In a time where health and care systems across the nation face unprecedented challenges—from ageing populations to staff shortages—the Internet of Things (IoT) offers a unique opportunity to transform the sector. By shifting from reactive interventions to proactive care models, IoT and integrated telecare solutions can improve patient outcomes while potentially reducing pressure on the system.
Despite compelling evidence of the effectiveness of IoT solutions within care settings, such as real-time data collection via home sensors, regulatory fragmentation of the sector continues to impede widespread adoption. This is stalling innovation across the UK and Europe, meaning real collaboration is required to tackle these challenges head on.
The untapped potential of IoT in proactive care
The power of IoT in health and care lies in its ability to turn passive devices into active participants that talk seamlessly with one another under one interconnected sphere of data capture. Rather than being a distant vision, telecare solutions, already present in the homes of many requiring care, can become connected devices via IoT. These can continuously monitor vital signs, medication adherence, movement and even room temperature and humidity levels, creating rich datasets that enable predictive analytics to identify deterioration in residents before clinical symptoms worsen.
This predictive capability represents a fundamental shift in care delivery. Rather than waiting for patients and resident to report symptoms or experience traumatic moments that require hospitalisation, health and care providers can intervene ahead of time to prevent further complications. For health systems such as the NHS, this is crucial and can lead to fewer emergency admissions and shorter hospital stays. For patients, it translates to improved quality of life and increased independence.
Going a step further, predictive analytics, powered by machine learning algorithms and IoT-generated data, can identify subtle patterns invisible to even the most experienced clinicians. For instance, slight changes in gait analysis such as walking patterns detected by smart flooring can predict falls in elderly patients weeks before they occur. Similarly, minor fluctuations in heart rate variability captured by wearable ECG monitors can signal cardiac events days in advance of clinical deterioration.
Learning from success: Leading the way in Spain
Tunstall Spain has been delivering proactive care programmes since 1994, and personalised care since 2016. The IoT-enabled teleassistance service in Spain combines telecare monitoring and response, coordinates social care and third-party services and delivers proactive outbound contact. The model has evolved from providing reactive services – responding to a critical incident, such as a fall, as it happens – to putting proactive measures in place to prevent the event from occurring or reduce its severity and potential impact before it takes place.
By using technology and IoT we are supporting older people to live independently by monitoring the telecare data captured from wearable devices and in-room sensors. This allows personalisation by tailoring how we support an individual based on their specific needs. The data collected over time can be used to predict when incidents are about to happen. By understanding early warning signs, we can intervene to put preventive measures in place. For example, among other physical and mental health issues, we can identify factors such as loneliness —and mitigate the downstream impact it can have—earlier in a person’s journey.
This IoT-enabled telecare service is now an essential preventive programme across several Spanish regions, demonstrating the potential of a more proactive and technology-driven approach.
Navigating the regulatory landscape
Despite these success stories from Europe, wider IoT adoption in care and across much of the region remains fragmented and projects are limited.
IoT in health and care sits in the cross section of multiple regulatory domains: medical device regulations, data protection laws, cyber security requirements, telecommunications standards, and clinical governance frameworks. The challenge is compounded by varying interpretation and implementation of EU regulations across different regions, creating a variety of compliance requirements.
And in the UK, the post-Brexit regulatory landscape has added another layer of complexity for organisations operating across European markets. There needs to be a drive towards standardisation and clearer alignment between UK and EU frameworks to streamline regulation across regions. This could include developing unified cross-domain standards that address the multifaceted nature of using IoT in health and care. In the UK, the MHRA is developing its own regulatory framework for medical devices, while the NHS has separate data security and technology standards.
More widely, many IoT solutions are proving hard to define and confusion can arise on whether they fit into wellness products or medical devices, creating an extra layer of complexity on which regulatory pathway they apply to. This can also be a challenge from an interoperability perspective across regions as different health systems carry specific standards for how devices integrate with existing infrastructure.
From a cyber security perspective, connected devices must meet the growing security standards which can often be a blocker for adoption. In light of recent high- profile cyber-attacks, new and emerging technology is the biggest threat and with this, regulation and compliance standards will be increasingly put under the microscope.
Collaboration is key for effective integration
Moving forward requires coordinated action from all stakeholders across the health and care landscape. It’s key for our industry to continue developing shared standards and best practices for health and care IoT security, data management and interoperability.
Pilot projects are demonstrating what’s possible, when private and public sectors collaborate and test solutions in controlled environments, within regulatory guidance. For example, in relation to projects involving AI, which is essential for interpreting the large amounts of data captured by IoT devices, the NHS AI Lab is a leading example of a successful project. This is a UK government initiative designed to promote the safe and ethical implementation of AI technologies across the health and care system. In practice, it acts like a collaborative hub, bringing together public associations, private companies, academic researchers, and healthcare professionals to collaborate and deploy AI solutions that enhance patient outcomes.
Elsewhere across Europe, Finland is actively pursuing health technology initiatives such as the FinnGenn Sandbox, a secure space that provides researchers and developers with a safe environment to explore health data. With the rise of AI and machine learning-powered solutions, this space creates a safe collaborative environment to test solutions without directly intervening with patient or resident care.
These pilots tell us that in order for all patients and healthcare environments to benefit from technology integration and use of IoT, a joined-up approach is essential. Particularly one that engages all relevant stakeholders, organisations and decision makers from across the health and care sector.
All of this combined thinking will bring together health and care providers, technology companies, and regulators to develop evidence-based frameworks for assessing IoT solutions for the sector. The potential of IoT to transform health and care from reactive to proactive is clear for all to see. However, realising this potential across the UK and wider Europe requires coordinated action to address regulatory fragmentation and implementation barriers.
By working together across industry boundaries, sharing best practice, and engaging constructively with regulators, we can create an environment where innovative IoT solutions can increase outcomes for those living in care. The result will be healthcare systems that are more sustainable, more effective, and better aligned with the needs of patients and their caregivers.
By Patti Wynn, Chief Health and Care Strategy Officer at Tunstall Healthcare