Council rolls out smart pill boxes to get patients home sooner

A ‘smart’ box that reminds people to take their medication on time and a mobile device with a fall sensor are among the technologies UK councils are using to help people leave hospital to recover at home faster and reduce pressure on the NHS.

Oxfordshire County Council’s Innovation Hub team and the adult social care team were looking for ways to improve health outcomes for patients while easing hospital discharge rates and reducing re-admissions.

A 16-month project to address this, backed by a £1 million (US$1.2 million) Innovate UK grant, has been described as “the first of its kind” and a blueprint that could be scaled across the UK.

When they are discharged from hospital, and following a face-to-face appointment and personalised schedule, selected older patients will receive a ‘smart’ medication storage box created by medicine technology start-up CONNECT Care. The device flashes and buzzes when it’s time to take a dose. It can send texts to the patient’s phone or a family member if doses are repeatedly missed.

“Pioneering” programme

The council is also working with NHS partners on the project.

Councillor Tim Bearder, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Using technology to enable people to live well in their own communities is an important part of our ‘Oxfordshire Way’ vision. After hospital treatment, patients recover more quickly at home but concerns about their ability to take medication independently can lead to a longer hospital stay than necessary.

“This pioneering initiative will give patients greater confidence to get better in their own homes, freeing up space in hospitals for those who need it most, and allowing our residents to recover where they feel most comfortable.”

Following an initial research and design phase launched in May 2022, the initiative is being rolled out to up to 50 adult social care patients from this week.

Suitable patients identified for the trial may include people taking multiple medicines where there is a higher chance of missing doses or errors with timings. In the future, the service will also be able to flag potential side effects patients and their care teams can expect, such as increased risk of falling due to a specific combination of medicines.

Help at home

In December, Camden Council announced the permanent roll-out of ‘help at home’ care devices, following a pilot with 200 residents who were medically fit enough to be discharged from hospital but required ongoing social care support at home.

The mobile devices from Oysta, provided to residents who are supported by Camden’s adult social care service, have a falls sensor, status alerts and an SOS button linked to an Alarm Receiving Centre.

Calls from the devices go to Camden Council’s Careline which allows care teams to respond directly.

According to the council, residents who were given the device returned home on average three days sooner than those waiting for a social care assessment before they could leave hospital.

Councillor Anna Wright, Camden’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said last month: “These Help at Home devices have allowed people to return to their own homes faster, with the confidence that they have technology-based support at the touch of a button.

“Using these devices, linked to our Careline team, not only provides peace of mind to the individuals and their families but allows the hospital social work teams to develop a plan to support people with what matters to them.

“But it’s more than just an alarm: our residents can talk directly to our teams through their devices, who also receive alerts in situations such as someone having a fall, allowing us to send a team around to help.”

Other UK councils have trialled technologies to support people to live independently at home for longer, such as ambient sensors, smart lights and speakers, and advanced care systems running on private 5G.