Blog

Can CareTech help in overnight Care? At Ethel Care, we are aware of some Local Authorities spending close to £70,000 every week on overnight care (a mix of waking nights and sleep-ins). It’s essential for safety, but costly and increasingly hard to staff. The problem, we believe, is that we are operating in a data blackhole. Does the user wake up? How many times? Doing what? What kind of assistance do they need? Each person is different and their needs [...]

We would like to highlight the NASSS Framework as an excellent tool to evaluate CareTechnology adoption in Local Authorities and the NHS. Think of it as a visual checklist that helps organisations figure out why some new Care Technologies succeed while others fail or get stuck halfway. Recently, one of our customers, NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY Dumfries and Galloway Council D&G HSCP, used the NASSS Framework to evaluate their pilot of Ethelcare. It was fascinating to read how this simple [...]

Telford & Wrekin Council are proud to be a provider of Ethel assistive technology, a digital screen in the home that empowers residents to live independently, enhancing communication and autonomy for those benefiting from supported living arrangements. This innovative technology serves as a pivotal resource for both users and caregivers, fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. Learn more about Ethel assistive technology from Telford & Wrekin Council

Last month, one of our customer organisations reached out with a unique challenge: Could Ethel support communication for a non-verbal service user, especially during stays in respite or rehab centres? This sparked a journey of deep listening, iterative development, and close collaboration. we're thrilled to share our simple yet powerful solution: a dedicated Comms Tab within Ethel, enhancing how this individual interacts with their care team (including a bell to alert the carer) Check out a short video showcasing how [...]

Faster Horses Henry ford once said, “If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. He then made motorcars for the mass market. You may also have heard about Bertha Benz’s 1886 horseless carriage trip to visit her mother (and scaring the life out of nearby villagers). Not more horses or faster horses, they looked at fundamentally new way of solving the fast transport problem. Within adult social care, when asked what we need in community [...]

One of the main talking points at the COP26 is that bold new climate commitments are required. Global emissions could exceed the internationally agreed 1.5 degrees of global warming stated in the Paris Agreement. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the IPCC Working Group 1 Report was “a code red for humanity”. To prevent this, the UK (and other countries) need to achieve their promised net zero targets. To help the UK achieve this goal, individuals and organisations need to [...]

The UK’s age structure is changing. By 2050 it is projected 1 in 4 people will be over 65 . Our ageing population is struggling with loneliness, with half a million older people going 5 or 6 days without speaking to anyone at all. There are 1.4 million chronically lonely older people in England which comes with damaging health implications. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened mental health issues and increased social isolation for the most vulnerable in society. This Loneliness [...]

It has been a year since Boris Johnson addressed the UK. Since then, there have been 2.72 million deaths worldwide. Last week we have had Marie Curie's Day of Reflection where we remembered the lives lost to Coronavirus. We constantly talk about what the 'new normal' is going to look like, but the new normal is already here. The past year has been filled with such hardships. However, it has brought people and communities closer together, highlighted our amazing health [...]

The Coronavirus pandemic affected the whole world last year and with new lockdowns starting 2021 off. Getting back to normal is looking further away. However, ‘the new normal’ has brought many people closer together, seen more people enjoying spending time outside and shown how resilient we are. The sense of community shone through last year, with people volunteering to help their neighbours and strangers with weekly shops, friendly phone calls and three quarters of a million people committed to volunteer [...]

Delays in discharge:   Delays in hospital discharge leave people feeling stranded. If you are fit and healthy, you should be able to leave the hospital quickly and safely. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK said "Being forced to stay in hospital when you are medically fit to leave is utterly soul-destroying, undermines your chances of making a full recovery, and is an enormous waste of public money too." However, 20% of ‘blocked beds’ in the NHS is directly attributed to ‘awaiting care [...]

COVID-19 has made the healthcare system slowly adapt to new digital technologies enabling remote care. However, there are still strides to be made in reforming adult social care. ADASS and the TSA are making recommendations to the government, health, care and housing sectors about the role of digital technology in a reformed adult social care system. Even the Adult Social Care Winter Plan highlights the shift towards technology enabled care (TEC), and how through technology people have been able to [...]