O2 announce plans to launch mobile telecare service

O2 have announced plans to launch the UK’s “first telecare service built around mobile technology”. The operator’s Help at Hand service will enable the remote monitoring of patients with chronic conditions.

Scheduled to launch in April by O2 Health, the new scheme will be managed by the operator’s business unit focused on the mobile health market. O2 says the new service will increase support for those with long-term conditions to outside the home and their immediate care environment.

Included in the service will be a mobile-enabled pendant or wristwatch that connects to a secure website and alarm receiving centre. O2 will sell the service to health and social care organisations rather than direct to end-users.

It seems the UK government is right behind mobile telecare technology. It recent unveiled its Three Million Lives campaign to target the same number of people who could benefit from having remote monitoring equipment installed in their homes. O2’s service uses mobile technology to go further.

The operator claims only one percent of current telecare services in the are UK mobile-based. Lack of mobility reduces flexibility for people suffering from long-term conditions.