Summary
The UTOPIA Project, conducted by King’s College London (and partners), surveyed English local authorities on their use of assistive technology and telecare to support older people. It investigates a conundrum:
“An important context to the study was an earlier, Department of Health funded randomised controlled trial which became known as the Whole System Demonstrator (WSD) project. This study concluded that telecare did not produce better outcomes for recipients over a 12 month follow-up period but these findings do not appear to have led to a reappraisal of the value of telecare by local authorities”. p.1.
Reference
Woolham, JG. Steils, N. [and] Fisk, M. [et al] (2018). The UTOPIA Project. Using telecare for older people in adult social care: the findings of a 2016-17 national survey of local authority telecare provision for older people in England. London: Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London, February 2018.