Homecarers Liverpool

Karen Caffrey is a former registered and district nurse. Homecarers has grown from a small family business to one employing 250 staff. Passionate about care and improving the delivery services for staff, this is a labour intensive industry that’s a vital step in helping to keep people independent and out of hospital. Currently, they are exploring ways in which technology can improve both their efficiency and efficacy.

Homecarers make 10k visits a week across the city, half an hour in the morning, at lunchtime and bed. It requires a vast coordination with 550 service users.

What technology could they use? An app would help with the training and monitoring of their largely mobile workforce. It could also help the carers who are increasingly finding themselves doing the same activities as trained nurses, like administering medication. VR could help with both training and communication.

From a practical perspective, domiciliary care generates reams of archives and files of data. The demands on their services are increasing. Electronic records, understanding patients needs more effectively and dovetailing this with medical care is vital.

Isolation is an issue, both for patients and carers. Technology could help to bring them together more effectively, reducing loneliness and improving wellbeing.

 

 

 

Homecarers were one of several eHealth Cluster members who took part in the cluster-managed Digital Space at Ilinks 2016, where they were given the opportunity to tell an audience of senior NHS professionals about their work, and how they are integrating digital technology with health and social care services.