Carecall is a 24-hour tele-monitoring and response service for older and vulnerable people in Stockport. Established more than 20 years ago, the service is a not for profit organisation serving a region where the population of those aged 65 and over is 16.4% and the highest seen in any UK census.
Carecall was one of the first telecare organisations of its kind in the UK and provides more than 6,000 clients a range of support services including telecare monitoring, CCTV support, Concierge services and out of hour’s repairs.
The demographic of the clients being served by Carecall means lifting fallen clients is a regular part of the working day for the company’s 28 frontline staff. In 2006 the organisation was the first telecare company to select the Mangar ELK as their lifting equipment of choice and it is now used in the field on a daily basis.
Responding to an average 200 call outs a month, Carecall report around 80% of these are to unhurt fallen clients. Team Leader Mathew Carter said;
“Our telecare service is a great way of supporting vulnerable people to live well in their own home. When someone falls we respond quickly and as long as they are uninjured, use the ELK lifting cushion to raise them off the floor.”
Carecall clients are provided with an alarm unit and a pendant which is worn around the neck. If customers are in distress or need help, they simply press the button on the unit or on the pendent and the alarm is raised at the Telecare Centre, where call handlers recognise the caller and deal with the problem.
Mathew adds;
“Our priority is to recruit front line staff who can reassure clients and respond empathetically in any situation. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, from the police and security to retail and care. To ensure they can perform their duties safely, we provide regular manual handling and first aid training so all clients are properly assessed for injury before they are moved.
“We rely on the ELK lifting cushion for every lift we do, even when the fall has happened in a confined space such as a bathroom or kitchen.”
Carecall saves money by reducing the proportion of falls related calls that result in a hospital admission. 80% of calls are to unhurt fallen patients, which equates to around 1920 calls per annum where the client does not require hospitalisation. With the average call out charge for an ambulance costing circa £250, Carecall saves the ambulance service approximately £480K per annum.
Mathew concludes;
“Providing clients with efficient and safe support is our priority. Well trained, friendly staff using the right equipment enables Carecall to deliver a first class service day in day out.”
For more information on Mangar patient lifting devices, click here.
