Hello, my name is Mike Orton and I am an Assistive Technologist who, from my experience of both working within and as an external consultant with Local Authorities and PCTs; can offer a bespoke service in developing and writing up strategies for Telecare, Telehealth, Home Environmental Control and other AT, through to implementation and recruitment of staff. I have some 15 years practical experience of assessing clients for a wide range of assistive technology together with project management experience of developing and implementing strategies around assistive technology, including setting up of Pilots to develop systems and to evaluate outcomes. This provides me with the necessary experience and background to assist organizations to develop and integrate this technology as part their overall care approach to allow clients to remain independent within their own home.
Very much a hands on person, developing and building effective working relationships with key Partners across statutory and voluntary sectors is the key to providing an integrated and sustainable Telecare service, especially with the development of personal budgets allowing choice and freedom to the user in how they want to manage their care . This will require the development of and signposting to good quality services, especially with self-funders who do not qualify through the FACS route.
Assistive Technology will be a crucial element in enabling reablement and helping to manage financial and human resources within the statutory sector.
I also supply some specialised AT devices such as the Stove Alarm and Stove Guard which sounds an alert if there is a potential cooker top fire and then can cut the supply to the cooker so reducing the source of ignition. Can be linked to the Lifeline telephone of a Community Alarm system.
To discuss potential projects or for some advice please contact me: info@telecareconsulting.com
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:42 am
Personalised budgets offer the potential for a person to be in control of how they manage their own health and care. It is certainty a shift in approach and culture, from a service prevision in which the individual has had to fit into the system to one in which the system will have to adapt to provide the means for this new person-centred approach to be able to accommodate and respond to new ways providing individual needs-driven services. Signposting to and quality checks of service providers will need to be implemented if choice is to be achieved.
It has many implications and no doubt from past experiences will take a long time for organisations to adapt to this new way of thinking.
Telecare and other assistive technology will play an increasingly important role in this respect and yet, even after several years of receiving funding from the Preventative Technology Grant, a great many local authorities have not mainstreamed a Telecare service to be able to respond to this shift in policy approach. The changing demographics and strains on resources – both finacial and human, make it of even greater importance to use technolgy to its best advantage to support, contribute and compliment other forms of care.