New technology helps Halifax nursing home avoided any Covid cases since the start of the pandemic

Park View Care Home had the wireless technology installed in the building by Tunstall Healthcare.

The care home said the ‘Tunstall Carecom™ care assist system’ installed in 2019, allowed staff and residents avoid any cases of Covid-19 by enabling care to be delivered in exclusive bubbles, and automatically and discreetly notifying staff if a resident needed assistance.

Staff were split into three teams and allocated to care for specific residents, reducing the risk of cross infection and enabling residents to be cared for whilst isolating if required.

Jason Sharpe, Operations Manager at Park View, said: “Embracing new technologies has allowed us to protect every single one of our residents during the pandemic and this wouldn’t have been possible without the technology we’ve had installed.

"It has effectively enabled us to have our own Track and Trace systems, and having sensors in the residents’ rooms meant we knew they were safe in between our checks. By investing in cutting edge health tech, we were able to keep things as normal as possible for residents, even during the height of lockdown when they couldn’t see their families.

“Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Carecom has given us so much time back, meaning we can give our residents even higher levels of care, and provide their families with a greater level of reassurance.

"We’ve been able to boost morale and staff are feeling happier in their jobs. I don’t know how other care homes have managed without it, and I’d strongly encourage them to consider how they can use technology to improve the quality of life for the people in their care.”

During the pandemic, the technology supported 10 staff members to move into the home full time and isolate to ensure round the clock monitoring of residents, alongside different areas of the building being sectioned off while still delivering a normal level of care.

Gavin Bashar, UK Managing Director of Tunstall Healthcare, said: “We worked with Park View to ensure they had an advanced nurse call system that would improve the day to day lives of residents and staff, by enabling care to be more bespoke and dignified, as well as freeing staff time to enable more social interaction with residents.

"It’s wonderful to hear that what we do makes a difference to so many people, and that our technology has supported the home in avoiding even one case of the virus. We’re looking forward to continuing to support Park View in providing high quality care as we begin to move out of lockdown and towards a post-Covid world."

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