Working together digitally

One of the benefits of signing up to the Technology Enabled Care in Housing (TECH) Charter www.techousing.co.uk/sign-up is the opportunity to join a network of like-minded professionals from housing associations and local authorities. Members can share ideas and challenges and, together, work out possible solutions. Organisations are also able to see technology being applied in situ to benefit citizens, showing how housing is at the heart of any consideration by health and social care colleagues, even though they don’t always see that yet.

This week, the second TECH networking event took place, hosted by Blackwood Homes and Care at its care home in Glasgow. Members travelled from across Scotland to be there – from two associations in the borders to a local authority in the highlands.

Anne Jenkins, Innovation Manager with Blackwood led the members on a tour of the ‘Box House’ – the award-winning full-size model of their standard new build home – fully kitted out to meet the needs of customers with physical and cognitive challenges. From rising and falling kitchen units and sink to a beautiful bathroom fully adapted and with flood sensors, TECH members were able to reflect how these standards could apply in their own communities and play with CleverCogs. CleverCogs is Blackwood’s hub system that allows every tenant access to the internet and the organisation’s services. It also allows customers with care needs to manage appointments, engage with their care worker and family, and provides comprehensive and secure access to required data and information.

The members present discussed a couple of key topics, planning ahead to their next meeting in April in Edinburgh – watch out for the date, but remember you need to have signed the charter to take part. Customer engagement and co-design was also a hot topic, with members challenging each other about how effective our engagement really is to ensure that care services are truly designed and informed by users and less so by service providers – there will be more on that later in the year. The group also discussed the analogue to digital switch over and realised just how varied the preparations are across the country to the 2025 change. The next meeting will have a focus on infrastructure, with this being the underpinning challenge to having effective connectivity in every home.  

If you would like further information, or support to complete the sign up, please give me a call on 07719595664. Or if you’re going to the Scottish Housing Festival next week, head to the TECH stand (stand 52) and have a chat with Geraldine Begg, the programme co-ordinator. If you are at the event on Wednesday 4 March, you can also find out more by attending the 'New approaches to housing tech'  workshop at 14:00 with Geraldine and Jehan Weerasinghe, GHA Managing Director.