Tel‐e‐Cycle: an equipment and services exchange scheme for telecare service providers

The sudden expansion of telecare services in the UK may have resulted in items of equipment either being left unused on the shelves or being discarded after use without being recycled. Obviously, this is an inefficient use of resources. It has been difficult for local authorities and telecare service providers to share such equipment for a number of reasons including warranties and the need to put a value on such items. A new Tel‐e‐Cycle exchange service is proposed but within a context of using such benefits to stimulate innovation and new products from suppliers of equipment so that investment in research and development is not compromised. This paper describes how such a Tel‐e‐Cycle scheme might operate.