Telecare eNewsletter August 2014

Welcome to the August 2014 newsletter from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), Knowledge Transfer Network and the Telecare Learning and Improvement Network.

Launched October 2005, our free monthly newsletter is now distributed to 48,000 subscribers in the UK and worldwide via e-mail and archived at www.telecarelin.org.uk. You can also find highlights on Rebelmouse (daily) or by following Mike Clark on Twitter (@clarkmike). With over 1400 news and events links over the last month, we hope that you find this newsletter useful.

It is nearly halfway through one of the most challenging years for health and social care in the UK. Steps are being taken to address waiting lists and the quest for managing demand for urgent and emergency care continues with a recent update on the urgent care review. September and October will see some major rewrites of 151 Better Care Fund plans to take account of the changes to the pooled fund arrangements. Telecare LIN will be tracking the changes relating to digital health and care through the Autumn as well as updating the telecare map. There will be new technology announcements from Apple early in September and along with Microsoft, Google, Samsung and others there will be continuing interest in mobile health and smart home platforms. Questions continue to be asked about how data from all of the connected devices will be used to improve health and care outcomes. Also, debates continue on who would really benefit from digital health and care, particularly when surveys suggest some apps are used for just a few months. Radio 4's 'You and Yours' programme had an interesting discussion on the UK telecare and telehealth progress on 25 August - worth a listen. To keep up with the latest technology developments and service offerings, there is an extensive programme of events and conferences this Autumn including The King's Fund, Royal Society of Medicine and Telecare Services Association annual conferences (see this month's event listing).

For weekly news, updates and information, you can register with the Technology Strategy Board, ALIP group and the dallas group. You can follow the dallas programme on Twitter at @dallas_connect.