{"id":47397,"date":"2025-12-11T16:20:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T15:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/?p=47397"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:48:10","slug":"replay-telecare-in-europe-towards-a-new-era-of-connected-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/replay-telecare-in-europe-towards-a-new-era-of-connected-care\/","title":{"rendered":"[Replay] Telecare in Europe: Towards a new era of connected care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a packed conference hall buzzing with prototypes, provocations and practical debates, the panel \u201cTelecare in Europe: Towards a New Era of Connected Care\u201d offered something increasingly rare in discussions about digital health: nuance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"telecare in europe\" class=\"wp-image-47422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Moderated by author and broadcaster <strong>Carl Honor\u00e9<\/strong>, the session brought together two leading voices from the United Kingdom\u2019s technology-enabled care (TEC) sector \u2014 <strong>Alyson Scurfield<\/strong>, Chief Executive of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tsa-voice.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Technology Services Association<\/a><\/strong> (<strong>TSA<\/strong>), and <strong>Maxine Potter<\/strong>, UK Director of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.careium.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Careium<\/a><\/strong>, one of Europe\u2019s largest telecare providers. Over the course of nearly forty minutes, they mapped the opportunities and obstacles facing European telecare with unusual candour, stressing that the next leap forward will hinge not on gadgets, but on people, culture and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Telecare : A Sector in Transformation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Carl Honor\u00e9 opened by situating the conversation within a festival that proudly embraces the full range of ageing-related innovation \u2014 from anti-bed-sore mattresses to a sensor-equipped penis ring (\u201cbedsores to bonking,\u201d he joked). But when he asked his guests what excites them most, neither reached for the shiniest device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For Maxine Potter<\/strong>, the game-changer is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/airec-the-ai-powered-robot-that-improves-care-for-the-elderly-in-japan\/\">artificial intelligence<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 not in its abstract, futuristic form, but as a practical tool for <strong>preventative and proactive care<\/strong>. AI, she explained, is already helping carers interpret behavioural data from sensors: <em>\u201cWe can see if Mrs Smith hasn\u2019t made a cup of tea that morning or hasn\u2019t got out of bed. That gives us alarms and triggers to reach out before something becomes an emergency.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alyson Scurfield agreed that innovation is abundant \u2014 \u201cthe hall is full of incredible \u2018bits of kit\u2019\u201d \u2014 but warned against starting with technology instead of people. She pointed to her own experience living with diabetes: her glucose monitor is sophisticated, but <em>\u201cdoes it connect to my care record? No. Does it connect to social care? No.\u201d<\/em> The real breakthrough, she argued, will come from <strong>embedding technologies in wrap-around services<\/strong>, and ensuring they respond to real needs rather than imagined ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>[Replay] Telecare in Europe: Towards a new era of connected care<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Experts Panel Discussion - Telecare in Europe: Towards a new era of connected care\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EvrZddR3Yog?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Co-production, Not Guesswork<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both speakers returned repeatedly to the principle of <strong>co-production<\/strong> \u2014 designing solutions with, rather than for, the people who use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Careium, according to Maxine Potter explained, conducts in-person visits to understand user behaviour and gather feedback, rather than relying on generic surveys. Many older users, she said, value the human voice so much that they sometimes press their emergency pendant simply to talk to someone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alyson Scurfield expanded the definition of co-production far beyond the end user. For her, it includes commissioners (who fund services), family carers, frontline workers, community groups, local authorities, and national policymakers. It is a continuous process: <em>\u201cMy needs today as a diabetic might be very different next week after an episode,\u201d<\/em> she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Co-production, in other words, is not a box to tick \u2014 it is a method for building systems that evolve with people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The UK\u2019s Digital Shift: Progress and Pain Points<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The panel offered a candid window into the UK\u2019s massive <strong>analog-to-digital (A2D) telecare transition<\/strong>, now in its final year. The shift affects millions of vulnerable people whose alarms and sensors were designed for copper-line telephony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maxine Potter described the process as \u201ctough\u201d and \u201clong-anticipated\u201d, emphasising that many stakeholders doubted digital switchover would ever truly arrive. Careium&#8217;s strategy centred on <strong>planning and partnership<\/strong>, particularly with BT and CSL, to test devices, ensure resilience, and avoid failures during network migrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The broader lesson, she said, is that <strong>no company can navigate the transition alone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alyson Scurfield placed A2D in a wider policy context. The UK\u2019s new government, she explained, is prioritising three areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Supporting people at home and in neighbourhoods<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shifting from illness treatment to prevention<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Completing the digital transition with a focus on resilience<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>But she acknowledged significant structural barriers, including <em>\u201cthe plumbing\u201d<\/em> of the system \u2014 procurement processes, data flows, and interoperability \u2014 and, above all, <strong>culture<\/strong>. Technology will not scale, she argued, unless leaders and frontline workers understand that it enhances rather than replaces their roles: <em>\u201cThis is transformation\u2026 a cultural shift.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Collaboration Across Borders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Alyson Scurfield&#8217;s most forceful messages was that international collaboration is long overdue. The TSA, she noted, is unique globally: few other countries have an industry body uniting suppliers, commissioners and service providers under a common quality framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting the United States recently, she found that many markets share identical challenges \u2014 workforce shortages, siloed services, poor interoperability \u2014 yet attempt to solve them separately. She urged French organisations to consider building a joint structure with UK partners to accelerate shared innovation and standards: <em>\u201cThese problems don\u2019t change. If there\u2019s appetite in France to work together, let\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Potter echoed this, noting that Cairium already works across Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and France, and sees cross-border cooperation as essential rather than optional: <em>\u201cThere\u2019s more than enough room for everyone. Collaboration has to be the focus.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reimagining Ageing and Personalisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Both speakers challenged stereotypes about older adults and technology. Far from fearing digital tools, today\u2019s older citizens increasingly expect modern, discreet solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Potter described strong demand for <strong>smartwatch-style devices<\/strong> that blend into daily life instead of signalling frailty. Skirfield broadened this to a philosophy: personalisation should start with a simple question \u2014 <em>\u201cHow do you want to live your life?\u201d<\/em> \u2014 rather than a list of diagnoses or a box of pre-selected devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This approach, they argued, will allow technology to scale sustainably because it becomes part of a values-based conversation instead of a one-size-fits-all product pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI for Telecare: Tool, Not Replacement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When Honor\u00e9 raised the \u201celephant in the room\u201d \u2014 artificial intelligence \u2014 both panelists firmly rejected the idea of AI replacing human contact in emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Potter put it bluntly: <em>\u201cI would never want someone pressing an alarm in an emergency and AI answers that call.\u201d<\/em> At Cairium, AI is used only for non-critical tasks such as medication reminders, alarm-testing prompts, and data analysis\u2014not frontline emergency response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skirfield warned against being dazzled by AI without addressing safety, risk and governance: <em>\u201cBefore we run off using lots of AI, we have to go back to safety. We need proper guidance on how people are using it.\u201d<\/em><em><br><\/em>Used wisely, she acknowledged, AI can be a powerful tool for reaching otherwise isolated individuals, as shown during the UK\u2019s pandemic shielding programme. But it must serve human judgement, not supplant it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The One Barrier to Remove&#8230;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As the session closed, Honor\u00e9 asked both speakers what single barrier they would eliminate if they could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skirfield did not hesitate: <strong>interoperability<\/strong>. Without shared data standards and open platforms, she said, proactive care cannot truly happen. Her call was ambitious: an <strong>international interoperability standard<\/strong> ensuring that a person\u2019s data \u201ccan be seen when it needs to be seen, anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Potter\u2019s response was embedded throughout her earlier remarks: reducing barriers requires <strong>more collaboration, early planning, and sustained human engagement<\/strong>, especially during periods of disruption like the digital switchover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Telecare in Europe : A Sector at a Tipping Point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If the <strong>SilverEco festival\u2019s<\/strong> <strong>exhibition<\/strong> floor hinted at the <strong>future of telecare<\/strong>, this panel illuminated the foundations needed to reach it. Across the discussion, three themes surfaced again and again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technology is not the answer \u2014 but it can help us find the answer.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human relationships are irreplaceable.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The biggest breakthroughs will come from working together: across sectors, borders and disciplines.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/ageing-population-in-europe-a-demographic-crisis-for-the-eu\/\">Europe prepares for unprecedented demographic change<\/a><\/strong>, telecare is no longer a niche industry. It is, as the panelists agreed, entering a \u201ctipping point\u201d: a moment when thoughtful design, shared infrastructure and cultural transformation could make connected care not a privilege but a norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether Europe seizes that moment will depend less on shiny sensors and more on what Skirfield called <em>\u201cthe workforce, the leaders, and the culture we create around change.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a packed conference hall buzzing with prototypes, provocations and practical debates, the panel \u201cTelecare in Europe: Towards a New Era of Connected Care\u201d offered something increasingly rare in discussions about digital health: nuance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":47422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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a packed conference hall buzzing with prototypes, provocations and practical debates, the panel \u201cTelecare in Europe: Towards a New Era of Connected Care\u201d offered something increasingly rare in discussions about digital health: nuance.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47397"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47423,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47397\/revisions\/47423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.silvereco.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}