Evaluation reveals the impact of using technology enabled devices to support care delivery in Shropshire

My Home Life England, part of the School of Health & Medical Sciences at City St George’s, University of London, has completed a two-year evaluation of Shropshire Council’s Virtual Care Delivery service. The evaluation concludes that, when embedded effectively, virtual care can lead to a range of measurable benefits and offer a sustainable, scalable approach to social care.

Virtual Care explained

In 2023, Shropshire Council were awarded funding from the Department of Health and Social Care to develop a Virtual Care Delivery (VCD) Service.

The service was designed to better meet people’s care and support needs, whilst also alleviating some of the pressures on our strained health and social care system.

The VCD service uses a blended mix of virtual and face-to-face support, aided by Technology Enabled (TEC) Devices: Genie and CareBuilder.

Through these devices, users receive automated prompts and alerts and can make video calls with the VCD team. The devices also provide live monitoring and dashboard reporting, to support proactive care delivery.

Key Findings 

My Home Life England (MHLE) were appointed as the evaluation partner for the project. MHLE’s two-year evaluation explored how the Virtual Care Delivery Service enhances and challenges traditional models of care delivery, and the impact it has on the quality of life for users, their families, people working in the service, and the wider care and health system.

The evaluation demonstrated that the VCD service brought the following key benefits:

Service users

• Increased independence and ability to manage daily living and health
• Improved wellbeing and sense of safety at home
• Early identification of health changes through virtual monitoring
• Reduced feelings of isolation and stronger social connections
• Enhanced privacy by reducing unwanted in-home visits
• Greater confidence using technology over time

Families & informal carers

• Increased reassurance and visibility of relatives’ wellbeing
• Greater confidence that risks or health changes will be identified early

Care providers & social workers

• Reduced travel time and more efficient use of staff time
• Faster and more proactive assessments
• Better oversight of emerging risks and health changes
• Improved access to people in rural or isolated areas

Health & social care system

• More proactive and preventative care model
• Improved coordination and monitoring through shared trackers and dashboards
• Earlier intervention reduces the escalation of care needs
• Support for transitions from residential care to independent living

Shropshire Council

• Operational efficiencies and reduced face-to-face support costs
• Reduced social work time spent on assessments
• Improved service oversight and evidence of impact
• Better resource allocation and workforce efficiency
• Financial savings over time

Wider outcomes

• Scalable, user-centred model of care
• Improved inclusion for digitally excluded or remote populations
• Stronger stakeholder engagement and confidence in virtual care
• Foundation for future policy, programme development, and system transformation

Conclusion  

My Home Life England’s evaluation found that the Virtual Care Delivery Service in Shropshire has created a more efficient way of meeting people’s care and support needs.

When embedded effectively, virtual care technologies can support users’ independence, health and wellbeing, and daily living, while delivering meaningful benefits across the wider care system. They can help people return home from hospital, reduce pressure on primary care services, and help people to live in their own homes for longer, as well as offering real-time reassurance to individuals and their families.

Speaking about their experience, Lois, a Genie client, said: “I feel a bit safer in me house… And [Genie] says, ‘[Lois], have you turned the water off?’ Ooh, yes, I have!”

This was echoed by Adele, a relative of a user, who said: “It’s taken the pressure off me, like being a carer, to mum having her daughter back… it was getting to a point that I was mum’s carer and she didn’t like it and I didn’t like it.”

As a result, harnessing the power of technology through the VCD service has led to measurable benefits for users, staff, providers, and the wider system, and is a positive example of how Virtual Care Delivery can offer a sustainable, scalable approach to social care.

For more information, please contact: mhl@citystgeorges.ac.uk