CEO Blog
This is the blog of the TSA Chief Executive, Trevor Single. Trevor will be informing you of the various goings on regarding the TSA, as well as any issues facing the telecare and telehealth industry.
16 February 2012
It is sometime since my last blog so I wanted to cover some of the issues that have been engaging the TSA over the past few months.
At last we have seen the headline results of the Whole System Demonstrator project and the outcomes have been a massive endorsement for the value and benefit that telehealth can bring to the lives of those living with a Long Term health Condition (LTC). We wait the more detailed explanations that many will demand to support / address the questions arising in respect of the headline findings. And equally importantly we await the telecare results from the WSD, which are expected within a couple of months.
But the Department of Health is not waiting / holding back from driving through the next actions based on the results already presented. And that has been the launch of the initiative to partner with industry to achieve 3 million new patients on telecare and telehealth within the next five years.
It has been good to see this initiative launched by the Minister for Care Services, Paul Burstow, and follows his keynote speech at the TSA conference last November. The concordat signed between DH and the four lead trade bodies (including TSA) cements the partnership approach. It has also been good to see TSA recognised through the 3millionlives initiative as one of the leading industry bodies. And quite rightly so - we are the only trade body that represents both the front line service delivery of telecare and telehealth, as well as the technology and solutions providers. We are already providing telecare and telehealth to a combined total of 1.7 million users, so our experience and knowledge is second to none!
3millionlives has already taken over as the main activity within the TSA team and will be our No 1 business priority for 2012.
We have also started the 2012 regional forum events for members - the first one was this week in Warrington. It was a record attendance at a forum - nearly 80 attendees - and clearly demonstrates the value of such events. Some very good presentations and an informative interactive session with members on 'news' items. Next stop is Cardiff next month.
Finally, I have just returned from a kick off meeting of the 'Momentum' EU funded project group in Brussels. Momentum is about taking the good telehealth practices in operation across Europe, setting up a network of key stakeholders, and developing a telehealth implementation blueprint. The UK has much to offer to this project, not just from the WSD results, but also from the other telehealth projects. TSA is a partner in this project with 20 others from across Europe and apart from the input we can provide to the project it is an ideal networking opportunity with other national bodies - a number of whom are involved in both telecare and telehealth.
Regards
Trevor Single
18th Ocotber 2011
Hi
With less than four weeks to go before the TSA conference in London the Wilmslow office is becoming an ever increasing hub of activity. I think the speakers we have secured for this year's conference are among the best ever and with numerous workshops to attend as well it remains a must attend event. And we will in the next few days be announcing a major speaker that we have just gained for conference. This speaker will set the tone for the whole of conference - so keep watching for an announcement shortly.
There seems to be so much happening within the industry at the moment. DALLAS has been undertaking its 'speed dating' of bringing prospective partners together for the Assisted Living projects. Still very disappointed that the TSA and also a number of our members were unsuccessful in getting through the first sift of applicants. The role of the TSA in delivering quality standards for the telecare, and in due course the telehealth, markets along with the practical experience and knowledge that our members possess could have added far greater value to the project. But for whatever reason it was not to be and we are still very pleased for those TSA members who did succeed.
And we continue to await the outcome of the Whole System Demonstrator projects. Indications suggest that the results, when announced, will be very positive. And TSA is doing a joint session with the Kings Fund at conference on the WSDs. I remain hopeful that the timing of our conference will match the WSD announcements, but who knows!
So looking forward to conference being an opportunity to get down to some real debate on the key issues - and with Roy Lilley's chairmanship bringing out the controversial and challenging issues it promises to be a great event.
I very much hope to see you at Conference (if you need more details on conference, or to book, they are on the TSA Conference Website).
Regards
Trevor Single
15 July 2011
Hi.
WOW. Just back from yesterday�s London regional forum meeting and we had our largest number of attendees ever � just under 80.
This was a fantastic number and a clear sign of the success of the regional events in reaching members and interested parties at a local level. Throughout this year�s programme of regional meetings I have been really encouraged by the levels of attendance, and to end in London with the highest attendance ever was great.
The presentations yesterday were all very good and a really wide-ranging number of topics. Starting with Sara Murray from Buddi speaking on some new developments that the company is bringing to the market and that could really start to bring benefits for patients as well as those wanting to monitor their own health in a more informed and easy manner. A presentation by Elmbridge Borough Council and Tynetec encouraged us to think outside the box and that sometimes the answer was a simple solution rather than an array of technology. Other presentations covered the opportunities that smart metering can bring for telecare and telehealth, a European angle on telehealth developments, how monitoring centres can provide clinical excellence, and the Government procurement framework for telecare and telehealth. So a really varied and impressive range of topics from some TSA members, plus a couple of briefing sessions on work TSA is currently undertaking.
With the regional events now concluded for this year and all our efforts now being focused on Conference in November we will still need to start planning shortly for the regional events in 2012. But what we need is your views, suggestions, topics, etc. We may well change the content and style for next year � just to mix it up a bit and provide some variety. So let the TSA office know what you think via [email protected]
Regards
Trevor Single
8 July 2011
Hi.
After returning from speaking at the Hong Kong telecare conference the last two weeks have included two regional forum events and a further speaking event, this time in London.
The two regional events were the South West and Eastern forums. Both were well attended and some very good presentations. These will be on the TSA website, so please have a look. At both events discussions covered the changes to the Telecare Code of Practice on call handling requirements. Reaction has interestingly been mixed. While attendees at the South West forum welcomed TSA responding positively to member concerns, at the Eastern forum a couple of members considered the action taken had diluted the high standards of the Code. As I stated at the AGM when the announcement was made, this was a decision taken in the light of member concerns and recognition of the current severe operational constraints some members are under. However, we will be reviewing the change in a year, and engaging with members for their views at that time. But, it has been interesting to see the mixed reaction.
On 5 July I was invited to be a panellist at a conference in Westminster Central Hall on promoting greater independence for individuals. Part of the day was given over the outcomes of the Dilnot report on paying for long term care, but part of the day when I spoke was about how technology could support greater independence.
Andrew Dilnot spoke on the recommendations set out in his report to the Government, and on the positive aspects of the fact that we are living longer. A cause for celebration, rather than references to the burden of an ageing population.
Dame Jo Williams (Chair, Care Quality Commission) spoke very strongly on the benefits of telecare and referred to the service she had visited being provided in Sunderland.
Again the message is being given about the benefits of telecare and telehealth.
Regards
Trevor Single
23 June 2011 � Hong Kong
Hi
A typhoon and plastic bag have been major factors influencing my last few days. I think this is the first time I have attended a conference where the sessions were subject to postponement in the event of a typhoon striking - and then one was actually forecast. More about the typhoon and plastic bag later.
I have been in Hong Kong following an invitation to deliver the key note speech at the 1st Asia Pacific eCare and Telecare Congress. Over 200 delegates attended from over 15 countries. The coordinator of the congress is the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association - the largest monitoring centre in Hong Kong, with over 75,000 service users.
Disappointing that there were only two TSA members represented, despite advance details having been circulated. It was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate UK equipment that is far more advanced than anything being shown. In addition, Silver Chain from Australia gave a very good presentation on a telehealth trial using a UK supplier's equipment.
I was able to present to the congress details about the TSA, our work on developing standards for the telecare market, and the support / direction being given to telecare and telehealth by the UK Government. From the delegates there was considerable interest in the TSA and the engagement / support we gained from Government. We may sometimes under estimate the importance of the support we gain from the UK Government on the development of telecare and telehealth, but speaking to other delegates it is clear that we have been able to engage with Government and receive funding support much more than other countries.
However, the biggest interest was shown in the TSA Code - with no other country having an industry standard for service delivery. For instance Hong Kong has looked at an ISO 9001 code, but wanted something specific to telecare rather than a general standard. So they are very interested in adopting the TSA Code for their service. However, they are not without their own set of standards - and some very testing ones! For instance, the Hong Kong monitoring centre has a call handling KPI - but this is to answer calls within 10 seconds. It is currently achieving this target for 96% of all calls - and that is on an average of over 2,500 calls each day.
I am following up discussions with a number of delegates at the conference about overseas membership of the TSA, as well as possible accreditation to the TSA Code. These are strong indicators of the wide reach and influence that TSA can have on the global telecare market. Finally I was able to promote our own conference in November.
So back to the typhoon and the plastic bag! On the day of departure back to the UK the typhoon started to zero in on Hong Kong. The warning level rose to one below that at which the airport is closed. Despite that the wind and rain became very intense. And then to cap it all as the aircraft was taxiing to take off it managed to get a plastic bag blown into the No2 engine, so we had to abort take off and return for presumably an engineer to shove his hand in the engine and pull it out.
My next event is the South West Regional forum - where I expect the lunchtime sandwiches not to include ducks feet or jellyfish, both of which were served at the Hong Kong conference dinners.
Regards
Trevor Single
25 May 2011
Hi. I have spent the last two days dodging the Icelandic ash cloud and attending conferences in Scotland.
Travelling to Glasgow for the Holyrood Telecare and Telehealth conference on Monday was an experience as the Easyjet pilot battled with 80mph cross winds while trying to safely land an aircraft with over 100 increasingly anxious passengers. If you had been wearing a pendant you would have pressed it with increasingly frequency as the journey got progressively worse!
I had been invited to speak on telecare and telehealth utilisation, and it was a good opportunity to wave the TSA flag and explain the main work we have undertaken on standards in the Market. I shared the initial plenary session platform with James Ferguson (who spoke at our conference last year and for those who can't recall him by name then think back to the speaker who regularly interspersed his talk with amusing cartoons and the James Bond video), Dr George Crooks - Medical Director of NHS 24, and Moira Mackenzie - Telecare Programme Manager, Scottish Joint Improvement Team.
What really struck me was the get up and go attitude in Scotland towards telecare and telehealth implementation. There is a clear commitment to integrate health and social care by bringing together telecare and telehealth under the single NHS 24 banner. Maybe the smaller size of the country enables a quicker implementation of change, but I think there is also an attitude of let's get on with it - 'apologise afterwards rather than ask first' seemed to be the philosophy!
And then yesterday was the TSA regional forum meeting in Edinburgh. Another well attended forum with excellent presentations on a range of issues. These included Donna Henderson from the Joint Improvement Team speaking on the integration of health and social care, and the role for telecare; smart metering and the potential impact on telecare; a presentation from Cordia (Services) on their telecare services and then from John Mooney of Jontek Ltd on the impact m-Care could have for service users and their families. All these presentations are now on the TSA website � Members� Area, so take the opportunity to have a look.
On a separate point we are now closer to this year's conference than last year's! Plans are well underway, with a number of improvements that will continue to confirm this as the No1 and must attend conference. We already have over 100 delegate bookings under the early bird offering and over 75% of the 42 exhibition stands have been sold. So if it is not already in your diary then put 14-16 November in London in NOW!
Trevor Single
13 May 2011
Hi.
Ever been to one of those AGMs that was really boring and provided nothing better than an opportunity for a quick nap? Well there is an exception and that was yesterday at the TSA AGM when the world�s largest custard cream got a mention. More about that later!
Over 120 members attended and it was a great event. OK we still had to do the business bit of the AGM but Vice Chair Lorna Muir led the morning session extremely well and even the Treasurer�s report totally absorbed the members � well there were no questions from the floor!!
Two excellent presentations � one from Alyson Bell on the life and times of a TSA Director � which was a really clear outline of the main role of a director, the qualities required, and the opportunities it provides to challenge and influence the role and main priorities of the TSA. I hope it was a good prompt for others to consider standing as a director. The other was a joint presentation on the recently awarded telehealth project in Northern Ireland, by Eddie Ritson, Programme Director, European Centre for Connected Health and Kevin McSorley, a TSA Director and also Executive Director of Fold Telecare. A really good insight into the project, and the expectations/requirements of the commissioner and service provider.
Over lunch David Ardron, a TSA Director and General Manager of Supra UK, led the Code of Practice awards to 12 organisations. It was great to see so many organisations receiving their awards and recognition being given to the teams that had worked so hard to achieve the required standard.
The late morning and afternoon was given over to workshops on three topics; shifting telecare from alarms in the home to continuous monitoring anywhere, the challenges of assisted living at scale, and the 2009 Code of Practice. All the workshops were well attended and a great opportunity to learn more about these topics.
But what really struck me was yet again the amount of networking, discussion and general �meeting up� across the industry that went on. This may be a bi-product of the business reason for the AGM, but it is still a very important element of what makes TSA really tick.
And so to the custard cream! Well 2010 was a year of many notable events, including an entry in the Guinness book of Records for the largest custard cream. On a more serious note the TSA on behalf of and with its members achieved a huge amount and I was able to present to the meeting just some of the achievements and work undertaken in 2010 as well as looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of 2011. Perhaps the keenest interest was in the announcement made about the call handling KPI in the Code of Practice. This has been a hot topic for some time and TSA working with its members has been able to determine an approach that addresses members concerns while ensuring the high standard and quality of the Code is maintained.
So maybe we have broken the mould for AGMs � they can be informative and enjoyable!
I�m off now to enjoy the custard cream with the rest of the TSA team.
PS. copies of all the presentations from yesterday are on the members� website.
Regards
Trevor Single
3rd May 2011
Hi.
As I write this particular blog I am in Tampa, Florida at the invitation of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) to attend their annual 3 day conference.
One of reasons for being here is to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the ATA and TSA that will form the basis of closer working between the two associations.
This is a further sign of the TSA being recognised as a leading player in the international arena. It is an opportunity to share how the UK Market in both telecare and telehealth is developing, as well as learning what is happening in other countries and see whether it can be applied in the UK. I am also seeking to promote international membership of TSA as well as international recognition of our Telecare Code of Practice.
Telehealth is well established in the US, particularly through adoption by its Veterans Association, but still faces similar problems to those we are experiencing in the UK, namely how does it become a fully integrated element of healthcare. Interestingly telecare is very, very small.
We tend to think of our conference as being a major event - and it is within the European arena - but the ATA is on a totally different scale, with over 4,000 delegates and 250 exhibitors. I have been able to spot some goods ideas that we can adapt and implement for our own conference, but there are others where I think they could gain from seeing how we bring our conference together. This has reinforced to me that as an industry we have a conference and an industry message that we can be proud of.
The plenary speaker on the first day of conference was Dr Martin Cooper who developed the first portable cellular phone. He brought with him a model of the first cellular phone and for those old enough to remember 1973 it was a stark reminder of how much technology has advanced in the last 30 + years. The unit weighed 2 and a half pounds and had a battery life of 20 minutes (not that this is a particular problem as you would struggle to hold it up to your ear for that period of time). We want to devote part of our conference to the development of m-health so it was interesting to hear from Martin Cooper, now in his eighties but still developing personalised cellular applications, where this industry can go in the next 10-20 years. Prepare yourself now for the mobile implant!!!
What is clear from this conference is that globally the problems are similar - ageing population, lack of sufficient care professionals, increasing health and social care costs, BUT still a low and gradual uptake in alternative but beneficial technology alternatives.
Would like say I am now going to chill out on the Tampa waterfront where the temperature is a really nice 85 degrees but actually going back into another workshop. Honest!
Regards
Trevor Single
13 April 2011
Yesterday TSA hosted a meeting in London as part of its work on scoping the work for a Telehealth Code of Practice. We had over 25 invited attendees drawn from Telehealth practitioners, technology providers, policy makers, commissioners and Government Departments.
The meeting explored a number of potential service delivery models for Telehealth and then looked at how these processes mapped across to the TSA's existing Telecare Code of Practice.
This work is taking forward the TSA's commitment to develop a Telehealth CoP to support existing and new members wanting to deliver Telehealth services.
Good progress was made at the meeting and there was a clear outcome from the group that Telehealth should not be addressed in a separate code, but in one integrated with telecare. This Government's agenda is to bring greater integration of health and social care so the group's support for a single code - but enhanced to address specific Telehealth requirements - is in alignment with this policy objective.
TSA will now scope what is required to develop the CoP to address Telehealth and then outsource this work. Obviously the work will require regular engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including our members. If you are particularly interested in being part of this engagement please contact me.
I want TSA to be able to present the framework of the new Code, including some of the detailed provision on Telehealth delivery, in November at our conference.
Regards
Trevor Single
11th April 2011
Hi
I am attending the Med-e-Tel conference in Luxembourg - probably three to four hundred delegates - and the main themes are eHealth and telemedicine - the latter being primarily about using technology to support clinician to clinician communication, but does have an overlap with Telehealth. Personally I think it lacks the real buzz and excitement that was evident at the TSA conference last November - but I am trying not to be biased!
TSA is a partner with Med-e-Tel for this conference and is a very good bridge in building contact with European and other international partners.
It is truly an international conference with speakers and delegates from around the world - from The Netherlands to Nepal; from Moldova to Malaysia.
Not many UK speakers though Malcolm Fisk (TSA Director) is here and speaking on 'Telehealth in the home'. Would be a good opportunity to spread the news about what is happening in the UK market given that we have much to tell!
Has been a good opportunity to push the TSA conference in November - for delegates and exhibitors. Also met with representative from the International Council of Nurses, who will publicise our conference on their website - over 150 nursing organisations across the world. So it should assist our efforts to reach across to the health sector.
Malcolm also led a presentation on the Telescope project to create a European Telehealth Code of Practice. TSA is a partner in this European Commission funded project and among the audience for this presentation was a manager of a monitoring centre in Luxembourg. They have around 5,000 connections and provide services raising from social alarms to assistive technology for a paraplegic patient. She is desperate to gain information on other telecare monitoring centre operations (there is only one other centre in Luxembourg) and to be able to benchmark the standards of service she has created. I was able to talk to her about the TSA Telecare Code of Practice and will see if we can open an overseas membership category for her so that information and ideas can be exchanged.
Regards
Trevor Single
7th April 2011
Hi.
Attended the latest regional forum meeting today - this time in Cardiff. Presentations included one from Mark Etherton of Buying Solutions raising awareness of the telecare and telehealth procurement framework. Use of the framework has been low so far but Mark indicated that activity was increasing. It will be interesting to get our own members take - both providers and purchasers - on whether they have seen a similar change. Lee Davis gave a good outline of activity underway within the Welsh Assembly Government. I had a good meeting with Lee the previous day on the current priorities of the TSA and also how we will be taking forward work with the Government following the budget announcement on assisted living.
The interactive session on membership news brought several announcements from the supply members on new developments, but news was disappointingly limited from service providers - perhaps the latter was a reluctance to shout from the rooftops rather than a reflection of the current situation.
Interestingly discussion on the call handling KPI in the Telecare Code of Practice was similarly muted - nothing like the level of debate generated at the York forum - though several service providers did comment on the challenging nature of the KPI, particularly when external factors like the heavy snowfall before Christmas created difficulties for staff actually being able to get to work. One service provider had even hired four wheel drive vehicles to get staff in, and also utilised highways vehicles. A case of good improvisation. Marian re-confirmed that external issues such as this were taken into account by the auditors provided they were highlighted in the exceptions reporting.
I needed to leave the forum early to catch a flight to the Med-e-Tel conference in Luxembourg so missed the last presentation from Carmarthenshire County Council on new developments in telecare and telehealth delivery - but as always the presentations will be on the website. The Med-e-Tel conference is mainly of an academic nature with speakers attending from around the world and with a focus on telehealth. It should be a good opportunity for me to promote the TSA and network with other delegates on developments in the UK. I will report back on the conference in my next blog.
Regards
Trevor Single
1st 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