New hub launches to support independent living

A new online hub has been launched to make it easier for health, care and housing professionals to prescribe equipment that enables vulnerable people to live independently.

ProAssist has been created by leading charity the DLF in partnership with TSA, the national body for technology enabled care (TEC) services.

For the first time, professionals will be able to access a secure, reliable, independent and comprehensive resource where products are accompanied by clinical observations, case studies, user guides, videos and information on local suppliers.

With a searchable database of over 10,000 products from more than 900 retailers, this UK-wide resource helps identify the options across a wide range of technologies, from the latest digital devices to simple aids.

It is free to use for a promotional period to allow prescribers to see the benefits of the hub to their practice.

After this period, members of a range of professional bodies and national organisations – including TSA – will have free access for the period of their membership.

Subscriptions are also available and DLF ProAssist can be tailored under licence to integrate with local community equipment portfolios.

Clare Barber, who manages the DLF for Professionals programme, said: ‘We want prescribers to have the confidence to consider recommending items from a number of product categories, combining TEC with more traditional solutions.  DLF ProAssist will enable the user to quickly produce proposals, case notes and reports to support their decisions. This will be the first central national resource of its type for professionals involved in assessing for independent solutions combining impartial information and advice and shared clinical feedback.’

Alyson Scurfield, chief executive of TSA, added: ‘We want to encourage greater involvement and faster adoption of TEC and this new tool will enable users to confidently engage with technology that can improve people’s lives. We believe it has the potential to help raise standards at the same time as speeding up people’s access to personalised tailored solutions that are right for them.’

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