Common Platform Services for Ageing Well in Europe

Support independent living

Improve quality of life for older peopleIntegrate health and social care

Today, healthcare and social care services are usually

delivered independently. This leads to ineffi ciencies,

duplication of resources, and potentially to reduced levels

of quality of care, and in extreme cases to premature death.

Older people are particularly affected by this situation, since

they often need both types of services, such as support

with daily living activities and chronic disease management.

At the same time, the potential of Information and

Communication Technology (ICT) to support integrated

service delivery remains largely unexploited.

Against this background, CommonWell aims to support

high quality independent living and well-being for older

people across Europe by integrating ICT-based services

across provider organisations on open platforms.

10 partners are co-operating in the project, supported

fi nancially by the European Commission, to deliver ICT-

enabled health and social care services in four Member

States. The integrated services are to support the effective

management of chronic disease, and to address issues

which affect independence, such as reduced agility, vision

or hearing, in order to signifi cantly improve the quality of

life for older people and their families.

“This is an important project for the EU because it addresses the challenging issue of interworking between social services and health care. We support projects like CommonWell to get the

results of innovative new technologies and services to consumers faster.”

Paul Timmers, European Commission

Project co-funded by the European Commission within the ICT Policy Support Programme

Grant agreement no.: 225005

Integrate health and social care…

the CommonWell approach

...support independent living

CommonWell aims to overcome the multiple communication gaps that separate health and social care service provision in many Member States of the European Union and elsewhere. ICT-supported, integrated social and health care services are being delivered at four sites in Europe: Andalucía in Spain, Bielefeld in Germany, Veldhoven in the Netherlands and Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom.

At two sites (Andalucía and Bielefeld), platforms and services focus mainly on supporting independent living of older people, while Veldhoven and Milton Keynes focus on the management of prevalent chronic diseases.

To this end, both client-facing and inter-organisational services are developed in close co-operation with older end-users and professionals. The services are tested over a 14 month evaluated pilot at the four sites.

The total cost of CommonWell is some €5,360,000, half of which is funded under the European Commission’s CIP programme while the other half is born by project partners. By contributing to a better understanding of the benefi ts and costs of integrated care service provision, the project will support major policy initiatives in this fi eld at European

and national level.

A common architecture As leaders of CommonWell technical work, Tunstall is building on its experience with the Continua Health Alliance to pilot new and innovative approaches to the management of a wide range of long-term conditions, employing open system architectures.

Tunstall’s experience in the fi eld of elderly care provides CommonWell with valuable understanding of market demands and the capability to adapt solutions to a wide range of different cases.

The Commonwell technical partners have developed an architecture model for convergence between social and health services, supporting older people and those with long-term conditions to live independently and lead fulfi lling lives.

In line with the key CommonWell objective of providing evidence on the benefi ts of mainstreaming telehealthcare solutions throughout Europe, innovative and fl exible solutions are developed for each site, responding to market and service organisation demands.

The main technology themes are:

• Telehealth and telecare

• Telecare sensors

• Service-Oriented Architecture

• Open system interfaces (Continua compliant)

• PSTN and internet delivery

• Structured (XML) and unstructured dialogue

• Integration of mature solutions

• Migration to emerging technologies

Improve quality of life for older people…

the CommonWell sites

Andalucía, ESIn Andalucía, FASS – as a non-profi t organisation of the Andalucía Government – is responsible for the provision of social care and independent living services, and operates the largest telecare service in Europe. EPES is the Andalucían emergency health service provider, responsible for emergency calls from users in the whole region, providing emergency health care to 8 million inhabitants.

The CommonWell project will provide FASS users with a high quality service by integrating the information from both emergency and social care services into one common platform. Integration includes voice and data transfer, enabling faster response in emergency situations, and enabling citizens with need for social care identifi ed by EPES to be put in contact easily via

FASS with the appropriate social services.

Bielefeld, DEThe CommonWell approach is being applied to two gaps in service provision for older people at German care provider Johanneswerk in Bielefeld. The fi rst relates to response to social alarm calls in emergency situations at home. The second relates to needed improvement in the effectiveness of co-operation between social care and health care providers on admissions to hospital, and subsequent discharge.

Overall, co-operation between social alarm centre, emergency call centre, rescue co-ordination centre and hospital is improved. Ambulance crew and clinicians are able to act more effectively, adverse effects of emergency medication can be avoided and care providers are continually in the picture about the location of their clients. A positive side effect is the increased sense of security of older clients living alone in their fl ats.

Milton Keynes, UKMilton Keynes Council and Milton Keynes Community Health Services (PCT) are working together to develop effective ways of helping people in the community who are managing with a chronic and unstable long-term condition. The aim is to reduce unnecessary admissions to hospital and to facilitate early supported discharge from hospital following an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Telehealth readings are monitored on a daily basis and critical information is passed to a named clinician who is able to facilitate early intervention and prevent a rapid deterioration which could lead to an unnecessary admission to hospital. CommonWell is enabling health and social care data to be integrated to provide more comprehensive and complete patient information which can be used to deliver a more joined up and responsive service.

Veldhoven, NLPoZoB and Smart Homes work together to integrate social and health care in Veldhoven, focusing on patients with chronic heart failure. The general practitioner, a nurse practitioner and a case manager at a call centre work closely together, in order to provide much more integrated medical and social care. The patient has a single point of access, and a single telephone number, to obtain support on medical and social issues. To respond in a timely fashion to exacerbation of heart failure symptoms, these patients are equipped with telehealth monitors.

The goal of the pilot is to improve communication between care providers, to integrate social and health care and to improve health outcomes for patients, particularly those with chronic heart failure.

...across Europe

PoZoZoBZZZoZa

ZZoZoBZoZoBZoBl

ZoZoZZotto wtwoto

VVVelVVVelVVV lVVVVVVVVVVVelVVVVVVVVV

aexare

e gwe

anula

TT

dedeycycyttytn

o twto twied toan

appllle

le

llleplplappllp iiille

lplppl

plaiai

enrstt

nnerger

ddg

dedggeeneede

merg

t Germaanat T t

.t dd

dt e atat e atattat

ddt

VeVVVVVeVVVeVVeVo

VVB a

VVelVVZo

VeldoP

VelVZP owootwtdd o

pa iciaoocial

ap

ial ti

sota

pap

araa

ciaatal ccii

oo

cy

ma

ommm

sociialZcia

oiie

oiial iaialiaiieiaeniai

Zialiacc

stn

tee

heergeerg n

r

do

dnmergee

e

e heergennc

aedd

nncynnfirncy

raeenefifi

geene

dnnfi ncydened

nfirs

geneedenee

genedeeedeeen

erere fi

anT

n emet

. ee

ld Thd. d. m

temmm

Gpli tttieeddpp d pl ed td eplii to

tsE

ttthtthetttttttttthththtt

ssrg

om con

e c

re cssio

termar m com conm s

termm

issio

ermm condm

dsiomad

ne n

cnc

ndensp

ndepeneneca

nis

dble is r

ean

nions

d

aonre

epenndepenres

ne ndent

gao

ndeni

enand

s

go

pene

nesp

depenndent lenc

ndse

d t

esnan

ssesnesess, sesess,sesssesesessess,s,sesssesssessesss,s,

sposrese

resporeseseppopopprespresesres

ingcar

udde

ditatiid

igratid

iegratro

tgratpr

tvi

dein

deinvidiviat

ovegrattt

be integrao rateWWe

prarWearrr

Wellraatedraratedat

pap

apat

WrWell ira

eriote

todete

oeeted eriteeeeneeeerierioere

fdeteetee

etedeteCC

h coterv

l. CC

a na

ad tve

totrvention

d trvention

aa nare

o ottororvent

tios

l

sp

litaiim

facior

cifac litatfacilti

ciril t

onlitlitaatelita

n lit

ono fac li

ioaciacifaci rl

hicly

cy ysepa

e eearpa

inteas d ts

ea l iyhy

dy inintervinterv

pasm

s ps p

e.

ert

altc

nntrh mha

nussn o

ed

of areto y t

ae

rv

ovS

uius

ao

c

ve sbbbeb

ve coto

anede

bsebive a

sec

nd d

e data tove andree

dddaaaaattta

daada tttoooare

t

otert

e

ession

apidra

care

ssiiiic

rs rs

ar

an

ao

pitt

ead gpn is

dinead re mdiread s are n

t

ngs nggin

r

dih readdinadadinnngs aon i pn is

rwh

rlssls

ta

oore rd

mmsed

mmonitoonnitdd

mo

onnan

sive

spooiwh

nosponorespooespopooononowhrespo

r

ew

r

al

r

lm

rre monitogs arrredings arrrer

p

rrer

u

r

e

ars ar

v

arre mo

o

re

o

d sociald carecn

cndd

aanddp

anaddadana

CCh c

inn

. a t

ututtose

l i t

oed

terlea

ndd

rly interventonto

ted le

tervead

terve

med

tdssesse

omto n

mi

mouh c

l Com

yc

megr

mc

CommonW

lyh c

W

nochch o

omb

mmt

mComme

ochmm

nC m

emmomm

te

ohe

ofa

onciliffa

gati

ffa

nmat

orafble to f

adm

facilitafaccilitarfm

oi

cal o to

ti

sssette atoraer

n

al ioo

tioac

orfacilita

miisd

oet atie

n

e to d d

to d

comvereliverr a mr

e rr

err

parer

pr arr a m

pleererdeliververerer

e parrr a mtere

r

h rrmac

aosd

nfhhhhh

s

hca

althh

s

hhhhealthhfoh

calthealthehealth

t

hlth

b

hhh

prehenre

cooomm

m

ld

m

eca

hl ine to fa

alal

ab

aal

Teticcrit

ha

i b

s

ed

blrap

infis ab

tl i

ea nf

dsici

compal cd soc

dmsoci

tona

isoci

deioi

rn a

o al c

oto

al and

pmis

ocien

s

mpre sive nsiveus

hci

enbe

hene

eh n

prehic

reho

al careens

be

sing ous onne

oe

aaonrronon

lalononn

nteginnto in t

ce

al ce

ppt

omito

rogra

outhe

ro

h

Tc

a

hel

oe e e e

crcTT

, e

dT

, d

seseseThhhe

, focuffffffffoooooooocccccccuuuuuuuuheeethhe oo io

failun,

t fafldf

eaaaafaa

nat fafat fafafa

raaa

rfart fa

togetk e

ork orkkk ork nte r teteteteegrateteeetegrateeeeegrateeeteeeeeateteeateeeon

erateteerateeeteneerate

oteee

geu

gnerangnera

maanan

dnn

ggmaan

ddann

nerannnener

r tVeldhovennVVeln VVVVr

VVVVVwo

VVeldk

VeorVoVVVVVV

case mThhe ge geenge

e me

mor

se mmanr

maer

mmmrd

momm

n se me min

managmade

aoong og o

eoooonononng

gorae

en lalerg

arneenene al

Implementing real-life services…

the CommonWell pilotsThe CommonWell services are being piloted at the four sites for a period of at least twelve months. The necessary equipment is installed in the homes of the users and at the service centres of the care provider partners. Service delivery processes at the providers are adapted and end-users as well as carers are familiarised with the new CommonWell platform and services.

The evaluation of the pilots promises to gain a better understanding of the new services’ added value, user benefi ts and acceptance, quality of life impacts and economic viability.

The evaluation is a core element of the project and isdesigned to be as rigorous and robust as possible. It takes into account the nature of the services to be implemented as well as the diverse national care systems, the regulatory and legal conditions, and the local circumstances under which services are delivered.

The evaluation encompasses the different stakeholder groups involved: end users; informal carers; formal health and social care staff and the provider organisations. A multi-dimensional and multi-method approach has been adopted which can be fl exibly applied across sites.

Teamwork…

the CommonWell consortium

Information and contactFor more information visit the CommonWell website at: www.commonwell.eu

Or contact the project co-ordinatorempirica, c/o Sonja Müller or Ingo MeyerOxfordstr. 2 – 53111 Bonn – GermanyFON: +49 228 98 53 00, FAX: +49 228 98 53 012email: commonwell@empirica.com

901/3/10