I-DEAL Investment For Assisted Living R&D - UK

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Caregivers / Homecare;  Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 04 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The brains behind the UK's first i-House have accessed more than £1.5million of government investment and industry backing to create a fast track for assisted living products, in a bid to improve the lives of more than 17.5 million people living with long-term conditions in the UK today.

The Intelligent Design Engine for Assisted Living Technology (i-DEAL) project, funded by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Department for Health, will be headed up by healthcare industry specialist MedilinkWM, in partnership with i-Cue Care, GIGA Systems, Safe Patient Systems, Health Exchange CIC and the Health Design and Technology Institute (HDTI) at Coventry University.

Building on the success of the i-House in West Bromwich, which incorporates the i-Cue Dynamic Support Environment - the 'brain' within the intelligent house - this pioneering team of academics and industry entrepreneurs will develop a clear path for manufacturers to develop, test, refine and market new life-enhancing products that meet the needs and design standards of a discerning public.

The TSB's chief executive, Iain Gray, commented: "The impact of living longer and the quality and potentially increasing cost of care for those with chronic long term conditions are major societal and economic challenges. However, such challenges also give us the incentive to develop innovative solutions.

"Through our investment in these exciting projects, the Technology Strategy Board is helping to bring together the UK's world class expertise to research and develop innovative technologies that will bring social and economic benefits to the UK and will have global potential."

MedilinkWM's project manager for i-Health, Alison Mlot said: "This government backing will make a huge difference to the speed and ease with which manufacturers, innovators and industry can rise to the challenge of the UK's ageing population and use the latest technology to create imaginative, user friendly and easy-to-install healthcare products for the home."

This investment is part of an £11million package of research and development by the TSB's Assisted Living Innovation Platform, which brings the government, business and the research community together.

Turning traditional research and development on its head, the i-DEAL project will start by creating an outline of customer needs, ranging from reliability to design, and matching this to the possibilities created by advancing technology. Other UK manufacturers, to ensure their new products are fit for purpose, will then be able to use this best practice framework, streamlining the process. The team's remit includes environmental control and home-monitoring as well as telemedicine and health-monitoring and the project is split into six key areas.

Health Exchange CIC will study market models to analyse the future need and uptake for assistive technology. By looking at different models for funding and the growth of technologies, a comprehensive plan can be developed to ensure the right technology reaches the right people in the future.

CEO Graham Beaumont, Health Exchange CIC, remarked: "This the start of a new way to support people, enabling them to live an improved, more independent lifestyle. The models we will be developing will form the heart of businesses and we're committed to making it a core part of our own service."

Coventry University's HDTI will be looking at people's experiences of technology, establishing user groups that represent people with physical, sensory and cognitive disabilities, drawing upon its existing links with patient, disabled user and ageing support groups. Health Exchange, Hereward College and Ergonova will be working with HDTI to establish a robust methodology that will capture the physical, cognitive and aspirational needs of end users.

HDTI Director, Simon Fielden added: "The i-DEAL project will put service users at the heart of the design process for assisted living products, which is why it is an important project for HDTI. I'm looking forward to being part of a partnership project that delivers first class products to this important market. A key benefit of this project is to show that user involvement has real benefits for manufacturers and designers and HDTI will be looking to use i-DEAL success to promote this approach across the whole assisted living market sector."

Award-winning Safe Patient Systems will head up the group tackling interoperability and performance standards for telemedicine and diagnostic technology. In partnership with Giga Systems and i-Cue Care, Safe Patient Systems will develop a performance specification for its Care in the Chair product, create new software and hardware for the processing of collected data for early warning systems, and ensure independent operation and interoperability with the central intelligence hub by i-Cue. MedilinkWM will also provide the opportunity for demonstration, evaluation and development in the i-Health demonstrators.

David Morgan, managing director of Safe Patient Systems, is delighted to be working with the varied and experienced industrial and academic partners that are involved in the i-DEAL project: "This collaboration has offered our company the opportunity to work closely with end users, allowing us to better understand the needs of our customers. We will be given a valuable insight into the market place by working closely with the other partners and look set to gain a wealth of information which will serve Safe Patient Systems well."

i-Cue Care will explore this further in the third part of the project, with expertise from Halliday James and Technik2, by defining a specification for home-based assisted living technology. As well as developing several new products, and creating an i-Cue enabled flat at Hereward College, the key will be ensuring that all future technologies are compatible, making life as easy as possible for users.

Bernard Wignall, a director of Halliday James Ltd, part of the i-Cue Care consortium, added: "The i-DEAL project provides an exciting opportunity to work with a diverse and knowledgeable group of organisations to develop the functionality of our i-Cue Dynamic Support Environment and support more people by extending its use into different areas of physical and cognitive impairment."

After the success of the i-House in West Bromwich, which has attracted government ministers, public sector officials, healthcare professionals and the public, MedilinkWM will be establishing even more demonstrators across the UK, to spark interest and give industry the opportunity to test the market more thoroughly. It will also be overseeing the project and ensuring that targets are achieved and promises are kept.

Christina Keey-Andersen, Medical Technologies Cluster Manager, Advantage West Midlands, commented: "Intelligent Health is an area of huge potential for our regional industry to develop new products for a rapidly emerging market. The government's support for one of AWM's showcase initiatives shows that our investment is making a difference and now our industry will be showing the rest of the world the way forward."

MedilinkWM's CEO Tony Davis concludes: "Recent estimates published by the Department of Health state that by 2030, incidences of chronic disease in the over 65's will more than double. That's one of the reasons we commissioned a YouGov survey last year, which revealed that 87 per cent of people said they wanted to remain in their own home after retirement, with less than 1 per cent wanting to live in a care home.

"It showed a clear public backing for assisted living and that's why it's so important that we turn this funding into real results, growing industry, improving understanding and enhancing quality of life in the future."

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,021 adults. The survey was carried out online and fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 15th June 2007. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Intelligent Health is a national initiative by Medilink West Midlands to showcase best practice and innovative technology. Utilising the expertise and experience of leading manufacturers, health authorities and active housing associations in the West Midlands, it seeks to identify mainstream and cost-effective solutions to support smarter, community-based healthcare. There are three primary components;

i-Housing, i-Diagnostics and the i-Health Network. The initiative is funded by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands through the Technology Strategy Board.

Medilink West Midlands, the regional network for medical and healthcare companies, actively works to increase the viability and develop the potential of the sector. The MedilinkWM network includes companies throughout the medical product supply chain, from materials and design to manufacturing, packaging and support services. Log on to http://www.MedilinkWM.co.uk

Source
Lisa Jones
PR Account Director
Reeves Green Partners Ltd
http://www.reeves-green.co.uk