4D mapping tech to prevent falls in Redbridge
Extensive trial of automated monitoring system made possible by £1m grant from government’s Adult Social Care Technology Fund.
New 4D imaging and mapping technology that uses sensors to detect falls in care homes and the residences of vulnerable people is being piloted across the integrated care system (ICS) in the London Borough of Redbridge. The hope is that such tech can support hundreds of vulnerable people while at the same time reducing pressure in and costs to the NHS.
Photo courtesy of Department of Health and Social Care
4D imaging offers high-resolution detection, mapping and tracking of multiple targets, whether moving or still. A 3D map is combined with a fourth dimension – velocity – to give a rich and real-time picture.
The ‘Guardian’ 4D monitoring system developed in the UK by digital health provider Whzan uses Vayyar’s 4D mapping technology to track a person’s movements around a given setting, such as a care home or their own residence. Low-cost, discreetly placed sensors connected by WiFi monitor behaviour and environment according to need.
The system was originally developed in partnership with City of Sunderland Council, the intention being to extend care to people in their own homes when they show signs of frailty or early-stage dementia. As well as Sunderland Council, others who have studied and evaluated the effectiveness of the system include UCL Partners, North Central London Integrated Health Board (ICB), Leicester and Rutland NHS, and Mid and South Essex ICB.
In the two ICBs where this technology has been trialled in eight-month pilot studies, it saved local authorities and the NHS sums of £29,945 and £272,850. Such pilot studies show encouraging results for the vulnerable people being monitored, too. There was a 66% reduction in falls and some 97.5% reduction in ambulances called or required post-fall. This suggests the technology can help to protect vulnerable residents while also reducing pressure on the NHS.
Northeast London Integrated Care Board will now further test Whzan Guardian across Redbridge Integrated Care System (ICS), having received £1m for the government through the Adult Social Care Technology Fund. If these tests prove successful, the hope is to rollout the technology to care homes across the country.
Launched in April last year as part of the wider Digitising Social Care programme, the Adult Social Care Technology Fund is intended to identify and support technology that has the potential for wider rollout within the sector. The programme is jointly delivered by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. ICS providers, care providers, local authorities and technology suppliers were invited to submit expressions of interest in applying for this kind of funding.
Helen Whately MP, Minister for Social Care, says: ‘Older and more vulnerable people are at a significant risk of falls. Technology plays a crucial role in preventing them, avoiding ambulance callouts and hospital admissions and reducing pressure on the NHS.
‘The Care Tech Fund has identified technology with major potential to improve the quality of care while helping people live safely and independently. The technology will deliver savings for taxpayers, as falls cost the NHS around £2bn every year.
‘Scaling up this technology is a vital part of our 10-year vision for social care reform. As the care needs of our population grow, technology will play an increasingly important part in social care that gives people the independence, freedom and security they deserve.’
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