Council to roll-out ‘assistive technology’ to up to 4,000 homes across Hertfordshire

‘ASSISTIVE technology’ is to be rolled-out across the county to support vulnerable adults to live independently, after a £1.88m bid was backed by councillors.

The use of the technology – which uses sensors to monitor vulnerable or elderly residents in their own homes – has been piloted in Hertfordshire for the past two years.

And now councillors have agreed to £1.88m plans to make the provision ‘business as usual’.

Adult care bosses believe the use of the technology can improve independence by enabling frail, vulnerable or elderly residents to stay at home.

But, they say, it can also can create ‘greater efficiencies in social care’ and provide reassurance for families.

Presenting the bid to the cabinet on Monday (July 10), executive member for adult care, health and wellbeing Cllr Tony Kingsbury said the outcomes from the pilot had been ‘good’.

He said the technology could support the council’s ‘prevention agenda’ – allowing people to live for longer at home and lead better lives, whilst supporting carers and family members.

And he told the cabinet that the additional funding would extend the use, to as many as 4000 residents in the future.

Meanwhile the cabinet also approved £1.3m proposals to explore whether the council’s ‘Assistive Technology solution’ could be commercialised.

Exact details of the ‘Assistive Technology solution’ have not been presented publicly.

But at an earlier meeting officers said it built on existing assistive technology, but took it to a ‘more sophisticated analytical level’.

And Cllr Kingsbury told the cabinet that any income generated from that commercialisation could be reinvested into services.

Backing the plans leader of the county council Cllr Richard Roberts said: “I am delighted to see this coming to fruition.

“It has been at the pilot stage for quite some time and this is an opportunity to really ramp it up, in terms of making sure the product really is robust for business as usual.”

He highlighted the use of technology by West Herts Hospitals Teaching Trust in the creation of a virtual ward.

And he expressed a hope they could work together to add value – and not duplicate.

“The value here is that this becomes part of the armoury of supporting people to live independently,” said Cllr Roberts.

“And it gives confidence to carers and it gives confidence to family members that their loved ones aren’t being spied on, they are being very carefully monitored.

“This is very simple equipment, which does things like monitoring doors opening and closing, switches going on and off.

“This is in no way intruding into the quality of people lives – if anything it is adding to it. And I am very supportive of this.”

During the meeting executive member for resources and performance Cllr Bob Deering said this was ‘a good thing’.

And he said it was important that the council had secured as much as it could of the intellectual property (IP) of the product.

“It is an important aspect and we do need to make sure that it gets done,” he said.

But Cllr Roberts suggested it was most likely the council would ‘trademark’ the product that they would potentially go to market with.