Highland to Benefit from Scottish Government’s Extra Spending on Interactive Care Services at Home

Issued by the Scottish Government

Minister for Public Health Shona Robison, has pledged an additional £8 million to develop interactive care services for vulnerable people in their own homes. Over the next two years, local health, housing and social care partnerships will benefit from extra funding to expand Telecare programmes which allow people leaving hospital to live with greater independence and safety at home.  The National Telecare Programme has already saved 1,800 hospital bed days and 6,900 care home bed days, worth nearly three million pounds to NHS Scotland.

In recognition of their innovative approaches to Telecare, partnerships in Highland, Inverclyde and West Lothian have received extra funding for Housing Demonstrator schemes providing a range of housing solutions for care at home.

Ms Robison visited the Royal Northern Infirmary, Inverness, today (Tuesday) to see at first-hand an early discharge facility currently available in Highland.

Ms Robison said: "Leaving hospital care can be a difficult time. It is important to reassure people who are anxious about what lies ahead and make them feel safer and more secure. That is why I am delighted to announce an additional £8 million for the development of Telecare services across Scotland over the next two years. These services will help support people to live independently, while providing peace of mind that help is at hand.

"I am looking forward to seeing the results of faster innovation and a new generation of interactive care services which promise far reaching improvements to the quality of people's lives. The Scottish Government is committed to providing innovative solutions for better care and I am pleased to see how this facility in Inverness is being used to build people’s confidence and security about being discharged from hospital.”

18 Mar 2008