Telehealthcare THE LATEST TUNSTALL AND TELEHEALTHCARE INDUSTRY NEWS EDITION 4 2014 INDUSTRY CORNER Integrating telehealthcare with your service offering PLUS Coming soon - mymobile telehealth app Latest news - on stage at MedTech 2014 Nurse Ruth - helping your clients cope with the heat this summer /TunstallAustralasia Like us on on Facebook INFOCUS Discover the new way forward for healthcare delivery
WELCOME WELCOME..................................................................... face to face healthcare a reality for regional australia...to the fourth edition of the Tunstall telehealthcare times for 2014 Like many organisations at this time of year we recently held our staff Christmas Party and awards presentations. I really enjoy this part of my job recognising individuals who go above and beyond and represent the Tunstall values in exceptional ways! This year we included a new award, the Peoples Choice Award, which is voted on by all employees, no management involved! We ran a confidential survey and asked staff to vote on who they thought emulated the Tunstall values the best, especially from a team spirit perspective. See the complete list of our 2014 Tunstall award winners on page 11. Last month Tunstall held our first Executive Boardroom Luncheon. We hosted the luncheon in Sydney overlooking the iconic Sydney Opera House. Fifty executives attended, giving them an opportunity to come together in a relaxed environment, network with like-minded colleagues and hear from an international speaker in the areas of telehealthcare service delivery. This edition we highlight this event, including a summary of the insights from Claire Buchner of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and lessons learnt in the delivery of the Agency s telehealthcare program. These days there is an app for everything and at Tunstall we recognise our clients want to be up-to-date and have access on the move. Inside read more about the new Tunstall mymobile app (coming soon) which connects you to the Tunstall myclinic telehealth system from your mobile device wherever you are. Check out the Carers UK Jointly app as well on page 4. If you care for a loved one or work in a field where you are a primary carer, this app is for you. Jointly helps you manage appointments, medication reminders, carer support schedules, and helps to coordinate all sorts of communication in between.... William Grant also talks about our work with Villa Maria and how they are delivering technology enabled care services under the Consumer Directed Care model. He discusses the complexities of integration and how good planning with the support of a proven provider like Tunstall makes all the difference, see page 8. Have a happy and safe holiday season and I look forward to sharing the Tunstall Telehealthcare Magazine with you again in the New Year. 2 Telehealthcare Times LYN DAVIES Managing Director...........................
LATEST NEWS Made in Movember MedTech 2014 Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare Lyn Davies, recently had the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion at Medical Technology Association of Australia s (MTAA) annual MedTech conference. The panel of industry experts discussed how ehealth and telehealth are changing the Australian health environment, exploring the benefits of telehealth from a company and healthcare perspective. Tunstall staff member Scott Beal set himself the task of growing a moustache masterpiece during Movember. Scott s efforts have assisted in raising awareness and funds for Men s health. Well done Scott. Latest news Panelists: Lyn Davies, Claire Buchner, Jan Ewert (pictured), Jennene Buckley, Dr Peter Del Fante, Dr Alan Molloy, Susie Tegan (chair). @MovemberAUS #Tunstallfarewell Happy retirement Our New Zealand staff recently celebrated the retirement of a beloved staff member, Sharon Green, retiring after 15 years of dedicated service. #ConnectedCare Executive Boardroom Luncheon Held at the Park Hyatt Sydney in November, the Executive Boardroom Luncheon presented by Tunstall Healthcare, brought together a delegation of like-minded Executives to discuss the changing landscape of Australia s healthcare. Read more about the event and keynote presentation on p5. Click here to view the event photo album Life Changing, Life Saving 3
LATEST NEWS #CarersUK Jointly app Carers UK and Tunstall UK have recently formed a partnership with a focus on providing innovative technology based care solutions for carers. Carers UK has since launched its first technology product Jointly; an app to help families coordinate care alongside increasingly complex lives. Jointly combines group messaging with other useful features including shared calendar, to-do and medication lists. www. jointlyapp.com #ComingSoon mymobile telehealth application NEW The Tunstall mymobile telehealth application is a platform extension of the Tunstall myclinic telehealth solution. The mymobile application has been developed to enable a consistent mobile interface for myclinic patients and clinicians. Fully supported by Tunstall s flagship integrated care platform (ICP) platform, the application allows remote management of the patient s individual care plan, vital sign data, health interviews and triage processes. Automatic data synchronisation - updates with Tunstall s icp platform in real time for accurate data display. Mobile friendly format - patient information is displayed in a clear, easy to read format. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) - supported application for IOS, Android and Windows platforms. The Tunstall mymobile telehealth application is set for release mid-2015. Contact your Tunstall Account Manager for further information or to arrange a demonstration. 4 Telehealthcare Times
INFOCUS discover the new way forward for healthcare delivery It s about asking the right questions, says Claire Buchner, Consultant Nurse ehealth and Informatics, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland, UK. In Australia to present as international keynote speaker for MedTech 2014, Ms Buchner was also offered the opportunity to address a distinguished delegation of health and aged care executives at a Boardroom Luncheon presented by Tunstall Healthcare. Passionate about the possibilities for technology to enhance practice and support innovation in the development of patient led services, Ms Buchner presented on the importance of designing future telemonitoring projects based on a patient-centric approach. Having supported Northern Ireland s work to design and implement a remote telemonitoring end-toend managed service, Ms Buchner spoke frankly of her involvement in the project, highlighting both the wins and challenges faced by the implementation team. Asking the right questions was crucial to patient acceptance and to introducing proactive telemonitoring technologies as a key enabler in the transformation of the region s health and social care system, she says. It was important for us to ask how the telemonitoring process would work for patients, as well as for healthcare professionals. To date, nearly 3,000 patients are benefiting from Northern Ireland s telemonitoring project, with a clear long-term aim set for 20,000 Life Changing, Life Saving 5
INFOCUS patients to be enrolled by 2018. Patient selection is also a key consideration in programme effectiveness, with Ms Buchner detailing how structured clinical care pathways were enabling clinicians to better identify the right cohort of patients suitable for the telemonitoring service. Each trust has an explicit selection process, which includes preliminary patient assessment and setting of patient specific health goal. The telemonitoring service has meant a better experience and improved outcomes for many, with earlier intervention helping to prevent condition deterioration and unneccessary hospital admissions. Changing a care pathway using technology impacts the lives of many other people not just the patient: family, friends, carers, GPs and nurses, she says. Clinician feedback presented suggests the use of telemonitoring has helped promote greater patient engagement and compliance, but highlights that further consolidation and support for clinicians is neccessary during practice change. Ms Buchner summised by explaining telemonitoring is not a golden ticket, it must be implemented in a considered way and for the right patients. Importantly, it is not just about the technology in itself; but rather in bringing together services for a combined benefit. Telemonitoring Northern Ireland Programme In March 2011 the TF3 Consortium (a consortium of Fold Telecare, S3 Group and Tunstall Healthcare UK) was awarded a contract to provide a Remote Telemonitoring Service to the Northern Ireland Health & Social Care System. The award of the six year contract was led by the Centre for Connected Health & Social Care (part of the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency) who worked in partnership with, and on behalf of, the five Northern Ireland Health & Social Care Trusts. The Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has invested 18 million in the service, in order to improve the management of long-term conditions. Participating patients take their vital signs readings and answer their own personal on-screen health questions using their Tunstall telehealth mymedic monitors, usually on a daily basis. This information is then securely transmitted to a monitoring centre where trained operators view the data on-screen using Tunstall s ICP triagemanager. Here, technical and clinical triage takes place and if a patient s readings are outside of the limits set for them operators will follow the appropriate local protocol, alerting a clinician if necessary. www. telemonitoringni.info 6 Telehealthcare Times
LESSONS LEARNT 1 Successful change and improvement in health and social care pathways depends on the participation of a wide range of people. 2 Strategic stakeholder engagement is essential. Be prepared, it can create overspecification in the beginning but ultimately saves time and improves outcomes further into the project. 3 Placing individuals at the centre of care promotes better outcomes for the user, carer and family members. - John Hicks, Telemonitoring NI patient I am delighted to say I haven t had to go into hospital any time during the last 11 months. I would definitely recommend this service to anyone. - John Hicks, Telemonitoring NI patient. 4 5 Effective leadership in the form of a clinical champion, is the single most important factor in changing clinical practice to acheive technology integration. Pilot projects should always be strategically aligned, of sufficent scale and designed for evaluation. PRESENTATION MATERIALS Having the telemonitoring service has made a real difference to our lives; it is very reassuring. We are now able to go on holidays three times a year! - Trudy Hicks, John s wife. i View the presentation materials Join the conversation. #connectedcare www.twitter.com/tunstallhcare View the event photo album. www.facebook.com/tunstallaustralasia Life Changing, Life Saving 7
INDUSTRY CORNER - William Grant; Snr Business Development Manager Integrating telehealthcare with your service offering The benefits of technology integration are often idealised in discussions of connected care. Actions towards reaching integration are too often dismissed on assumptions of high cost and resistance to organisational change, but with clear, considered planning and the support of a qualified organisation with proven implementation experience, an integrated care service offering can be realised. Keep up with the latest industry news. Follow Tunstall on Twitter: @tunstallhcare 8 Telehealthcare Times In my role I work closely with a variety of not-for-profit (NFP) organisations and community groups, assisting them to successfully integrate telehealthcare technologies into their existing service offering. Villa Maria, one of Victoria s largest NFP providers of disability, education and senior services, is one such success story. With the support of Tunstall Healthcare, the Organisation has begun delivering technology enabled care services to both existing and prospective clients in the Victorian and Southern NSW communities. Faced with funding reform through the introduction of a Consumer Directed Care model, Villa Maria identified consumer demand for technology enabled care services and acted accordingly to diversify their service offering. Their decision to incorporate a telecare product range for their clients is now seeing additional clients referred to their service. Villa Maria s long term goal is to grow their telecare service and reach as many clients in their geographic footprint as possible. For a chat on how we may support your organisation to successfully integrate telehealthcare services into your current offering, contact 1800 603 377. Partnering with Tunstall to deliver our telecare solutions has enhanced our service delivery to the people we support. The monitoring service has been excellent. As the acuity of home care service recipients becomes higher assistive technology plays an important role in supporting individuals to remain in their own homes. Heather Catherwood, Villa Maria General Manager
CUSTOMER ACCOUNT MANAGER NEW ROLE Hi, I m Sarah Hornal, the new Customer Account Manager at Tunstall Healthcare. A member of the Tunstall team for the past three years, I bring to the role a high level of service and dedication to customer support, with previous experience in marketing and account management roles. Some of you may even have spoken with me in my previous role as the Customer Care Coordinator. Tunstall Healthcare has created this new position to allow the business to spend more time working with our existing corporate clients. I have been fortunate enough to speak with many of you over the past few months to provide product and service updates, as well as gain a better understanding of your business. I look forward to working in conjunction with your Business Development Manager in continuing to provide you with the high quality service that you have come to expect from Tunstall. Please don t hesitate to get in touch regarding any questions you may have. Contact Sarah on 0434 257 710. Email: sarah.hornal@tunstallhealthcare.com.au ask warren Warren, our Telehealthcare Consultant, is one of Tunstall s longest serving employees, sharing his years of Tunstall wisdom through training and support for our corporate customers and installers. Warren Duce Telehealthcare Consultant Tunstall Healthcare Warren recently visited our friends at Churches of Christ Care in QLD, presenting a training workshop to refresh the staff on the advanced capabilities of our falls product range. Staff were encouraged to participate in a hands-on demonstration, and learnt how to program advanced features of our ivi intelligent fall detector pendant and ConnectMe alarm. Have a question for Warren? Email: askwarren@tunstallhealthcare.com.au Life Changing, Life Saving 9
NURSE RUTH TOP TIPS by Nurse Ruth Helping your clients cope this summer Summer is here and temperatures are ramping up. Along with higher temperatures on our thermometers it is a good idea is to watch out for low blood pressure and higher than normal pulse readings among your clients. High pulse rates combined with lowered blood pressure and high temperature may be a sign of heat exhaustion or heat stroke and dehydration. If your client uses a Tunstall myclinic tablet, you may use the video conferencing facility to do a virtual face to face clinical assessment to rule this out. Don t forget that the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke can be similar to those of infection. You can also write notifications to your clients to remind them of the following tips. If you need a refresher on how to video conferences or use the notifications, call the Clinical Services Team on 1800 603 377. 1 2 3 4 5 For older people and those with chronic conditions, it is imperative they keep cool and well hydrated. The following advice is recommended: Stay indoors and out of the heat of the day (the hottest part of the day is between 11am- 3pm). If going outdoors is unavoidable, take a hat and bottle of water. Stay in the shade as much as is possible. Wear loose fitting, lightweight clothing, preferably cotton in light colours, to prevent sweating. Complete housework tasks early in the morning or in the late afternoon or evening when its cooler. Drink plenty of water (unless advised otherwise by your doctor), not too much caffeine (tea or coffee), or alcohol, as these have a dehydrating effect. 10 Telehealthcare Times
TUNSTALL TALK Congratulations to our 2014 Tunstall award winners TUNSTALL AUSTRALIA David Stephens accepting the Customer Service Excellence Award from MD Lyn Davies Customer Service Excellence Award: David Stephens Personal Development Award: Raeleen Marsh Enid Potter Award: Linda Davies People s Choice Award: David Stephens TUNSTALL NEW ZEALAND GM Stephen Murray presenting Customer Service Excellence Award to Di Hobson Customer Service Excellence Award: Di Hobson Personal Development Award: Melissa Marshall Don Barr-Smith Award: Gail Johnston People s Choice Award: Melissa Marshall What makes you SMILE? Strive for excellence Make a difference Innovative and Agile Listen and Understand Everybody Matters Our brand values and goals are critical to the success of both the products and services we provide, and need to be embraced and communicated positively by everyone who is a part of Tunstall. This edition, Meagan Battams from our Tunstall Response Centre shares with us what makes her SMILE about working for Tunstall... The reason I really enjoy working at Tunstall is knowing what a difference I can make to someone s life. Whether just by being here as reassurance, or in an emergency situation, I love knowing I can help. Meagan Battams, Response Operator Life Changing, Life Saving 11
Life Changing, Life Saving Tunstall Healthcare 1/56 Lavarack Ave Eagle Farm QLD 4009 1800 603 377 www.tunstallhealthcare.com.au Tunstall New Zealand 306 Cameron Rd Tauranga 3110 0800 488 678 www.tunstall.co.nz