Kindocoin SBRI Challenge Relaunch

The Kindocoin Challenge

Creating strong supportive, valued and digitally connected communities, with an initial focus on enabling people to get home sooner following a hospital stay.

Overview

The idea of the Kindocoin project came from the need to reduce demand on statutory services. The aim is to develop a prototype solution to increase volunteering in the community to support delayed discharges. The challenge was set in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise and will be working with 5 Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) in the East Region.

Outputs expected

The Kindocoin project expects to deliver a number of outputs:

·       Support more resilient communities across Scotland, reducing demand on public services.

·       We are seeking a solution that will combine product innovation and technology to enable real time, secure connectivity to both those who have a need and those who have volunteered to support their fellow citizens.

·       Create secure data connectivity – providing more efficient, safe, and effective and user centred collection of real time data on demand and supply of volunteered care.

·       Stakeholder engagement to find out how volunteering can best be recognised, to recreate an economy of social care.

·       Solve regulatory challenges – explore the legal and the regulatory challenges, and solve them.

·       Increase volunteering in five test beds areas in the East Region – North Edinburgh, Borders, Fife, Midlothian and West Lothian.

The SBRI Challenge

This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by The Can Do Fund and hosted by Health Innovation South East Scotland Innovation which is the East Region Test Bed in NHS Scotland. For Phase 1 of this challenge the focus will be on developing a solution to:

·       Reduce hospital delayed discharges

·       Create communities that are more resilient across Scotland

·       Be able to better collectively meet the needs of fellow citizens at short notice, with reduced demand for public sector provision, spreading this approach  to other government sectors in Phase 2

In January we set out an SBRI Challenge to run an open competition which saw 5 companies awarded contracts to work with 5 test beds across Lothian, Borders and Fife.  The intention was for these companies to commence their 3 month R&D contracts to research the feasibility, understand the basic requirements of the services, the problems they face and types of recognition and/or reward that volunteers would welcome and to come up with innovative approaches to solving the ask.  Due to the COVID-19 global outbreak, the planned February start was put on hold but we are pleased to announce that this will recommence on the 10th August 2020. 

The first phase companies are: Frog Systems Ltd, CareApp Solutions, TeamKinetic, Uppertunity Wallet Services. 

The next 3 months

In Phase 1 we are looking for the challenge solvers to develop a feasible solution that will enable people awaiting discharge from hospital, but are prevented from doing this due to the lack of someone (a friend /relative, care provider) being available, to then be connected with a volunteer who with their approval will be available to support them in safely getting settled back in their home.

In this Phase there will be stakeholder engagement to set out how to enable the personalisation for each volunteer as to how they want their volunteering contribution recognised /valued.

We now look forward to Phase 1 launching on 10th August and will publish our progress in the news section of our website.

Find out more about the first phase companies: 

FrogSystems Ltd        CareApp Solutions         TeamKinetic        Uppertunity        Wallet Services