The increasing demands associated with an ageing population and the need to support a growing number of people at home requires a focus on enabling people to be as independent as possible and to fully utilise available technologies to assist in this.
Developing Telecare, i.e. the use of emergency alarm telephones and similar technology is a strategic priority. Telecare brings health and social care directly to the individual’s homes through the use of technology to enhance their safety, independence, health and quality of life and enable them to remain in their own home as long as possible.
There are over 1,800 Telecare service users in Conwy living in private dwellings along with over 1,600 living in public sector housing with hard wired Telecare systems. Galw Gofal / Care Connect provides the 24 hour call monitoring service for all these people.
The success of an effective Telecare service relies on using the right equipment, using it properly and having responders to attend to support individuals in an emergency.
What’s changed?
The Galw Gofal regional call monitoring centre reported increasing problems where many vulnerable people either had no one to call for support when they activated the emergency alarms, or had problem contacting responders to attend when needed. Consequently the emergency services were being called to attend. The North Wales Police and the Wales Ambulance Service Trust also expressed concern over a constant battle to target resources effectively.
Following an initial out of hours pilot scheme Conwy County Borough Council established a formal 24/7 Telecare Response Service for the whole of the Conwy area funded via the Intermediate Care Fund. The service is provided by social care locality teams during the day and out of hours, the night community support workers at 2 of Conwy’s Extra Care Housing facilities. The service is provided 7 days per week. This ensures whole time support to meet the needs of the individual and lessens the burden on emergency services.
Formal responders are called when Galw Gofal fail to reach the named family, friends or carers on record.
What difference has it made?
During a 4 month period of operation, the Telecare Response Service received 49 calls.