A MULTI-million pound project that could lead to digital around-the-clock healthcare at home is being developed in Southampton.

In collaboration with other universities and technology companies, the University of Southampton will be at the forefront of the project that aims to develop a 24/7 digital home health assistant.

Sensors and cameras would be fitted in a person’s home that are constantly monitoring their health and flag up any change in their wellbeing.

The sensors will be entirely passive, requiring no action by the user. Some could even be implanted inside the body or fitted to clothing or jewellery to monitor the person.

A £12m grant has just been awarded to further the research into the pioneering project called SPHERE (Sensor Platform for Healthcare in a Residential Environment).

Professor Ian Craddock, director of the collaboration, said: “SPHERE aims to have a profound impact on the health and wellbeing of people with a wide range of different health challenges.

“Families, carers, health and social services professionals involved in all stages of care will benefit from the system.

“SPHERE will address real world challenges by developing a practical technology to monitor people’s health in the home environment, targeting concerns such as obesity, depression, stroke, falls, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases.”

According to those behind the project, the sensors would work for even the most vulnerable of patients, for example they would have the ability to detect an overnight stroke or mini-stroke on waking, by detecting small changes in behaviour, expression and gait.

It could also monitor a patient’s compliance with their prescribed drugs.

Key research will also be carried out at the University of Southampton, which has leading laboratory facilities for studying the movement of stroke and Parkinson’s disease sufferers.

According to Professor Ann Ashburn, professor of rehabilitation at the University of Southampton, the SPHERE research will improve knowledge of what triggers falls at home.

Prof Ashburn said: “We have limited knowledge of the ways in which individuals move about, negotiate obstacles and on some occasions become unsteady and fall over in their homes.

“This exciting rese-arch opportunity will allow us to detect these situations and make major contributions to fall prevention among the older population.”

The sensors could monitor and track the signature movements of people in their homes and trigger a response from health care experts as appropriate.

Despite sounding ultra high-tech, those behind the project say it will be cost effective, as it will be developing existing healthcare sensing technology with the aim of helping people stay independent in their own homes for longer.