To consider the presentation.

Members considered the presentation on the updated use of the Lyon system.

Members were informed that the purpose of the system was to use the low-code software to build collaborative platforms and a smartphone app that social care, primary care, and local volunteers could use to support vulnerable individuals in the community.

The Council had received £250k during the pandemic to help support the clinically vulnerable.  Some of this had been used to develop the Lyon system and expand it into the wider community.  Building the system really assisted with support to the vulnerable member of society.  The application allowed primary care and local volunteers to offer support and also demonstrated that during the pandemic there was a huge community willingness to help those in need.  Members were shown a number of slides taking them through how the system helped a fictional individual. 

When someone accessed the system the data would be used to see if low level support was required or if other tiers would be more appropriate, the well being circle might need that a referral to social or health care was required. There were appropriate warning throughout the process to signpost to more appropriate care or emergency care when required.  The data collected from the system helped provided the appropriate level of care from volunteer support to intervention.

Other examples were given how the system could be used by volunteers and professionals such as identifying an individual who needed medication delivered but there were no notes on the system so it allowed officers to contact them, identify their needs and allocate to the appropriate level of support to meet their needs, in this instance a volunteer to deliver their medication.  The system was also used to confirm that allocated tasks had been completed and if there was anything else to report back.

Members were also updated on another system they had been working on called MySense.

The purpose of MySense was to use a set of sensors placed in a persons home to sensitively monitor wellbeing trends. An approved network of family, friends and trusted individuals, responders, that received updates via a mobile app to aide pre-emptive decision-making.

Examples were given how the system was used such as a male living alone who had mild dementia but walked his dog daily.  He had a close friend as his responder who using the system could monitor if the dog had been walked, if his fridge had been opened as examples of monitoring his wellbeing and if assistance was required.

There was currently a 1 in 20 take up rate of those eligible with people saying:

•       They want to remain independent in their own home and want to reassure their selected friends/ family via the MySense dashboard.

•       They want to live without health and social care service intervention.

•       Particularly helpful for those with nutritional concerns and concerns about their mobility (e.g. fall risk).

•       But there was concern raised that the system was being used to monitor them.

The Chairman said he was grateful for the presentation and seeing how the systems were being used with the examples given.  He asked how things were going with troubleshooting and futureproofing.  He was informed that for Lyon they used the agile methodology of reviewing and improving the system with regular monitoring and using feedback from a wide range of partners asking what do they need.  This was important as we owned the software.  MySense was different as the product was from a third partner who we worked closely with but the system had already been rolled out and thus had very few bugs. 

Cllr Sharpe mentioned that it was important to note that this was not about cost savings but using technology to enable residents to live independently.  The Chairman agreed that this was about improving outcomes and services. 

Members noted the update.