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Humbercare protects staff and delivers cost-effective independent living with innovative lone worker solution

Offender rehabilitation specialists Humberare deals with some of the most complex individuals in society. By using lone worker technology provided by Safe Shores Monitoring, it has been able to grow increasing numbers of clients whilst providing constant reassurance for its staff.

Providing independent living to those that need it most.

Humbercare is a specialist offender rehabilitation care provider that works to enable independent living through a mixture of care provided in the community and in sheltered housing-style accommodation.

Given the high-risk nature of some its clients, staff may need rapid access to support at any time of the day or night.

In light of this Humbercare wanted to find a lone worker solution that could provide reassurance to staff that their safety could be protected so moved to a new way of working. Previously community staff were asked to call a central desk before and after each visit, which was cumbersome and did not provide the constant reassurance of support being readily at hand. It also wanted to support staff in the sheltered housing setting a means by which they could quickly summon help.

Having worked with lone worker service provider Safe Shores Monitoring (formerly known as Communicare247) for 10 years, it identified the need to use the latest technology to provide its staff with timely and suitable response mechanisms when they needed it most, and do so in a way that would not mean they had to disrupt the services they were providing.

How the lone worker solution works

After discussing requirements with Safe Shores Monitoring, it was clear that mobile technology was the answer, and it looked to take a more digital approach to support the team.

All staff that provide care in the community have a mobile phone registered with Safe Shores Monitoring, linked to its BS8484, 24/7, Alarm Receiving Centre in Argyll. This provides staff with the reassurance that they are being monitored and help can be requested if required. It works by staff using the GPS-enabled phone to record the start time of visits to clients in the community, and how long it is expected to last. Once the visit is finished, they use a speed dial on the phone to register the visit has finished.

If a call is not received following a client visit the Safe Shores Monitoring system can pick this up and initiates text messages to check the well-being of the staff member. If there is still no response, the system calls the phone, and if there is still no answer, it escalates the matter to a supervisor and, if safety cannot be confirmed, to the police.

The lone worker solution also comes with a panic button that, once pressed, opens a two-way line of communication between the member of staff and the contact centre so that any potential threats can be detected and acted upon.

Staff working in the sheltered housing setting use Chaperone, a mobile device that they wear around their neck or on a belt clip, and which has similar functionality and connects to the Safe Shores Monitoring’s Alarm Receiving Centre. The hands-free design of this device means that staff can carry out their duties, knowing they have rapid access to support if needed.

Data on the time and length of visits is also provided by Safe Shores Monitoring so that Humbercare can be sure that it is providing the services for which it has been commissioned. Every staff member has to log in and use the system, as part of Humbercare’s lone worker policy.

Safer staff and more cost-effective care, thanks to Safe Shores Monitoring.

The impact of this new lone worker solution from Safe Shores Monitoring has been felt across Humbercare. It states that its significant growth over the past 10 years, to a company over around 150 people and with a £5m annual turnover, is in many ways down to the use of Safe Shores Monitoring lone worker solution.

“Safe Shores Monitoring has been fundamental to the successful ways in which we sell and deliver services to commissioners,” says Richard McKinnon, CEO of Humbercare.

“Safe Shores Monitoring allows us to drive down costs, makes us more competitive, it pushes up quality, and protects the people that are delivering and receiving the services in our communities.”

Staff feel safe and protected, confident they have a lifeline to the police and an incident would be responded to quickly. The Chaperone device can also act as a deterrent to the client, knowing that staff could quickly summon a response if needed.

Health and social care commissioners can also see the significant cost savings of working with clients in their local community, rather than having to move them out of an area or to similarly expensive settings, such as acute care

“Commissioners tell us that we are currently saving £35,000 per week by providing extensive support packages to people in the community and their own homes, it can cost anything up to £6000 per week for an individual to be cared for in an acute or residential setting, through our services and this system, we are able to manage risk and meet care needs in the community at a significant cost saving to the local authority, we can enable individuals to return home or be discharged sooner due to the provision of accommodation, care packages and support we deliver, which is fully enhanced and supported by the communicare system”

These commissioners also have increased confidence that Humbercare can manage high-risk cases thanks to Safe Shores Monitoring, whose technology is a key differentiator is helping deliver care that supports the needs of the staff and, ultimately, the clients they work with.

“We would not be where we are today without the efforts of the Safe Shores Monitoring team. This type of technology support is vital to how we provide services. It should be a pre-requisite for any commissioners when looking to support and protect workers delivering care in the community and in people’s homes.”

Richard McKinnon, CEO of Humbercare

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