On the 9th September, UKTIN led a free webinar about how connectivity is transforming the way we deliver health and social care. Attendees seeking to innovate heard from trailblazers who are leading the way for adoption of 5G and other technologies in the sector — tackling existing challenges as well as unlocking new and innovative ways to deliver services.
Adrian Smith, member of the UKTIN Health & Social Care Adoption Working Group, opened the session by emphasising the importance of ‘working together’. He explained that telecom providers and suppliers need to collaborate with the health and social care sector to benefit from advanced connectivity, and that it’s a great time to take action.
Smith noted that the UK Government has announced a ten-year health plan for England — ‘Fit for the Future’ — which promises to deliver on three big shifts: moving care from the hospital to the community; using digital solutions as much as possible, and ensuring health and social care focuses on prevention, rather than illness and sickness. “None of these things can be delivered properly without connectivity,” he added. “Connectivity is the key that links them all together. You can’t deliver care in the community without it.”
Connected Ambulances: Saving Lives
Ambulance crews need to treat patients more efficiently — ideally, in the community, without hospital conveyance (when safe). To support this, Simon Hill of Excelerate Group explained that the NHS is trialling a new connectivity solution that enables paramedics to stay connected in real-time, even in remote areas, using a mix of 4G, 5G, and satellite networks.
Developed by Excelerate Technology and co-funded by the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency, the “Hybrid Connex Digital Ambulance of the Future” project enables ‘Always Connected’ crews. This allows remote consultations and telemedicine support on-site — improving care, reducing hospital visits, and saving time and resources.
Benefits:
- Permanent hybrid connectivity will enable new patient care pathways, expand on-the-spot diagnostics, support telemedicine, and provide crews with instant access to clinical data and patient records.
- Improves communication with hospitals and specialists en route, speeds up handovers, helps locate patients in low-signal areas, and guides patients to appropriate local care services.
- Lower costs by reducing the need for multiple SIMs and contracts.
- Optimises usage by auto-selecting the strongest, most efficient network.
- Simplifies billing with a single provider for all connectivity.
- Greater efficiency through reliable remote access, reducing unnecessary transfers.
- Enables telehealth, which reduces costs from avoidable hospital visits.
Hill continued: “What can we unlock by guaranteeing connectivity to an ambulance? We all know what connectivity means to us, and we all get very frustrated when it's not there, and as you know, ambulances currently aren't necessarily well-connected. If they were, what could we unlock in the future? How can we take advantage of telemedicine, remote diagnostic and other operational capabilities?”
Smart and Connected Social Places: 5G Innovation Region
Funded by DSIT, Smart and Connected Social Places is about “changing lives and changing the experiences of social tenants and those who use local authority services”, explained Barry McNally, Programme Manager at Glasgow City Region.
He noted that the project aims to keep people safe, well, and socially connected in their homes and local communities by bringing innovation and harnessing the power of connectivity, digital, and data to transform services and improve lives. The team has four main projects: Connected Care and Wellbeing; Smart Social Assets; Net-Zero Social Assets; and Data Aggregation and Business Intelligence.
Smart and Net-Zero Social Assets
McNally said that the 5GIR programme deployed 5G and AWT-enabled digital and data solutions across social assets to improve the health and performance of the asset and the well-being of citizens. To harness the potential of connectivity, digital and data solutions were used to support net-zero and energy efficiency outcomes in social homes and other social assets.
Benefits:
- IoT sensors can collect data on heat, humidity and COS.
- Damp and mould monitoring and alert.
- Net-Zero intervention monitoring.
- Optimised electric heating systems.
- Significant return on investment for Smart Social Assets.
McNally commented: “We were focused on social housing, but considering that we need to reach net zero by 2045, we thought about how we can reach that target too. Effectively, how can we get more bang for our buck?”
WM5G 5GIR Health & Social Care Programme
From saving lives through remote monitoring to speeding up network roll-out and up-skilling communities to make the most of digital opportunities, WM5G is delivering way more for communities up and down the country. Rhys Enfield, Director of Infrastructure, explained that he has worked on the DSIT-funded 5GIR Programme for the last eighteen months, which has included collaborating with the local authorities to transform adult social care.
Enfield said that Technology Enabled Care (TEC) was installed in residents’ homes, including sensor devices and voice-activated wireless technologies. The aim was to support vulnerable adults across the region to live more independently while reducing pressures on overstretched social care teams.
Benefits:
- 84% of people agree or strongly agree that they feel more independent.
- 60% agree or strongly agree that they feel less socially isolated.
- 64% agree or strongly agree that their quality of life has improved.
- A return on investment of £1.75 per £1 invested.
- Reduces the amount of home care or level of home care package that a person may have received by blending TEC as part of their care and support plan.
- Delays or ideally, avoids the need for home care. The technology can keep people in their own homes for longer.
- TEC can prevent health crises.
Enfield commented: “Ahmed (not his real name), 30, lives with epilepsy and a learning disability, requiring ongoing support to manage daily life. Although he lives in sheltered accommodation, as a wheelchair user, he frequently experiences falls at night while attempting to use the bathroom independently. A tailored package of TEC was introduced to help reduce these accidents, allowing him to live a more independent life.”
He continued: “Kelly (not her real name), 30, has learning difficulties, bipolar disorder and lymphedema and faced a challenging transition when her supported-living accommodation closed. She moved temporarily to a nursing home but felt her independence slipping away. Working with her care team, a personalised programme of TEC was put in place to provide the right balance of support and freedom.”
The Next Steps
Looking ahead, Smith closed the session by stating that “all of the examples today show that the tech is ready and available for health and social care”. He added, “The issue is with commissioning models for tech. That really is the problem. Even when we can demonstrate a pilot, swapping to a new tech on scale is another challenge entirely — but people here today can change that.”
He continued: “UKTIN uses the word ‘stackable’ a lot. By proving that a use case is stackable, we can show that the technology we buy for one use has a broader application and can save money elsewhere. Let’s connect and integrate use cases to create permanent change.”
Smith concluded by encouraging listeners to pop by the UKTIN one-on-one health and social care expert clinics at HETT Show 2025.
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