Camden Council trials care tech device to help residents return home from hospital sooner

4​ January 2023

**Oysta Pearl+ allows patients to return home an average of three days faster**

Camden Council, in partnership with Oysta, has successfully piloted a care tech device to allow residents to return from hospital sooner and be fully supported to recover at home.

So far, the Oysta care device has supported over 200 residents who were medically fit enough to be discharged from hospital but required ongoing social care support at home to leave hospital sooner, reducing pressures on the NHS.

The ‘Help at Home’ mobile device, provided to residents who are supported by Camden’s adult social care service, has a falls sensor, status alerts and an SOS button linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre, allowing people to recover independently at home but knowing help is readily available.

Residents who were given the device returned home on average three days sooner than those waiting for a social care assessment before they could leave hospital, freeing up hospital beds and helping to address patient backlog.

Calls from the devices go to Camden Council’s ‘Careline’ which allows care teams to respond to calls directly.

Following this successful trial, the care device will now be used permanently for adult social care users in Camden who are returning from hospital.

Councillor Anna Wright,Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said: “These Help at Home devices have allowed people to return to their own homes faster, with the confidence that they have technology-based support at the touch of a button. Using these devices, linked to our Careline team, not only provides peace of mind to the individuals and their families but allows the hospital social work teams to develop a plan to support people with what matters to them. But it’s more than just an alarm: our residents can talk directly to our teams through their devices, who also receive alerts in situations such as someone having a fall, allowing us to send a team around to help.”

Mario Zuccaro, Founder of Oysta said: “What we’ve demonstrated in Camden is that not only can our device free up beds for other patients with urgent need for treatment, but we can reduce the unnecessary risk that a longer than necessary stay in hospital can bring. Some people around the country are waiting weeks for their care assessments and by using an Oysta device they have something to keep them safe and monitored which also takes the strain off under pressure social care teams who can schedule in visits in the person’s home when they have returned from hospital.”

A Camden resident who was given an Oysta care device said: “After a long stay in hospital I was desperate to get back to my own home. The staff at the hospital gave me a device whilst I was still on the ward so I could get used to it and I was surprised how easy it was to use. On one occasion I used my Oysta Pearl to call for help after a fall and within 20 minutes the Careline team were at my door to help me. I would recommend it to anyone in my position who was medically fit to be discharged. I had a care assessment when I was back at home and the Council were able to provide me with the things I needed to stay in my own home.”

The Oysta HelpAtHome enabled them to leave hospital sooner, reducing pressures on the NHS, saving the NHS an estimated 630 bed days – equating to £252,000 in financial savings - which would otherwise have been occupied by patients awaiting social care assessments rather than hospital treatment.

Residents who were given the device returned home on average three days sooner than those waiting for a social care assessment before they could leave the hospital which helped to free up hospital beds and address the patient backlog.

For more information on Camden’s Adult Social Care service head to: camden.gov.uk/adult-social-care

To find out more about the Oysta Care Device head to: oysta-technology.com/

About Oysta

Founded in 2008, Oysta is a Care Tech provider with an ambition to change the way we care for vulnerable people within our communities and a belief in giving people the care they would like to receive themselves.

Oysta specialises in digital care solutions that help bridge the gap between health and social care, helping people live safer, independent lives, for longer and alleviating the strain on the UK / Spanish health and social care system.

Oysta work to alleviate the strain on the health and social care system by providing innovative solutions for social care professionals caring for vulnerable independent people (VIPs). These solutions support effective care decisions and allow prioritisation, helping to deliver better outcomes and personalised care.

They are committed to simplifying technology-assisted care through a range of products with people at the forefront, helping to bring a sense of independence and safety to vulnerable people of all ages and with varying levels of vulnerability.

About IntelliCare™

IntelliCare™ is a smart cloud-based platform which links all Oysta devices and sensors into one secure dashboard. Designed to support effective care decisions, it helps care teams deliver better patient outcomes by providing real-time reflection of VIPs activity, location and wellbeing.

Through the devices and sensors, IntelliCare gathers valuable insights as to a VIPs normal activity pattern and their home environment that help inform their care circle of the VIPs personalised care needs. It enables 24/7 support if a VIP is in distress as it links all major Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs.)

Fully digital, resilient, futureproof and ready for the Digital Switch Over, IntelliCare is proven to make significant improvements to the provision of social care, including cost savings and a reduction in readmission to hospitals.

Oysta’s IntelliCare platform simplifies technology enabled care and provides care providers the ability to transform reactive care to efficient, personalised, preventative care with 24/7 support.

About Pearl+

Pearl+ is a safety device linked to the IntelliCare platform which features GPS ‘safety zones’, a fall sensor, location updates, status alerts, reminder messages and a one-touch SOS button for its wearers. It allows wearers the security to contact a trained service provider should they require assistance or are lost or distressed.