Tony Blair makes announcement on community equipment and wheelchairs

This may only touch on telecare in the UK, but this announcement will be of interest to many of our UK readers for other reasons.

The Government is expecting ‘third sector’ organisations to bring about the improvements for users that it thinks statutory services have failed to deliver.

Read the Cabinet Office press notice.

Recent independent report on state of community equipment services. (Go to ICES Report page)

Euro millions to be invested in falls risk assessments? (Eire)

In Ireland, a falls prevention working group is preparing a report which will potentially guide millions of euro in investments toward falls risk assessment. There are statistics in this article but, what is more interesting, is the medical mind-set that assumes that large expenditure is required owing to the need to establish assessment ‘facilities’ when, surely, this is an area where the majority of assessments could be undertaken as self-assessments if the right software and publicity approach were taken. Irish Medical Times article.

What does Archimedes say?

Fascinating article for those of us who sense that reluctance to embrace telehealth and telecare technology is more than just a ‘rational’ plea for more evidence. Long but interesting item on Dr David Eddy, who has spent much of his life exposing the ‘irrationality’ underpinning most medical practice. Read it here.