Charity is winner in Care Sector football tournament

A care sector 6-a-side football tournament organised by leading provider, Sevacare, raised £500 for Breast Cancer Care.

The event provided an opportunity for people in the industry to get together in a fun, competitive environment.  Tournament rules meant that the losing team had to make a charitable donation – and that honour went to CM2000 after a 6-2 defeat.

Presenting the cheque Pete Longman, Managing Director of CM2000 said “This is a great initiative to bring people in the sector together. We enjoyed taking part and are delighted to support the work of Breast Cancer Care.” 

Saf Tai from Sevacare organised the match and would like to make the event much bigger next year. If you are interested in putting a team forward to build up a Care Sector league contact him at saf.tai@sevacare.org.uk.

http://www.cm2000.co.uk/about-us/news.aspx

CallConfirmLive! simple steps to support safeguarding

CM2000′s award winning CallConfirmLive! is used by Councils and Providers all over the country. The system is an excellent efficiency tool saving both time and money. However, the system also provides an invaluable range of alerts to ensure the safety of vulnerable Service Users and lone Care Workers out in the field.    

• Clientsafe alert – notifies Council staff if time critical visits have not taken place.
• Checkcall – an automated, personalised telephone call which can be used instead of, or in between, visits to ensure the safety of Service Users.
• Staffsafe alert – used where a Care Worker is potentially at risk from a Service User.
• Homesafe alert – used to ensure Care Workers return home safely at the end of their shift.
• Panic Alert – gives Care Workers a quick, discrete way of summoning help.

Peter Longman, Managing Director of CM2000 says “We are proud of the security features our monitoring system provides. If a Service User is expecting a care visit it can be quite distressing if nobody turns up at the scheduled time. Using CallConfirmLive! provides alerts for office staff who can then take proactive action to reassure the Service User. Likewise, if a Care Worker is working late at night it is comforting for them to know that if they do not log back in at home by a certain time an alert will be raised advising of their last known location.”    

For more information and a system demonstration call us on 0121 308 3010 or visit the website www.cm2000.co.uk.

Guardian Professional reports on home care monitoring efficiencies

Sally Whittle at Guardian Professional reports on how electronic homecare monitoring is helping managers record the work of domestic care teams more efficiently:
According to recent estimates, about 4m hours of domestic care are provided in the UK every week, many through local authorities and community healthcare agencies. Managing this workforce presents a significant challenge and the priority for the council is to know that services are being delivered appropriately and service levels are being maintained.
Traditionally, this kind of service would have been carried out by a community-based team, who would report in to the office at the end of each day to complete a time sheet. The time sheets would have been collated, and an invoice generated for the commissioning organisation. The local authority would then retrospectively check the invoices and time sheets, before making a payment.
The first problem is that this kind of approach is massively inefficient, and prone to error. Secondly, it does little to help drive improvement in the quality of service delivered to users.
Electronic homecare monitoring (EHM) can help to address these challenges. At their most basic, EHM systems may simply involve Carers ‘clocking in’ by phoning a freephone telephone number when they arrive at each appointment. They do rely on clients having a telephone they are happy for the Carer to use. For some systems, the clients may be also be charged for calls if they have a mobile phone rather than a landline, as 0800 numbers are generally not free from mobiles.
CM2000′s homecare monitoring software gets around the latter problem by giving each Carer a unique 0800 telephone number, which is not answered. When the Carer arrives with a client, they dial the number, and the system recognises that they are on-site.
It sounds simple, but this information is hugely powerful, says Hannah Montgomery, marketing executive with CM2000. “Traditional paper-based systems are of course open to abuse, but completing paperwork and asking a service user to confirm a visit can be quite intimidating, so this is a more user-friendly alternative,” says Montgomery. “It also drives service improvement because if, for example, someone requires a medical appointment and it’s missed, then the system will flag that automatically.”
More sophisticated systems include rostering and messaging platforms and may be integrated with modules that provide recording and access to payroll and invoicing data.
In some cases, EHM software can dramatically reduce administration costs. Devon county council reports that it saved £1m in 12 months, after deploying homecare monitoring technology from CM2000.
A pilot project conducted by the Department of Health (DH) in 2008 found that EHM services could save organisations considerable amounts, particularly in efficiency and administration costs. The DH reported that by making electronic monitoring a contractual requirement for third party providers, Hertfordshire county council received immediate efficiency returns, which were reinvested in to service improvements.
Click here to read the full article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/social-care-network/2011/nov/08/ealing-council-bringing-home-care-monitoring-21st-century?newsfeed=true

Countdown to CallConfirmlive’s 200 millionth caller

CM2000’s award winning electronic monitoring system now logs over 1 million calls every week and will soon reach the monumental figure of 200 million AURA calls logged.

To recognise and reward Care Workers for compliance in using the CallConfirmLive! System CM2000 gives spot prizes to every millionth caller.

The countdown is now on to see who will log the 200 millionth benchmark call. There’s an extra special prize for the Care Worker and a treat for the Council/Provider they work for.

CM2000 Managing Director Peter Longman said “Councils and Providers get the best out of the system when every visit is logged. To help them achieve this we use the millionth caller competition as an extra incentive for Care Workers. This is in addition to all the benefits call logging brings such as safeguarding and reliable recording of visit information without the need for paper timesheets.”     

The lucky winner will hear an automated message to advise them how to claim their prize and the call is anticipated before the end of November.

Monitoring recommended by Audit Committee to prevent overcharging and safeguard Service Users

A report by the Auditors of Calderdale Council has highlighted some major short comings which could be overcome by home care monitoring.

The Council has been exploited by some providers of homecare with one firm being asked to repay £118,000.

The rounding up of visit times to the next quarter hour means that a 16 minute visit costs the Council 30 minutes of care – something an effective monitoring system would immediately eradicate.

A detailed investigation revealed that the actual time some staff spent with Service Users was often significantly less than contracted and paid for with some visits missed completely leading to safeguarding concerns.

Although this case is extreme the underlying problems are faced by many Councils. Devon County Council implemented CM2000′s CallConfirmLive! Monitoring system after an internal audit identified the need to improve the monitoring of contracts and ensure Service Users were receiving the care the Council were paying for.

Alerts for missed or late visits has helped improved efficiency as well as ensure complete transparency of care delivery.

Considerable savings have been made by only paying for actual care rather than relying on a timesheet system where visits were rounded up. In Devon the savings for the first full year of operating the system have surpassed all expectations at 10% which equates to a £1 million.

To find out more about the cashable savings and efficiencies CallConfirmLive! can bring to your Council call us on 0121 308 3010.

Care Workers praise safety features of CallConfirmLive!

CM2000 recently brought together some Care Workers to hear directly about their experience with the company’s CallConfirmLive! monitoring system.

Over 47,000 Care Workers use the system every week to log in and out of care visits across the country. A staggering 1 million calls are logged by CM2000 in this way, on average, every 5 days.

According to Clayton McKenzie “It’s very quick and easy to log into the CallConfirmLive! system. It takes a matter of seconds to do so it doesn’t interfere with the delivery of care. The office knows the call has been attended and its reassuring, particularly on winter nights, that they know the whereabouts of Care Workers. It gives you a sense of security that you are not out there alone.”

Lisa Warren agrees “They know what time I log in and what time I log out so it is safe on my part. I think it’s brilliant.”

Care Workers also welcome the automation that care monitoring brings as it means there is no longer a need for timesheets. “Prior to CallConfirmLive! we used to use hard copies which meant the Service User had to sign our timesheets on each call that we made. That’s no longer applicable anymore.”

It also means that Care Workers don’t have to carry around documents with personal details on and as Lisa points out “I don’t have to worry about losing timesheets and confidentiality.”

In addition to extensive benefits for Care Workers, CallConfirmLive! offers safeguarding features for Service Users and the opportunity to make significant efficiency savings.

For more information call us on 0121 308 3010.

Tough Times, Good Decisions – countdown to NCAS conference

This year’s NCAS Conference, which takes place in October in London, will bring together the most senior and influential figures from across the sector.

Major reform lies ahead for Adult Social Care and with the rapid pace and significance of developments there is no shortage of issues to debate.

Money is never far from people’s thoughts – whether it is how to reduce costs to meet budget cuts or the longer term issue of how to fund social care to meet future demand.

CM2000 will be exhibiting at the event showcasing how an integrated care monitoring, scheduling and finance system can bring significant cashable savings and efficiencies.

Those visiting stand C3 will have the opportunity to view system demonstrations and hear about all the latest innovations designed to support personalisation.

Peter Longman Managing Director of CM2000 said “We already work with 67 Councils across the UK and we appreciate the tough times they are facing. Our solutions reflect the changing market with a new range of products especially for reablement and extra care as well as our award winning CallConfirmLive! system which currently logs over 1 million calls every 5 days.”

For more information call us on 0121 308 3010.

Dilnot Report to reform care system

The Dilnot Commission was set up in July 2010 to establish how to achieve an affordable care system for adults in England.
Launching their report today Andrew Dilnot said “The issue of funding for adult social care has been ignored for too long. The current system is confusing, unfair and unsustainable.”
1.8m people are currently getting state funded care with a further 1m paying for themselves. The aging population and squeeze on budgets has led Councils to impose stricter criteria on who is eligible for care but these vary around the country. The report calls for a national standard so everyone has the same access wherever they live.
With many people now living in fear of using all their assets to pay for care, the Dilnot report suggests the threshold for receiving Council funded care should rise from £23,250 to £100,000 with a £35,000 lifetime cap.
The Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, acknowledged that finding the money remained a challenge.
The ADASS warmly welcomed the report and fully supports the recommendations, saying “reform of care is urgent”. ADASS will give all its professional energy and support to develop the debate in order to try to secure a sustainable care system fit for our times.
CM2000 will continue to develop innovative technologies which support the Adult Social Care market, bringing cashable savings and efficiencies.

CM2000 exhibit at the Care Show Birmingham

CM2000 will be exhibiting at the Care Show Birmingham taking place at the NEC on 22^nd and 23^rd June.

The Care Shows are designed to provide education, products and services for those owning, or running any organisation responsible for the care of older people and is the largest event of its size in the UK. If you are attending the show please visit our stand (F70 in Hall 8 ) where you will have the opportunity to view interactive demos of the latest versions of our monitoring and scheduling systems. You can also discuss your requirements with a member of the team as well as take away case studies showing the cashable savings and efficiencies achieved by customer’s using our award winning CallConfirmLive! system.

In addition to all the products and services on display the event provides a packed schedule of seminars, training and active debates. 

Pre-registration can be completed at www.careshow.co.uk/birmingham

To speak to us in advance of the event call 0121 308 3010.

What are you doing for Carers Week 13-19th June 2011?

Annual Carers week aims to highlight the many challenges faced by Care Workers. This year’s Carers Week theme is “The true face of Carers”. The campaign will seek to discover what life is really like for Carers in 2011 and aims to remind everybody that caring is a tough responsibility.

The Government publication, “A Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens” (Nov 2010) states: “Carers are the first line of prevention. Their support often stops problems from escalating to the point where more intensive packages become necessary.”

To find out more information please visit http://carersweek.org/ and please contact CM2000 and let us know what you are doing for Carers Week.