A Cornwall care provider has joined forces with a digital technology company to transform home care provision for thousands of people across the county.

Corserv Care, which is owned by Cornwall Council, has linked up with 2iC-Care to roll out their ‘Andi’ digital technology across the area.  

The move means Cornwall is leading the way when it comes to smart healthcare technology, as the first region to embrace the new digital solution. 

Andi will connect a range of healthcare devices people have in their own homes, from fall monitors to light and motion sensors, so that changes in behaviour can be quickly identified and acted upon. For example, if light sensor data recognises an individual is awake during the night, or shows they are staying in bed longer than expected in the mornings, the underlying root causes can be investigated and acted upon before this new behaviour causes a more severe and long-term problem. This could include preventing falls from over-tiredness or identifying when recent medication changes have had an unintended impact. 

The Andi hubs will allow people to access all the information they need about their care in one place. This will reduce frustration for individuals and families who often struggle to navigate multiple different technologies and systems which don’t ‘talk to each other’. 

Just like traditional tele-care services, the digital hubs also provide alarm services so that people living at home can access immediate support from care professionals when they need it – for example after a fall. 

The preventative approach to care is expected to save the local health system hundreds of thousands of pounds per year as it can track and respond to worrying trends in a person’s health or environment before problems worsen, or they need to be hospitalised. 

The move should mean people with care needs across Cornwall can stay in their own homes for longer – living safely and independently with the knowledge that the digital care service can lead to a rapid response from a highly trained care team when needed. 

Corserv Care’s announcement also comes as all areas of the country are switching their traditional analogue phone lines over to digital – before analogue phone lines are cut off in 2025. 

Campaigners have long raised concerns about how this move would affect rural areas which have less reliable mobile phone networks and have therefore relied on landline connections for tele-care services. The challenge is particularly acute in Cornwall, where traditional granite house construction further limits mobile phone connectivity, and therefore the range of telecare products that can be used in the county. 

Using 2iC-Care’s technology, people in even the most rural areas of the county will be able to rely on crucial care services throughout the digital switchover as the digital hubs are designed to operate in areas with poor mobile or internet connection. 

Alison Waller, managing director of Corserv Care, said: “Cornwall has a unique set of challenges because of its rurality. From work-force shortages to simply reaching the people that need our help in more remote parts of the county, we have had to think differently about how to provide consistent, dynamic, and sustainable care.  

“The Andi hubs link multiple existing tele-care devices, enabling them to work in unison to share important information with healthcare professionals. We get fast, accurate alerts that will improve response times, meaning we can intervene earlier to prevent a person’s health declining.  

“Our care can also be even more personalised, with more comprehensive data collected and analysed from the moment we first engage with a new client. We are really excited about what the ‘Andi’ platform enables us to do, and how it will transform social care provision in Cornwall, and across the county.” 

Richard Keyse, CEO of 2iC-Care, said: “When my mother was diagnosed with dementia, I quickly realised how difficult it was to navigate the many different options and technological platforms involved in keeping her safe and well in her own home. Andi equips people at home, and their families and care professionals, with one safe place to keep track of their health and wellbeing, especially in between visits from carers. 

“I am delighted that we are working with Corserv to make care at home an even better experience for people across Cornwall, and to be there for people and carers not just now but for the future.”