when it comes to the emotional element of social care, only humans can form the important emotional bond between carer and patient.
<p>Robots should be embraced by health and social carers to help improve services and alleviate pressures on the NHS. That is the view of Victoria Short, managing director of Randstad public services, who believes technology can complement the work done by humans.</p>
<h3>Robots could reduce pressure.</h3>
<p>Victoria was commenting on <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38770516"; target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">academics’ claims </a>that robots could reduce pressures on care homes and hospitals by providing services like taking tablets and offering companionship.</p>
<p>“Visions of robots in care homes might seem like a scene from a sci-fi movie but technology like this is a plausible and exciting development," she said.</p>
<p>"We live in an ageing society where community care is paramount to relieving pressure elsewhere and we should embrace technology that improves services. One of the important aspects of this report is how robots can add to expert human care and not replace it."</p>
<h3>Pepper robots.</h3>
<p>In a £2m project, researchers from Middlesex University and the University of Bedfordshire will play a role building social robots, known as Pepper Robots. They are designed to coexist with humans and are able to communicate through speech and detect early signs a patient might be ill.</p>
<p>Similar models are already in use in Japan, a country with an ageing population, where they are used to lift patients and serve food and there are plans for the robots to eventually be tested in the UK.</p>
<p>"Technology can play an important role in performing everyday tasks like reminding patients to take medication and one of the impressive features about Pepper Robots is that they can detect early signs of illness” Victoria added.</p>
<p>“They would also help tackle the silent strain on people in care: loneliness. But when it comes to the emotional element of social care only humans can form the important emotional bond between carer and patient.”</p>
