Groundbreaking Falkirk council project wins coveted digital transformation award

This blog has been adapted from an article published by Falkirk Council.

Falkirk Council has been rewarded for safeguarding a life and limb service relied upon by thousands of vulnerable people. Falkirk Council’s ‘Analogue to Digital Telecare’ project has brought home silverware from the Herald Digital Transformation Awards 2021.

At the virtual ceremony, the Council’s entry ‘Going digital to save lives!’ scooped the Digital Communities Award. The Council was one of six shortlisted in the category which aimed to reward ‘an individual, group or organisation who has used technology to help their local community’.

Job well done

The judges unanimously agreed that the Council’s entry was the standout winner, stating they were;

“Very impressed by the work and effort put in by Falkirk Council to ensure the safety of its most vulnerable”.

They recognised the project had never been done before in Scotland and commended the Council for being agile by working alongside Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership to overcome barriers caused by outdated technology and put in place new infrastructure.

Innovation

Earlier this year the work of the project team ensured the Council became the first local authority in Scotland to go live with an end-to-end digital telecare service, securing the Gold Level 1 Digital Telecare Implementation Award in March.

Not only has the project broken new ground, but also safeguarded the Council’s life and limb Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS) – relied upon by thousands of vulnerable people.

To learn more about the development of this service, check out this blog by Pauline Waddell, Team Manager of the Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS).

Making it happen

Analogue to Digital Telecare is one of 30 ‘Council of the Future projects’ that aim to transform and modernise services and help the Council deliver on its priorities – Communities, Enterprise, and Innovation.

Speaking about the award, Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Falkirk Council Leader, said:

“All those involved in the project have worked tirelessly to make it happen – from the project team itself, to those working in MECS, partner organisations and service users. It really has been a team effort and shows what can be achieved when we work together to create positive change. Congratulations to you all. A well-deserved win.”