InMezzo: New service will enable people with disabilities to select services at home

InMezzo, a company that specialises in business systems management, security and telecommunications facilities for telecare, has been awarded a contract by SEHTA (South East Health Technology Alliance) to produce a new audio visual system that will enable people to book medical and other services from home.

Working with Aylesbury Vale District Council and the International Centre of Excellence- Telecare (ICE-T) showcase site and Bucks New Uni, in partnership with the world leading National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, InMezzo is developing BookIT, a system that will make it easy for people with disabilities to select and book services, such as occupational therapy sessions or even a haircut.

The contract is awarded as part of SEHTA’s ICE-T (International Centre of Excellence for Telecare) programme which is funded by SEEDA (South East England Development Agency). Stoke Mandeville Hospital is advising on clinical and usability issues for users and service providers in a series of workshops.

The ability to choose services from home is important for people with disabilities or other medical conditions who often find it difficult to communicate to explain their sometimes complex needs.
BookIT will be delivered through InMezzo’s SmartCare next generation telecare network and Service Delivery Platform. The platform provides remote video communications, enabling sign language and sharing of visual images, diagrams, written notes and documents between patients, carers and service providers.

BookIT will provide social benefits for people using the service. They can meet, talk to, and engage with trusted care professionals of their own choice. They can build a network of sympathetic carers, friends and colleagues, in their own time, in their own location, and at their own discretion, encouraging independence and self care. BookIT will reduce the need to travel for appointments, and the inconvenience, while saving time and expense.

Service providers, like the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, who provide ongoing support to spinal injured patients, will benefit from being able to keep in touch with them much more easily, wherever they live. It reduces the need for outpatient clinics, travel, saving costs and enabling carers to manage their own time better.

Dr David Parry, CEO of SEHTA, said: “Telecare and telehealth technologies are not only about helping people with their health. Services that are being developed, such as BookIT, can help individuals to manage their lives with greater flexibility and freedom, and with lesser burden on them and carers.”

For further press information about SEHTA, please contact:

Glen Goldsmith
2thefore
Email: glen@2thefore.biz
Tel: 07812 766338

Editors Notes

About SEHTA – www.sehta.co.uk

The South East Health Technology Alliance (SEHTA) is a company limited by guarantee, owned by its core members. It was launched in 2005 as an initiative by industry representatives supported by the regional development agency, SEEDA.

Its mission is to facilitate the profitable and sustainable growth of companies in South East England’s health technologies sector – pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics.
SEHTA acts as a central meeting point, offering access to information, contacts, business support, and specialist business development services.

In ICE-T we describe Telecare as ‘the use of information and communication and sensor technologies to deliver health and social support to people to help them live as independently as possible in the lowest intensity care setting consistent with their needs and wishes’.

About InMezzo – www.smartcare-uk.com

InMezzo is a company with expertise in the integration of systems and software with custom security and service management applications to provide flexible, high performance and secure multi media networks. Its SmartCare platform provides an open ecosystem based on a range of adopted standards, interfaces and best practices enabling InMezzo, and third parties, to develop and deliver scalable, collaborative, media based telecare services, reducing the cost and complexity of development and delivery, and encouraging the production of new innovative services.

Contact: Tim Craig
InMezzo
Email: tim.craig@inmezzo.com
Tel: 0208 398 2565

About Aylesbury Vale District Council - www.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

Aylesbury Vale District Council is highly responsive and engaged in local issues. Through its comprehensive community engagement strategy the council plays a leading role in bringing coherence to the community engagement initiatives of public sector bodies in the area. It aims to build communities across the Vale that are vibrant, safe, diverse and inclusive: making the Vale a place where people want to live and work, where towns and villages are active communities rather than commuter dormitories.

Aylesbury Vale is widely seen as a great place to live and work, evidenced by the sustained growth in population and jobs across the Vale. The council has demonstrated leadership in delivering housing and economic growth.

Contact: Mark Wathen
Aylesbury Vale DC
Email: MWathen@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk
Tel: 01296 585064