Member Article

Call monitoring will improve home care service

A home care company has launched a new state-of-the-art electronic call monitoring system aimed at further improving the service it offers to its customers across the Kirklees area.

The computer and smart-phone-based system will enable Caremark (Kirklees) to track, in real time, the movements of its carers to ensure calls to peoples’ homes are made on time and not missed.

In many cases, this is vital to the people who use Caremark’s services as they may require help in getting out of bed on a morning, taking vital medication, attending community activities or preparing their meals.

The new system is also designed with the carers in mind as it alerts the Caremark (Kirklees) head office if they have a problem that means they cannot make an appointment, e.g. if they are stuck in traffic, ill or have been in an accident.

Duncan Smith, Managing Director of Caremark (Kirklees), said: “Due to the rapid growth of the business we now have over 50 carers delivering care to a range of people across Kirklees, and we are planning to double our staff team over the next 12 months.

“The call monitoring alerts alert system will further help us to develop the quality of the service we deliver as it records the visits staff make to our customers’ homes in real time.

“It will provide peace of mind to the people using our services, who will have confidence knowing that if a carer can’t make an appointment for whatever reason we will be alerted immediately and can make alternative arrangements without causing them any undue stress or worry.”

When staff enter and leave a customer’s home, they use an app on their smart-phone to scan a special barcode that each customer is provided with. This information is then captured via a computer at the head office in Brooke’s Mill, Armitage Bridge.

Duncan added: ““As part of becoming an approved provider of care to Kirklees Council we made a commitment to introduce electronic call monitoring, and we are one of the first to do this.

“It represents an investment of over tens of thousands of pounds, but as well as further improving the service we provide, we also see it as another investment in our staff because they get to use the phone for personal calls and text messaging, without having to pay anything.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .