Panel
This session focuses on the integration of in-person and remote care through the use of digital technologies. It explores how hybrid care models, virtual consultations, remote monitoring, and digital communication tools, are improving access, efficiency, and continuity of care. The session highlights innovative solutions that support patients and care workers alike, and looks at challenges such as digital inclusion, data security, and maintaining quality of care in a remote environment.
Dr Kirsten Protherough is a GP with a special interest in frailty, dementia, and positive ageing. She is the Founder and Medical Director of Home Visit Healthcare, a CQC-registered service providing home-based medical care and virtual frailty reviews. She until recently was Chair of the Community Hospital Association, working nationally with NHS and social care partners to champion innovation in community and intermediate care.
She leads Upskill for Frailty, an education platform designed to upskill domiciliary care staff and managers in recognising, responding to, and preventing frailty crises, helping to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. Kirsten is passionate about bridging the gap between health and social care, and is now developing Careboodle with 2 Co-founders Liz Blacklock and Stella Shaw, a digital support tool to help carers detect and respond to delirium in real time. With her clinical, leadership and innovation experience, she brings both frontline insight and strategic vision to improving the future of care.
Kirsten co-leads the E-learning Frailty Course for the University of Worcester, which is now on its 9th Cohort.
Peter is a dedicated advocate for integrating technology into social care to enhance individuals' quality of life. As co-chair of Kent County Council's Adult Social Care Digital Group, Peter has been instrumental in shaping the Technology Enhanced Lives Service (TELS) in Kent, which empowers residents to live more independently and safely at home.
Peter is an advocate for co-production, thinking positively and doing things differently in social care and health. He works tirelessly to amplify the voices of people that draw on care and support, and to demonstrate that everyone should have the opportunity to live their best life no matter their circumstances. Peter is passionate about ensuring that the social care and health workforce are working in collaboration with each other and find innovative, person-centred ways that empower (not inhibit) personal choice and control. He has contributed to a range of strategies, projects and plans that have shaped local adult social care provision.
Drawing from personal experience, Peter applies various technologies in his daily life, including smart home devices that allow him to control heating, lighting, and appliances, thereby increasing his autonomy. He believes that technology can significantly improve quality of life and credits it for enabling his active participation in leadership roles within social care initiatives
