Report highlights the need for more effective monitoring of social and domiciliary care workers
A new report released by the Equality and Human Rights Commission into home care points to “systematic failure” across the country and that elderly people’s human rights were being breached. Panztel – the leading UK provider of electronic monitoring services for remote workforces – claims that these failures can be addressed with effective monitoring of social and domiciliary care workers and why over 40 local authorities are now using their EziTracker monitoring service.
14 December 2011 – The alarming findings of the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s recent report into home care point to “systematic failure” across the country and that elderly people’s human rights were being breached. The report, which is partly based on the experiences of 1,200 older people, their friends and family, found examples of treatment that include cases of physical and financial abuse, and elderly people being robbed, left hungry and unwashed from council-funded care.
The National Pensioners’ Convention general secretary, Dot Gibson, said the report’s findings were shocking: “The social care system is in urgent need of reform from improving the pay, training and qualifications of staff to better regulation and monitoring of care providers.”
Most local authorities across the UK contract out homecare (also called social or domiciliary care) services to independent service providers. Some are adopting some form of electronic verification of service provision – monitoring staff employed by these independent providers. Such technology can ensure that management are made aware of any service breakdown whilst safeguarding care workers.
Commenting on the EHRC’s report, Jonathan Hudson, Managing Director of Panztel (UK) Ltd, one of the UK’s largest providers of electronic monitoring services for remote workforces, said, “Clearly the Commission’s findings are very disturbing, but this is precisely why more enlightened local authorities are adopting the very latest electronic monitoring technology so that management can fully and effectively monitor the remote staff employed by independent home care providers.
“With such technology in place, care workers operating alone in a domiciliary setting every day can be monitored to verify service delivery, avoid possible service breakdown and offer a safeguard for the well-being of staff working alone. Local authorities that have already adopted our eziTracker system have found that there is a significant improvement in service levels whilst overall costs come down.”
For more information about Panztel and their EziTracker monitoring services call them on 0845 453 4156 or visit: http://www.panztel.com.
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Issued on behalf of Panztel (UK) Ltd by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert
Tel: 44 (0)1256 472020
Fax: 44 (0)1256 471010
Email: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Note to Editors
Established in 1998, the Panztel Group has separate trading companies in each of its key geographical markets: Australia, New Zealand and the UK. All the companies supply and support the same key branded services: eziTracker, eziTracker hm and Loneworker Companion. Local authorities currently make up the biggest sector of registered users of Panztel services. Most of the demand comes from Adult Social Services departments where Panztel provide an invaluable service in the monitoring and safeguarding of domiciliary care staff.
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