investigator: Professor Sue Yeandle

The paper, published in August 2009, represents the independent view of the author based on analysis of publicly available research. This paper offers a review of the landscape for the delivery of health and social care in the future, noting the pressures on unpaid carers and home care providers and the rising costs of supporting England’s growing population of older, sick and disabled people, in today’s current economic climate.

Arguing that mainstreaming telecare to a much wider group of people offers a relatively low-cost means of containing costs, potentially improves the quality of life of carers and relieves some carers of the strains associated with their caring roles. The paper calls for a speedy extension of basic telecare systems into many more homes to support the independent living, dignity and safety of older, sick and disabled people.

The paper’s publication and distribution has been funded by the Bow Group. CIRCLE is grateful to both for their support in drawing this analysis to public attention.

Project Publications

Report: Telecare: a crucial opportunity to help save our health and social care system [PDF: 827KB].