1 April 2011
Hi.
I have decided to go into the world of blogging – so bear with me as I develop the art of this form of communication! It is also me bowing to the pressure of those around me stating that I should blog!
So here goes.....
On Wednesday (30 March) we held the latest of our regional fora meetings – in York. It was a great turnout with over 60 attendees (including both new attendees and potential members) and some really interesting presentations covering smart metering – we will all be getting a smart meter installed in our homes over the next few years and the opportunities this could provide to link into telecare and telehealth service provision are just starting to be developed; hearing about the installation and success of using key safes by a service provider – and how one of our supply sector members gained the support and approval of the police in developing their new key safe product; and a telehealth project supporting the health and wellbeing of people in Barnsley. For those who missed this event (as well as previous meetings in Warrington and Nuneaton) you can at least get to see the presentations on our website – so go and have a look!
The forum was also very interactive and there was good feedback on current issues and news. Discussion was HOT on one topic, and that was the Call Handling KPI in the Code of Practice. We certainly did not duck the issue and there was a very clear message from a number of service providers present. I recognise the concern that the current performance target places on monitoring centres and this has to be balanced with having attainable, but challenging standards to ensure we are providing a guaranteed high quality service. We have been working on this issue and as Marian has already reported to members a small focus group of service providers has identified a number of best practices that can be adopted. This will help but is not in itself the sole solution. So we will be coming back to you with other proposed actions.
Meanwhile conference planning in the office is buzzing. Exhibition space is literally flying off the shelves – well over 50% of stands sold already, and we are only at the start of April. Have a look at the new look conference website (http://www.telecare-and-telehealth-conference.com/) and note we have now gone ‘International’ in our title! Also there is a really good early bird offering for both delegate and exhibitor bookings.
But before that comes the AGM. I know the business element may be a bit dull – and we are doing our best to liven that up a bit this year with some interesting presentations – but there are some great workshops to attend, and it is a real opportunity to network. So get your registration in now!
Cardiff is the next regional fora – next week – so will blog again after that event.
Regards
Trevor Single
