The technology programme

Technical progress on the SAPHE project in Q7 has involved:

The completion of WPB1, System and Service Specification and the release of D07, now titled ‘System Technical Specification, as Issue 1.0. A dedicated CISCO security device has been procured and deployed on the network platform; the VPN has been successfully tested with the Philips set-top box and also for connectivity to Imperial College and Dundee University. The development of the Low Power Radio (LPR) and Ultra Low Power Radio (ULPR) at Philips has continued with significant improvements in Q7. Imperial College have also completed and begun the manufacture, testing and design of the revised design for the e-AR sensors.

WPs B3 and B4, for SAPHE Body Sensing and Environmental Sensing have both completed their first working prototypes, for testing, for D08 ‘SAPHE Sensing Prototype’, the specification documentation is now available. Additional data collection experiments using the e-AR sensors using 10 subjects performing activities for COPD monitoring have been conducted by Imperial College, and the results of these are being analysed as part of WPB5. BT have reported excellent progress in their integration of Jennic devices (as part of WPB4) and development is nearly complete. Successful testing has been undertaken interfacing a Jennic co-ordinator to the STB and receiving data from an end device. Testing has shown good range performance of the modules with a ceramic antenna.

WPB5-B7 have also reported progress on the ongoing development of the database and data analysis for the SAPHE system, the first integrated system installation is well underway at Imperial College’s IBE, as a result of cooperation between Philips and Imperial engineers. Dundee have dedicated a portion of Q7 towards the development of concepts for a Live Drama Forum in WPB5 to help communicate the integrated SAPHE system to Healthcare Professionals, to glean user feedback on the shortfalls of the system, before trial systems go into development. Two deliverables are now planned for WPB6 Service Specification, these are: Pre-D13 ‘Trial Operational Specification’ and D13 ‘Full Service Vision’.

Trial development on the SAPHE project in Q7 has involved:

Internal meeting of the SAPHE trial committee in September to glean feedback from Andrew Sixsmith on the experience of the Community Matrons of the Liverpool PCT in dealing with ‘high dependency patients’. A trials scoping document has been prepared and presented to the Liverpool PCT staff in October to gain their feedback on the SAPHE trial approach. The trial scoping document is currently in circulation within the SAPHE consortium and being revised to meet the needs and requirements of the CMs based on their feedback and experience. Materials are being prepared (based on the SAPHE technical specification and the trial scope) for submission to the Ethics Committee. Ethical approval for use of the e-AR sensors in other trials has already been granted.

Finally, a letter is being submitted to the TSB to substantiate the changes in budget allocation to Imperial, BT’s and Philips budgets. Whilst it is being requested that these partners move some of their budget allocations between budget lines (e.g. from Labour to Subcontracts), the overall budget for the project will not be affected.

A further request to extend the project duration by an additional 3 months (to May 09) is also included in the letter, to enable the consortium to complete thorough trials and perform a satisfactory subsequent analysis of the results, especially of the trial, within the project duration. This extension is not expected to affect the project finances, as all partners had a significant underspend in the first 4 months of the project, due to timings involved with the project start and recruiting staff. The funds that have been ‘shelved’ in the final quarter will be spent during the project extension period (Mar – May 09), and no further grant funding will be sought from TSB, outside the original grant offer.

Docobo also did not have any specific input towards any of the WPs in this quarter, however, it has been agreed that from Q8, Robert Smith from Docobo will be joining the weekly management calls that take place on Wednesdays. A number of opportunities for Docobo to engage with those WPs associated with the trial (WPC1-C3) are being identified. Partners at Docobo have experienced a particularly high workload in the past year, which has prevented them from dedicating labour to the SAPHE Project, although engagement and interest from this partner with the project remains good.