FarrPoint, together with the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, today publish a new report into the benefits of telecare. While the value of telecare has long been acknowledged, it has not previously been evidenced or quantified. This new report details the improved service outcomes, bankable savings, and system-wide efficiencies being delivered across Scotland’s health and care sector.
To address this evidence gap, this report focuses on a set of measurable benefits associated with the implementation and scaling of telecare services. Using a robust structured benefits framework, the FarrPoint report applies a data-led approach to evaluate the impact of telecare.
“This report shows the range of benefits telecare services offer to service users, councils, and the wider health & care system. Care technology is developing fast and the evidence in this report will help telecare providers to justify growing and developing their service offering”, Kate Milne, Economist at FarrPoint said.
Key findings
The report, that was commissioned by Digital Office and produced by FarrPoint, demonstrates the impact that the use of telecare can have:
- Improved outcomes for service users including improved wellbeing
- Reduced costs for telecare providers including delayed admission to long-term care.
- Reduced pressure on emergency services and the NHS, with evidence showing fewer ambulance callouts, reduced emergency bed days, and shorter long-lie incidents after falls.
In addition, the report demonstrates the additional benefits offered by the shared telecare alarm receiving solution procured by the Digital Office, including:
- Reduced solution costs through shared procurement and economies of scale.
- Reducing administrative overhead by using a shared platform and mobile-based responder apps.
- Enhanced workforce flexibility and performance through the flexible working supported by cloud-based systems.
Image 1 – FarrPoint Report Infographic detailing the benefits in numbers
David Brown, Business Relationship Manage at Digital Office for Sottish Local Government said:
“The Telecare Benefits Framework illustrates exactly how great an impact telecare has in Scotland. It helps people stay independent at home for longer and boosts their wellbeing. The goal isn’t just to introduce technology, but to enhance quality of life. This evidence-based method makes sure that every telecare investment leads to clear benefits for both citizens and the public sector”.
While several benefits remain unquantified due to limited data or the early adoption of new service models. The framework is designed to be a living document, with further benefits being evaluated as data becomes available.
The framework also provides a consistent evidence-based model for measuring value that can be used to support future health and care projects across Scotland.
Download the report here