Connected Health launches ‘Carbon Neutral Care’ upon visit of Permanent Secretary
Domiciliary care company Connected Health has launched its new Carbon Neutral Care initiative during a visit by Department of Health Permanent Secretary, Peter May, to the domiciliary care provider’s Belfast HQ.
The initiative will see the introduction of a fleet of electric cars and electric bicycles to help address the challenges associated with rising fuel costs for care workers and reduce Connected Health’s carbon footprint. The move forms part of the company’s ‘Intelligent Care’ programme to deliver homecare 2.0 across Northern Ireland.
Peter, who was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health in April, met with the senior management team at Connected Health to hear first-hand how the company is reimagining the way home care is delivered in Northern Ireland.
Connected Health Director, Ryan Williams, said: “We were honoured to receive Mr May at our Belfast headquarters and give him an opportunity to see how we are transforming homecare through innovation and technology as part of our Intelligent Care programme.
“Mr May was given an outline of Connected Health’s range of exciting initiatives to both relieve pressure on the healthcare system and allow more people to receive the highest quality care in the comfort of their own homes.
“Our teams are dedicated to delivering sustainable solutions to delayed hospital discharge and to improving hospital-to-home pathways for our aging population. Through our Carbon Neutral Care initiative, we are now also ensuring we are doing what we can to sustain a healthy environment for future generations.
“This green initiative involves the deployment of electric cars and electric bicycles to our community-based teams. I’d like to thank McCormick Fleet Solutions for supporting our rollout of electric bikes. We will be closely monitoring how this new approach helps mitigate some of the challenges associated with rising fuel costs for carers, while the drive to reduce our carbon footprint is yet another example of Connected Health leading the way in the homecare sector in Northern Ireland.”
Peter May said: “Those in receipt of homecare are often amongst the most vulnerable in our society and I am hugely grateful to all who deliver this essential service. I am also very mindful of the challenges facing the social care sector and welcomed the opportunity to meet with the Connected Health team today. It’s very clear that the company is committed to innovating in order to transform homecare service provision in Northern Ireland.”
As part of its Intelligent Care programme rollout in Northern Ireland, Connected Health recently (June 2022) unveiled Europe’s first online homecare configurator, a care package builder which enables private clients and their families to build bespoke packages of care from a menu of options in a matter of minutes.
The new platform provides a one-stop-shop where packages of physical care can be easily integrated with wearable technology, medication devices and virtual care service offerings.
Pictured at Connected Health HQ in Belfast are David Bradshaw, Connected Health Care Assistant; Peter May, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health; Ryan Williams, Connected Health Director; and Cathy Cosgrove, Connected Health Area Manager.
