NHS Digital and Local Government Association have just awarded additional funding to nine councils for projects that enable social care digitalisation. The funding comes through the Social Care Digital Innovation Programme.
NHS Digital commissioned the programme with management from the Local Government Association. The idea behind the programme is for councils to develop digital social care pilots that can improve frontline practice in adult social care.
Earlier in 2018, twelve councils received £20,000 of funding from the same programme that authorities could use to investigate how digital technology could improve local challenges. Now £700,000 has been awarded across nine projects that were chosen to pilot and implement.
Some of the projects receiving funds include;
The Wirral council will be testing biometric wearable devices for people with complex learning disabilities and autism so that care workers can identify anxiety triggers which can help with the level of support carers provide.
Stockport council are trialling assistive technology devices that reduce the number of false alarms for telecare services and help to monitor residents so that they can live independently in their home for longer.
Havering council are developing an app for their social care workers for sharing employment details securely to help to speed up the recruiting process.
Lincolnshire council are creating an online benefits checker to help individuals. The plan hopes to reduce the number of social care packages that are hastily cancelled because of their cost.
Other councils who have received funding to develop their project include; Bracknell Forest, Isle of Wight, Nottingham, Shropshire and Sunderland. You can find out more about their projects here.
The Programme Lead for the Social Care Programme at NHS Digital, James Palmer, said; “These are some really exciting proposals, and I am looking forward to seeing the outcomes. We will be sharing learning from the projects, with a view to these blueprints supporting other social care providers looking to innovate in the same area.”
You can find out more about the programme here.
