Stakeholders and Programmes
From Telehealth
Assisted Living Innovation Platform (ALIP)
In November 2007, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) launched the Assisted Living Innovation Platform (ALIP). The purpose of the ALIP is to significantly advance the technology needed to meet the demand for independent living from people suffering from chronic long-term health conditions. Against a backdrop of an ageing population, the Innovation Platform seeks to consider the requirements for improving quality of life, and wellbeing, and also to address the societal challenges raised by health conditions that require a preventative approach.
With a total investment of £11m (half from the TSB and DH, and half from participating companies), ALIP includes nine separate projects.
Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP)
CSIP is a partnership of four national programmes delivered through eight regional development centres. The RDCs' activity is consolidated into four core programmes - social care, NIMHE (mental health), children and young people, and health and social care criminal justice. The social care programme is most relevant to assistive technologies, as it aims to extend the personalisation agenda, and implement the first ever National Dementia Strategy.
CSIP Networks take the lead for CSIP around integration and whole system reform, housing with care, assistive technology and commissioning. The Telecare LIN is the national network supporting local service redesign through the application of telecare and telehealth to aid the delivery of housing, health, social care and support services for older and vulnerable people.
Continua Health Alliance
Groups of companies collectively called the Continua Health Alliance are working together to establish a system of interoperable personal telehealth solutions that fosters independence and empowers people and organizations to better manage health and wellness.
European Centre for Connected Health (Northern Ireland)
The European Centre for Connected Health, launched by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey on 22 January 2008, has been established to promote improvements in patient care through the use of technology in health and social care, and to fast-track new products and innovation in the health and social services. While the Centre will have a Europe-wide focus, it will build momentum initially by focusing on the Health and Social Care system in Northern Ireland.
Telehealth procurement in Northern Ireland
The first priority for the Centre is to secure the implementation of a remote telemonitoring service for people with severe chronic disease - congestive heart failure, diabetes, and COPD. The Centre will lead the procurement process on behalf of and in partnership with the five Health & Social Care Trusts and four Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland. Value of procurement: approximately £46 million (for details see OJEU notice published on 26 August).
FAST (The Foundation for Assistive Technology)
The Foundation for Assistive Technology (FAST) is a small charity that works collaboratively with other members of the assistive technology (AT) community, across statutory, voluntary and private sectors, to bring innovative products to market and to improve services for disabled and older people.
To support research and service development, FAST provides a comprehensive AT events listing covering conferences, workshops, product launch events, etc. They also compile the UK's only AT jobs listing to support career development in the AT sector.
FP7 (EU Seventh Research Framework Programme)
The Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7) is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and will run from 2007 to 2013. The EC budget for the next seven years is €50.5 billion and the Euratom budget for the next five years is €2.7 billion. FP7 supports research in selected priority areas - the aim being to make, or keep, the EU as a world leader in those sectors. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe’s employment needs and competitiveness.
Funding opportunities normally require international cooperation – collaboration across at least three, independent ‘legal entities’ in different EU member states or associated countries. The FP7 website offers a function to allow you to search for international project partners.
Health calls for proposals - published 03 September 2008
On 3 September 2008, FP7 launched two new calls for proposals under the ‘health’ theme – one offering a total of €476m of funding and a second offering €115m of funding. The funding opportunities range from large-scale to small-scale projects, and proposals must be received by 03 December 2008.
King's Fund
The King's Fund is an independent charitable foundation working for better health, especially in London. Their goals are to develop: informed policy, by undertaking original research and providing objective analysis; effective services, by fostering innovation and helping put ideas into action; and skilled people, by building understanding, capacity and leadership.
Whole System Demonstrator Action Network (WSDAN)
The King's Fund runs the WSDAN, which is an online resource on telecare, telehealth and the management of long-term conditions. The Network is run by The King’s Fund and CSIP Networks, and is funded by the Department of Health. WSDAN aims to combine research, educational and experiential learning opportunities to examine the progress and impact of telecare and telehealth in enabling long-term conditions management.
National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR)
The National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR) is a virtual organisation that has been established by the Department of Health to deliver the Government's R&D strategy 'Best Research for Best Health'.
Invention for Innovation (i4i)
The Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme is bringing new investment together with two existing, successful NIHR programmes: New and Emerging Applications of Technology (NEAT) and Health Technology Devices (HTD), to improve the identification of promising healthcare technologies and accelerate the development of new healthcare products for the 21st century.
NHS Connecting for Health (CfH)
NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) came into operation on 1 April 2005 and is an agency of the Department of Health. CfH supports the NHS to deliver better, safer care to patients, by bringing in new computer systems and services, and is responsible for delivering the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).
CfH has a dedicated assistive technology programme, which is aiming to create an integrated approach and greater coherence in the field of telecare/telehealth. George MacGinnis, Assistive Technology Programme Manager, has been a regular speaker and attendee at meetings of the Intellect Telehealth Group over the last year. George last spoke at the Telehealth Group's meeting of 15 July - (view George's presentation).
NHS London
As the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for London, NHS London provides strategic leadership for all of the NHS health services in London.
London Programme for IT (LPfIT)
Part of NHS London, the London Programme for IT (LPfIT) has overall responsibility for upgrading NHS information technology to make it possible for hospitals, community services, mental health trusts and GPs to share electronic patient records across the capital. Kevin Jarrold, Director of LPfIT, and Paul White, CEO of BT Health London spoke at Intellect's Healthcare Group meeting of 23 July 2008 - (view their presentations).
Open Health Tools
Open health tools is a development effort comprised of government agencies, software and insurance businesses, medical equipment companies, universities and many others, to tackle the interoperability problems between IT and health care products and services. The aim is to enable patients and carers better access to essential, trustworthy information at a time and place when needed.
Royal Society of Medicine (RSM)
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is an independent, apolitical organisation, founded over 200 years ago. Their aims are to provide a broad range of educational activities and opportunities for doctors, dentists and veterinary surgeons, including students of these disciplines, and for allied healthcare professionals; and to promote an exchange of information and ideas on the science, practice and organisation of medicine, both within the health professions and with responsible and informed public opinion.
The RSM's 24-25 November conference, TeleMed & eHealth 2008, will explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding the introduction of eHealth technologies to improve healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Scottish Centre for Telehealth
Over the next five years the Scottish Centre for Telehealth will support and guide the development of telehealth for clinical,managerial and educational purposes across Scotland. The focus will be support for long term conditions (with an initial emphasis on COPD), paediatrics, and unscheduled care and in remote and rural areas.
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is an independent charity, funded by the Department of Health and the devolved administrations in Wales and Northern Ireland. SCIE identifies and disseminates the knowledge base for good practice in all aspects of social care throughout the United Kingdom.
In 2008 SCIE published a report on 'Assistive technology and older people'.
SCIE has been asked by the sector to convene an advisory group to consider the production of an ethical code for use by all those involved in the provision, commissioning and manufacture of assistive technology and telecare. This will be published towards the end of 2008.
Telecare Aware
Telecare Aware is a blog / information service that will help keep you up to date on what is happening in telehealth and telecare around the world.
Telecare Knowledge Network
The Telecare Knowledge Network (TKN) provides a discussion forum for care providers, suppliers and academics (both through meetings and online) so that there is: - better co-ordination of trials and sharing of results and insights; - awareness of opportunities to collaborate rather than unnecessary and wasteful duplication of effort; - shared understanding of user needs and funding opportunities; - establishment of an effective marketplace for telecare components, systems integration and services; - opportunities to create and exploit new IP in telecare.
Telecare Services Association (TSA)
TSA aims to promote and support the telecare industry and highlight the benefits of telecare for consumers. In England TSA played a pivotal role in the Telecare Policy Collaborative which resulted in the development of the ‘Building Telecare in England’ strategy published in 2005. TSA is also helping the Welsh Assembly to deliver its Telecare Strategy and works with the Scottish Executive in the delivery of its Telecare Development Programme.
Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) Centre
The TRIL Centre is a coordinated collection of research projects addressing the physical, cognitive and social consequences of ageing, all informed by ethnographic research and supported by a shared pool of knowledge and engineering resources.
The TRIL Centre’s mission is to discover and deliver technology solutions which support independent ageing, ideally in a home environment.
Whole System Demonstrator Programme
The Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) Programme is run by The Department of Health (DH) and driven by "the need to understand the true benefit of integrated health and social care supported by advanced assistive technology (telehealth and telecare)." DH guide
The objectives of the demonstrators are to: - Improve the care co-ordination of those with complex health and social care needs - Place a strong emphasis on patient education and empowerment - Involve the use of assistive technology (telehealth and telecare) in order to improve the health and well being of the individuals and achieve efficiencies in service delivery.
The three successful demonstrator sites were awarded to Cornwall, Newham, and Kent in May 2007. Tim Ellis, director of the WSD programme, gave an update on the progress of the WSDs to the Intellect Telehealth Group on 28 May 2008 - (view Tim's presentation)
