NFC technology to improve the delivery of home based care
07 November, 2007
category: Contactless, NFC
Two prominent organizations from the care and technology sectors, WELbeing and Over-C, are teaming up to revamp the management of home care services through the launch of CarePro, a system based on Nokia near field communication (NFC) technology which helps field workers perform their jobs more efficiently. CarePro is designed so home-based care services can manage their domiciliary care staff and offer better assistance to clients. Providing real time management facilities, CarePro uses the latest technology in a format that’s affordable and easy to use. Thanks to the system, care workers can provide digital proof of the duration and type of care provided to each client, eliminating time-consuming, paper-based reporting – so they can focus on people rather than paperwork.
Watch NFC in action at the Over-C website.
WELbeing Adopts Over-C’s Nokia NFC Technology to Improve the Delivery of Home Based Care with CarePro
November 07, 2007 – Two prominent organisations from the care and technology sectors, WELbeing ( http://www.welbeing.org.uk ) and Over-C ( http://www.over-c.com ), are teaming up to revamp the management of home care services through the launch of CarePro, a system based on Nokia near field communication (NFC) technology which helps field workers perform their jobs more efficiently. CarePro is being revealed at the Telecare and Telehealth Conference, Cardiff, on 6-8 November, 2007.
CarePro is designed so home-based care services can manage their domiciliary care staff and offer better assistance to clients. Providing real time management facilities, CarePro uses the latest technology in a format that’s affordable and easy to use. Thanks to the system, care workers can provide digital proof of the duration and type of care provided to each client, eliminating time-consuming, paper-based reporting – so they can focus on people rather than paperwork.
John Chibnall, business development manager at WELbeing, a specialist in telecare systems, says: “Looking after people in their own homes has now become the favoured option for delivering care, primarily to older people. This approach means the elderly can stay in a familiar environment for longer and avoid the disruption and expense of moving into residential care.
“However, managing the delivery of home based services is a huge task for care providers, charities, housing associations and local authorities. Tracking the movements of hundreds of mobile staff in the field, and providing staff with the latest information about the people under their care, are just two of the many challenges facing providers.”
Until now, technology that overcomes these challenges has been costly to implement, or complex and time consuming for staff to use – especially if they have varying levels of IT ability. The beauty of CarePro is that it centralises client information and reports from field workers, which can be fed into planning, billing, customer reporting and payroll systems and procedures.
The CarePro system uses Nokia mobile phones, all of which have built-in NFC touch technology from Over-C. When the phone is used to ‘touch’ a small NFC tag located in the home, data is transferred in real time to the online management application.
Touching a tag can also be used to trigger two way communications between the carer and their management team. For example, individual care instructions can be received and confirmed digitally from the client’s home, ensuring consistent service levels.
“As well as the benefits for communication, management and improved delivery of care services, CarePro is a commercially attractive proposition for providers,” says Michael Elliott, managing director of Over-C. “NFC tags and mobile phones are inexpensive and can be issued for hundreds of carers serving literally thousands of locations. CarePro is managed using a simple online interface and can be rolled out easy without investment in any new IT infrastructure.”
Margaret Wright, executive director at South Wight Housing Association, states: “We are one of the first organisations to use this technology in our domiciliary care teams. CarePro will help staff focus on our clients needs while improving our quality care delivery process, with less time spent in non-value activities.”
Michael Elliott concludes: “The partnership between Over-C and WELbeing will have a major impact in the transparency of the care delivery process throughout the UK.”
CarePro is available through WELbeing, acting as a NHS PASA national framework agreement supplier.
See CarePro in action at the ‘National Telecare and Telehealth Conference’, 6-8 November, 2007, at the Holland House Hotel, Cardiff.
Alternatively, see NFC Technology in Action at http://www.over-c.com/nfc_in_action.asp?pid=76&page=NFC%20in%20Action
Explore more developments dealing with the implementation of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that promises to revolutionize contactless identification, payment, access, and more. Click to visit NFCNews.