How ‘Ethel’ is helping Telford & Wrekin Council tackle ever-rising cost of social care in borough
A piece of technology named ‘Ethel’ is helping Telford & Wrekin Council get to grips with the ever-rising costs of social care.
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A staggering 75 pence in every £1 of the council’s £180 million budget in 2025-26 is set to be used to pay for social care for an ageing population and an increasing number of people of all ages who need help.
The borough saw one of the largest increases in population aged 65-plus in England in the decade to 2023, which in turn increases the demand for adult social care services, according to Budget papers.
The council has what it calls a continuous action plan to both improve the ‘user experience’ of social care services and tackle costs.
The council’s net budget for children’s safeguarding in 2025-26 will be approximately £49m and for Adult Social Care the net budget will be more than £76m giving a total commitment to these two areas of over £125m - equivalent to approximately 75 per cent of the total net base budget.
‘Ethel’ is the brand name of a large screen tablet that currently sits in the home of some 23 people across the Telford and Wrekin area. The financial contribution of Ethel in the overall picture has not been set.
It is designed to be a friend in the home and has been designed to keep the users connected to family, friends and carers through video calls and messages.
A spokesperson for Telford & Wrekin Council said: “As a smart care hub, it is a simple way to make day-to-day life easier.
“It can prompt users to take medication, remind them of appointments, update them on activities and events as well as offering a daily mood check-in so carers can offer support in the best way.
“We currently have 23 people using the Ethel system with really good outcomes for each individual.”
It is only one of a large number of changes that are being made across social care in the borough.
The council is also working with social care providers to pilot digital social care technology, including digital social care records to ensure data is captured at the point of care and can be shared between care settings; and fall prevention technologies that can reduce the frequency and severity of hospital admissions.
The council spokesperson said: “The adoption of care technologies, including ‘Ethel’, will enhance the quality, safety and efficiency of social care.
“Ethel is an innovative touchscreen tablet that allows families and carers to stay in touch with the person via use of an ‘always on’, large touchscreen tablet.
“It allows an older person, or a person living with disabilities to contact a pre-set list of contacts like family members, a carer or health professional simply by tapping the screen, promoting independence for the person.”
Council budget papers say that the borough saw one of the largest increases in population aged 65-plus in England in the decade to 2023, with an increase of 28.5 per cent.
This compares to an England-wide increase of 16.1 per cent, the highest increase of all West Midlands upper tier local authorities and the third highest of all 151 upper tier authorities in England.
