A team from the council recently spent a day at the County Hospital meeting doctors, nurses, discharge co-ordinators, occupational therapists and other NHS staff to highlight the growing range of innovative new Technology Enabled Care (TEC) services and products available to support safer and speedy discharge.

Louise Bartlett, General Manager for Integrated Services at the Trust, said:

“Staying in hospital for longer than is necessary affects people’s health, particularly older patients. People lose muscle strength, and don’t benefit from the independence and well-being of living safely at home.

“We’re working together to increase use of technology that will help people enjoy peace of mind, and safe, monitored recovery through living as independently as possible at home. Collaborating with patients, their families and carers, while they are in our wards, means we can plan around them as individuals and help them use technology. Clinicians can continue to monitor and manage care remotely. Technology enabled care means we can get more people home sooner to the best place for their safe recovery and independent living.”

Council TEC specialists are already partnering with clinicians on various hospital wards, and holding further drop-in sessions at County Hospital. NHS colleagues can contact the council’s TEC team to arrange learning sessions, demonstrations and discuss in-reach type approaches and more: telecare@herefordshire.gov.uk

The team will be delighted to come into the Trust to suit clinical teams and highlight the rapidly expanding range of easy-to-use technology available to help them plan and discharge patients for safe living at home, and effectively monitor conditions remotely, also helping avoid readmissions.

The team is increasingly working with Trust clinical and operational staff, and patients, pre-discharge to identify individuals’ needs and can provide six weeks’ ongoing support with monitoring once they are home from hospital.

Cllr Carole Gandy, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, said:

“Harnessing technology to improve discharge and recovery and provide individual person-centred care is a great example of NHS and council joint working. Helping people live independently and safely at home through TEC isn’t just better for their ongoing health and well-being, but reassures families and friends who are often living some distance away that people have the right support in place to stay safe.

“There’s a rapidly expanding range of technology now available to help clinicians with remote monitoring, delivering ‘virtual wards’, and managing patient safety in community settings which also helps avoid unnecessary readmissions. It’s also set to be a key element of delivering neighbourhood health and care in the future, so this collaboration is already paving the way to help us all work in an even more person-centred way in the community.”

National data shows that people aged 65 and over account for around 40% of all admissions to hospital. However, medical evidence is clear about how extended hospital stays lead to deteriorating health. NHS England guidance set out on Model Discharge Pathways in July 2026, states  

‘Staying in hospital longer than necessary causes harm: prolonged hospital stays increase the risk of deconditioning, infection, delirium and sometimes result in a life-changing loss of independence for older adults. Keeping someone in a hospital bed when they no longer need it is a safety risk’.

You can find out more about Technology Enabled Care on our website