Published on 11th September 2017
The Government’s recent decision that routine overnight care must be considered normal working hours and therefore subject to minimum wage regulations is good news for care workers, but a lack of a joined up approach now puts care businesses under pressure as the fees paid by commissioners are not adjusted accordingly. We sympathise with commissioners as with continually increasing demand for care and less money in the budget, some very difficult decisions have to be made.
Monitoring technology provides carers and care providers with a uniquely cost effective solution to this problem and potentially allows the resident more privacy and dignity. With alerts automatically raised when bedroom movement is detected or a bedroom door opened, carers can provide support quickly without needing to be in the room. Thus one carer or a small team can support more people (assuming they are together in a supported housing scheme) responding only as required by the resident.
It might be thought that this would be an expensive solution because it involves technology but it is less than the equivalent of one hour’s care per week. Plus everyone might get a better night’s sleep.