Implementing Telecare
Implementation / Go Live phase

In preparation for this phase, the project team should think about:

  • Who will co-ordinate all implementation and training activities?
  • Who will prepare training programmes and deliver training for staff?
  • Who will organize the on-site training and go-live period?
  • Will telehealth “champions or super users” be identified and will they receive more indepth training?
  • Will general awareness raising sessions be delivered for staff that are not directly involved in the project – e.g. reception staff, admin and support staff, social care and housing staff etc?

Potential stumbling blocks

Initial feedback from those Partnerships which have already begun to implement their telehomemonitoring projects shows that they have encountered a number of issues which have impacted on their implementation plans. The main issues are summarised below to provide an indication of the potential project risks that may arise:

  • Problems with supplier selection – because IT system requirements were not fully understood before supplier selection process was done;
  • Lack of clarity about procurement process - particularly if suppliers were not on the PASA Framework;
  • Lack of buy in from potential pilot sites – disinterest, fears over increased workload, etc
  • IT – lack of infrastructure and resources to create it, data storage, integration and transfer issues.
  • No full time project manager – lack of adequate project resources led to slippage in the project timescale.
  • Poor mobile phone coverage – impacted on the equipment functionality and this was not adequately considered during equipment selection process.
  • Confusion over how the project outcomes were going to be evaluated because this was not clearly set out at the beginning of the project.
  • No national (Scotland) network specifically aimed at telehomemonitoring to enable the sharing of experiences and learning between Partnerships.

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