{"id":19821,"date":"2019-12-12T15:10:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T14:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/?p=19821"},"modified":"2019-12-18T14:38:54","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T13:38:54","slug":"technology-modernising-health-social-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-gb\/industry\/blog\/government\/2019\/12\/12\/technology-modernising-health-social-care\/","title":{"rendered":"How technology is modernising health and social care"},"content":{"rendered":"
Amid ongoing concerns about the impact of austerity on critical services like adults\u2019 and children\u2019s social care and in the face of demographic pressures relating to an ageing population, optimism does not always abound in discussions about these services. However, despite, and often in direct response to some of these issues, an increasing number of local authorities are beginning to rewrite the future of these critical services. As Nicky Parker, Director of Business Change and Transformation at Manchester City Council points out, it’s not about just ‘doing things differently, we must do different things<\/em> instead \u2013 because we have already done things differently\u2019.<\/p>\n This blog is the first in a series where we will shine a light on some of these \u2018different things\u2019. We\u2019ll take a virtual tour up and down the UK to explore stories of new ways of working, partnerships and of course the role which data, AI and digital are playing in this field. Change is happening, not only in service transformation, (because you\u2019d be right to expect that) but also in how digital is paving the way for consumers of care to make our own choices about the sort of care which really matters to us \u2013 after all, this will be all of us one day. So where will we be stopping off?<\/p>\n With many services currently experiencing more \u2018front doors\u2019 than citizens can cope with, there are some substantial changes in the way which organisations are thinking about how services of the future will be accessed by those seeking help.\u00a0An increasing number of authorities are looking to AI-driven virtual assistant services (aka bots) to support people in helping themselves by, for example, using this technology to suggest appropriate assistive technology which can help people in the home. Newcastle City Council\u2019s Adult Social Care Equipment<\/a> bot is one of the first of its kind, with similar technology popping up elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n Others are bringing the power of AI and blockchain to help people source the care they want close to their own homes, and in doing so are beginning to address the issue of care \u2018blackspots\u2019 which leave many people without any care at all. Using the Tribe Project\u2019s platform<\/a>, individuals in pilot sites in Dorset Council and Shropshire Council can choose how to spend their care budget on support delivered from carers in their local area, people they trust to support them at the time and in the way they most need help.<\/p>\n North of the border in Dumfries and Galloway, exploring and deepening partnerships between the sector, the IT industry and academia have given rise to a new breed of assistive technology which goes beyond detecting falls to actually predicting the likelihood of them happening – Loreburn Housing, supported by ARMED<\/a> technology managed to eradicate falls during tests. This is a genuine step forward in using technology to enable early intervention in order to prevent (or delay) the otherwise seemingly inevitable journey into increasingly costly care pathways.<\/p>\n A little further south,\u00a0 Manchester City Council, together with health partners forming the Manchester Care Organisation are looking to evolve their integrated health and care approach through a data<\/a> platform to manage and respond to real time needs from people whilst they are still in the community. Putting a focus on supporting people wherever possible to stay in their homes supported by family and friends, the integrated team is looking to make its combined data work for the benefit of the whole system and for the people of Manchester delivering a person centred, data driven \u2018whole system\u2019 approach. This is a truly different way of delivering health and care and should be of interest to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships and Integrated Care Systems up and down the country.<\/p>\n We hope that you will find this series of blogs useful and that you will enjoy reading this UKAuthority whitepaper<\/a> which showcases some other examples of innovation in health and care.<\/p>\n If you would like more information, please comment below to get in touch or reach out to your Microsoft Account Manager.<\/p>\n Download the whitepaper: Smart and Connected Health and Social Care<\/a><\/p>\nFind out more<\/h2>\n