As part of a government drive aimed at encouraging local authorities to use new technologies to improve services, the London Borough of Merton will take part in trials of a technology that will monitor a person’s safely in their own home.
The equipment is based on Chromatic Monitoring and has been developed by Liverpool University. It involves advanced intelligent monitoring of the environment in the homes of elderly, disabled and newly discharged people, enabling them to retain their independence in safety.
Merton will be working in partnership with Liverpool University, Telewest, and University of Surrey Roehampton’s Social Research Unit. A key aspect of the project is to test and trial the technology in a real world environment, in which local volunteers will take part. Experts at University of Surrey Roehampton’s Social Research Unit will monitor the project and evaluate the results within a sociological context. If successful, the technology could be used long-term, on a wider scale in the homes of such people throughout the country.
The technology is groundbreaking because it is completely non-obtrusive. A small monitoring system would be fitted into the home, which would send an alarm signal to the nearest Local Council monitoring centre if the system detected anything abnormal, such as smoke, a dramatic change in temperature or the presence of an intruder.
Andy Coles, Cabinet Member for Care Services, said:
“One of the reasons that Merton was chosen for the trials is that it already has the highly successful MASCOT Careline Service.
“We’re really excited about the project, it could revolutionise the care and monitoring of vulnerable and newly discharged patients.”
Merton is the only borough in the country to take part in the project, which is part of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s e-Innovations Invest to Save Budget programme.
Ends.
Hattie Blok
London Borough of Merton
0208 545 4654
http://www.merton.gov.uk
Notes to Editors:
– The Invest to Save Budget (ISB) is a joint Treasury/Cabinet Office initiative, which aims to create sustainable improvements to deliver public services in a more joined up manner. A key principle of the ISB programme is that investment is provided in return for reform.
– The technology has already been commercialised.
– The System would not be capable of monitoring medical conditions, and would not include audio or CCTV facilities.