The programme has been made possible following the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care System’s Digitising Social Care (DiSC) team successfully securing £1.1 million of funding from NHS England’s Adult Social Care Technology Fund. It will be delivered in partnership with Health Innovation East and the University of Hertfordshire.
The rate of dementia diagnosis in BLMK is higher than the national average and the condition is associated with increased hospital stays, mental health issues, undiagnosed pain, behavioural challenges, and increased safeguarding risks.
Our Enhanced Wellbeing through Digital programme will offer technology to support adults to live independently, reduce avoidable hospital admissions / re-admissions, and improve care quality and safety.
Our digitising social care programme is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and is being delivered through NHS England’s Digital Policy Unit. The three-year programme, which commenced in April 2022, is focused on delivering the government’s commitments to support the digital transformation of the adult social care sector which were set out in the 2021 white paper, People at the Heart of Care.
The funding will be used to implement two new innovations which can be used by care home and domiciliary care staff who work with adults living with or experiencing behaviour that challenges, cognitive impairment, communication difficulty or dementia in a variety of care settings. Read more about this funding.
A team of researchers (supported by the Applied Research Collaboration East of England and the Office of Health Economics) will evaluate the acceptability, usability, cost-effectiveness and impacts as the schemes are implemented and adopted – to inform the development of an evidence-based plan for scale and spread across BLMK ICS.
Expressions of interest for PainChek and RoboPets
Care home and domiciliary care providers across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes who work with adults living with or experiencing challenging behaviour, cognitive impairment, communication difficulty or dementia are invited to express their interest in two new innovations. Expressions of interest (EOIs) are subject to certain inclusion criteria, and will be treated on a first come, first served basis.
Helping to identify and manage pain for those who are unable to communicate it verbally
PainChek uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically recognise and measure small changes in facial expressions and voice to quantify a pain score and guide carers to provide the right support.
This will support those who are unable to reliably verbalise pain and may be left in discomfort or distress, which could lead to challenging behaviours. We anticipate that the earlier identification and treatment of the causes of pain will help to reduce hospital admissions and falls, and also ensure medications are used appropriately.
What our care services say:
“PainChek supports the gathering of information to better support our residents. The information is easy to access and track… It’s a good tool to work alongside the GP for pain management.” – Louise Norris, Deputy Home Manager at Oak Manor Care Home
“We are in the early stages of introducing PainChek into day-to-day practice [at two MHA homes], however the training and support given by PainChek and the project team has been really helpful. We are looking forward to introducing the tool into a third MHA home.” – Helen Press, Senior Nurse Adviser and Caldicott Guardian, MHA Care Homes
“The PainChek pain assessment allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of the current pain management and helps to address other crucial aspects of elderly care, which improves their quality of life, wellbeing, and appetite. This allows them to live comfortably when their pain is managed effectively.” – deputy manager of a local care home
Providing comfort and companionship with a robotic pet
RoboPets such as a robotic cat, dog or bird, use technology to respond to voice commands, and interact through realistic movements. They provide a calming influence, give people greater independence and confidence, and improve mental health and wellbeing.
The robotic pets are ideal companions for the elderly, people living on their own, or anyone who is unable to have a pet of their own. By reducing loneliness and anxiety, a RoboPet can have a positive impact on wellbeing and quality of life and support people to live independently for longer.
Resources
- Joy for All guide for family caregivers
- Joy for All guide – robotic pet bird
- Joy for All guide – robotic pet cat
- Joy for All guide – robotic pet dog
You can find out more about what we’re doing by clicking on each of the links below. For more information on the programme, or any of our projects, please email the team.