Home Care Insight identify Alertacall as a ‘top 10’ innovation in domiciliary care

On top of the ever-increasing demands on health and care providers as a result of the ageing population, and with pressures on already strained resources, we are now having to cope with the unique challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This truly is a time that exemplifies ‘necessity is the mother of invention’.

For domiciliary care providers it has been especially challenging with so many clients shielding. Additionally, providing continuity of service with dom care teams themselves needing to self-isolate has made ensuring the wellbeing of service users even more difficult.

In June 2020 Home Care Insight, the domiciliary care publication, featured the:

‘TOP 10 ways home care providers are innovating during the COVID-19 crisis’

The number 1 innovation utilises the Alertacall ‘OKEachDay’ service to increase the amount of support individuals receive, at the same time as reducing costs. The service is already being tested with 2 national domiciliary care providers, including Right At Home.

Right at Home ‘Lite’, as it is known, is being offered in partnership with Alertacall, providing digitally-enhanced daily contact that confirms health and safety, detects changing needs and improves client care.

Through the service, individuals are given a specially-designed tablet with an ‘OKEachDay button’, which they press once a day, or more often if required.

This sends a signal to Alertacall which confirms the person’s wellbeing and that they are able to receive information and prompts. Those who choose not to engage digitally will receive a call from a trained adviser from the Alertacall team and the adviser will talk and exchange information with the person.

For domiciliary care providers it provides several benefits:

• For individuals or families concerned about infection risk and being reluctant to have in home visits the service provides a wellbeing check once, or more often, a day without in home visits.
• Where potential new clients are considering domiciliary care for the first time the service provides a low cost ‘stepping stone’, providing reassurance before in home support is needed.
• Where budgets are stretched, a combination of the OKEachDay service and personal visits keep costs to a minimum, while ensuring support exists on days where there is no in-home visit.
• Extra help for those with high needs, where a second wellbeing check each day is desirable, and resource constraints prevent this.
• The service’s messaging capabilities reduces wasted calls, provides appointment and medication reminders, and can include social prescribing prompts.
• The benefits include improving outcomes in mental as well as physical health, including addressing social isolation and loneliness.
• The service can be provided with little or no infection risk to the individual. No access is required to the home as devices can be easily self installed, as each device is ‘plug and play’. There is even an option that uses the individual’s own telephony equipment.

The OKEachDay service, which includes equipment, contact once a day or more often 365 days a year, unlimited messaging, and the reporting portal for health and care teams, costs from under £4 a week for each person. With the cost of an in home visit being typically £15-£20, there are major potential savings to be made. The service pays for itself if there is just one saved visit a month.

If you would like to know more please get in touch at contact@alertacall.com or call us on 0808 208 1234.