Statement of purpose

STATEMENT OF SERVICE

Business Mission

We aim to deliver an efficient, high quality customer focused service in a caring, understanding and respectful way that will meet the needs all stakeholders in respect of:

 

1. Providing an emergency response service to all elderly and vulnerable residents of Barnsley who are linked to our Community Alarm System of users, their families and their carers.    Embracing new technology, which will allow our service users to maintain their independence and quality of life for as long as possible.

 

2. Providing out-of hours services to other Authority Departments in line with their aims and objectives.

 

3. Providing Lone Worker response to all stakeholders in line with their aims and objectives.

 

We will attain this by:-

 

·        Delivering our services in a caring, understanding and respectful way

 

·        Ensuring that access to the service is available to meet demand

 

·        Offering a customer focused service with auditable quality and performance targets

 

·        Establishing and maintaining effective partnerships with our service users, their representatives and carers and any other agencies involved in their well being.

 

 

·        Creating a working environment which encourages employee commitment to provide a service which will meet the expectations of our service users and their representatives as a minimum standard.

 

·        Ensuring that all our communications with our service users is in a format which meets their needs

 

Business Values

 

We care about our customers and their requirements for:

·        Prompt and appropriate response

·        Accessibility

·        Reliability

·        Responsiveness

·        Competence

·        Courtesy

·        Quality

·        Value for money

·        Integrity

·        Security

·        Privacy

·        Dignity

·        Independence

·        Confidentiality

 

 

We care about our fellow employees and their need for:

 

·        Respect

·        Training & development

·        Involvement

·        Recognition and reward

·        Freedom to act

Services To Older, Vulnerable And People With Disabilities

 

The Central Call Unit provides a 24 hr. 365 day a year emergency response service to approximately 9,000 residents of the borough of Barnsley.  In excess of 3,900 of our service users are linked to the service using Individual alarm Units; the remainder are in Local Authority housing, linked by hard-wired alarm systems and the remainder live in Housing Association accommodation, linked by both individual alarms and hard-wired systems.

 

Our service users are made up of older and/or vulnerable adults and adults with disability.

 

The service allows users to maintain their independence, safe in the knowledge that if they feel ill; have a fall; are afraid or worried etc., in and around their homes, then they can access help at the touch of a button.  

 

The service is delivered by a team of trained staff who ensures that the dignity, privacy, independence and confidentiality of each service user are maintained at all times.

 

The service provided is that of emergency response only.   The types of emergencies we deal with and the actions we take are detailed as follows:

 

Feeling Ill - On receiving a call from a service user who is feeling unwell, we will assess the situation by speaking to the client and by using the information we have on screen.   A decision will then be made as to which action to take, in conjunction with the client.  The options would be to call family; doctor; ambulance service.    In some instances where family could not be contacted our response team will visit if it is felt to be necessary.

 

Client Fallen – On receiving a call from a service user who has fallen we will ask a series of questions to determine whether the client is injured.    If injured we will call the ambulance service immediately.    Where the client is uninjured we will attend with equipment to assist client back into chair, bed etc, and if there are any concerns, the PCT Rapid Response team will visit at our request to carry out basic health checks.  

 

Reassurance - Where service users are feeling worried or confused we will make contact with family /designated contact in the first instance.    If we are unable to resolve the matter using these means our response team will visit if it is felt to be necessary.

 

 Fear of Crime – On receiving a call from a service user who believes that they have been a victim of crime, we will immediately inform the Police and a family member/contact.   If it is felt to be necessary our response team will visit.

 

Personal Care* – On receiving a call from a client who requires assistance to toilet, we will inform family/contacts.    Where we are unable to contact them our response team will visit.

 

*Please note that our service is ‘emergency response’ only.   Where service users have ongoing requirement for assistance with personal care then other agencies should be contacted.

 

Exclusions to Service – The response team is not in a position to:-

 

-         carry out tasks within the home, e.g. helping or preparing food/drinks.

-         handle cash on behalf of a service user under any circumstances

-         fetch prescriptions

-         do shopping.  

-         assist with medication

 

Time scale of Actions

 

The following gives our targets for response times: -

 

• Calls will be answered within 15 seconds of being received at our Control Centre
• Where required, emergency services will be contacted immediately. 

·           When required we will contact relatives; key holders; doctor; Berneslai Home within three minutes of receiving a call

¨         If it is necessary for Central Call response team to attend they will arrive within twenty five minutes of receiving your call (response times may be affected by weather and traffic condition).

 

New Technology can now ensure the safety of service users in their own home through fitting equipment linked to the individual alarm unit, e.g.,

 

·        Smoke Detectors

·        CO monitors

·        Temperature extreme sensors

·        Falls equipment:

-  1) sensors can detect if service user gets out of bed through the night and 

        does not return within 30 mins.

              -  2) fall detectors worn on the person send an alarm if tilted more than 45 deg

                     and feels an impact.

·        Door sensors can detect if door opened outside designated time parameters

·        Voice prompts can be delivered to remind service users to take their medication at the correct time.

·        Bogus Caller buttons can be fitted near external door to raise an alarm and allow Central Call staff to hear if there are unwelcome visitors to the home.

 

Out of Hours Services for other BMBC Departments

 

Central Call supports other Authority Departments out of normal working hours as follows:-

 

• Educational Visit Incident – First point of contact for teachers on education visits should they need support etc.

• Berneslai Homes Heating Services – Lone Worker

• Home Care – 60% of all Home Care visits are made out of normal working hours.   Central Call staff re-allocate work should a member of staff report sick or inform carers if service users go into hospital, on holiday etc.

• Social Workers Emergency Duty Team – A messaging service is provided when no EDT  staff available to take calls.    Emergencies will be passed to senior officers on Standby if necessary.

• Buildings – BMBC Security/Dangerous Structures – On receipt of calls from police or fire service, predominantly, officers are contacted to deal with potentially dangerous structures following fire, road traffic accidents etc.

• Regulatory Services                                )    Take calls out of normal working
• Traffic Lights                                          )    hours for all these services and after
• Street Lighting                                        )     completing pro-forma we then pass it
• Highways & Engineering                       )     back to service or contact their
• Gas Repairs                                            )     standby officer in emergency situation

 

 

• Major Incident Line – Central Call is the first point of contact in major emergency situations.   We take full details of incident and then pass to the officer on standby.

Lone Worker Response Centre.

Central Call provides a Lone Worker Response service to BMBC departments and to NHS/PCT staff in Barnsley.   

 

There are two ways in which users can access the service, the first is by using an ‘Identicom’ device which is worn as an ID badge holder and the second is through the use of a mobile telephone.

 

Service Users leave recorded messages on the system detailing where they are etc., and if the call is not cancelled down at a given time, the system raises an alarm.

 

Staff in Central Call can then listen to the last recorded message and if unable to speak to the service user, they will take appropriate action.   In the case of the Identicom solution the service user can raise a ‘Red Alert’ by pressing and holding a trigger on the back of the badge, this is totally silent and only the user would be aware that this had been done.    On receipt of the alert at Central Call, staff would be able to hear what was happening and take the appropriate action.

 

General

 

Staff Training & Development

 

Central Call staff receive ongoing training to ensure that they have the necessary skills, knowledge and qualifications to meet the needs of our service users.

 

Compliments

I you are happy with the service you receive then let us know, it is always good to know that we are getting things right.    We would also like to hear from you if you have any suggestions to make on ways in which we could improve the service that we provide.

 

Complaints

 

If you have been unhappy with any aspect of the service you have received from Central Call please let us know.

 

You may in the first instance speak to any member of Central Call staff, either in person or by telephone.   Alternatively you may wish to telephone or write to:

 

Carol Creedon

Manager

Central Call

Beevor Court 2

Pontefract Road

Barnsley

S71 1HG

Telephone (01226) 775678                  E-mail CentralCall@barnsley.go.uk

 

If your concerns cannot be resolved immediately, we will investigate further and telephone, visit or write to you within five working days to advise you of the outcome.

If you do not want to do this or are still unhappy you can contact the Complaints Manager either in writing or by telephone.  

 

The Complaints Manager

Social Services

Wellington House

35 Wellington Street

Barnsley

S70 1WA

Telephone (01226) 772752               E-mail: Socialservicescomplaints@Barnsley.gov.uk

 

Last modified on 30/5/2008