Promoting the safety and independence of residents through technology enabled social care
Kingston Council’s Adult Social Care and Health Service is using technology to empower residents to be more independent, have choice and control and increase healthy life expectancy.
The service has engaged with a technology enabled care (TEC) partner Argenti, who delivers better outcomes for people in social care through greater use of innovative technology, allowing them to stay safe in their homes and provide the support they need to live happy, prosperous and fulfilling lives.
The council works with many partners to embed innovation and learning across all its work, including embracing new technologies.
Kingston social workers collect information about individuals to assess their needs and ensure TEC is an integral and personalised part of their care package.
TEC devices can alert help when needed, either through an alarm receiving centre, staff in supported living or relatives.TEC devices can also allow practitioners or relatives to monitor a person’s daily activities, set reminders through a virtual personal assistant (like Amazon’s Alexa) and include a variety of sensors like carbon dioxide, smoke alarms and water leak systems.
Social care is a major focus of the council’s work, with the majority of the borough’s budget being spent on supporting the increasing needs of children and adults, as well as providing accommodation for the growing number of people needing temporary housing. Currently at least 60p of every £1 of council tax is spent on these essential services. TEC is helping the council to meet the needs of vulnerable people more effectively by reducing or delaying more costly forms of care
Martyn Green, Social Worker, said:
“One of our residents in care had dementia, but her daughter lived a long way away. TEC enabled the family member to feel confident that they knew when their mother was going in and out of the house, because there were door sensors installed, allowing her to know where her mother was at any given time.
“As well as helping the resident, the TEC also gave the daughter confidence that her mother was being kept as safe as possible. I always say to clients and families, there are two major things we seek to do. One is to keep people safe and the other is to keep them as independent as they want and to help them at whatever stage of life they're in. Empowering them to feel that they've got something to offer and something to achieve.”
The Adult Social Care and Health Service provides information and advice about care and support when daily living becomes difficult due to illness, old age, or disabilities to help residents have a good quality of life by becoming more independent.
Adult Safeguarding in Kingston
While the council works to empower residents to be safe and independent we also understand that they need to be able to live a life free from abuse and neglect.
To improve its safeguarding provisions, Kingston Council, in partnership with Healthwatch Kingston, runs the Making Safeguarding Personal Project. The project encourages people who used safeguarding services in Kingston to share their feedback and aims to develop better provisions in the future.
If you would like to share your experience of Adult Safeguarding Services in Kingston please complete the survey. This stage of engagement closes at the end of March, but residents will still be able to share their feedback after that date. A report of the findings produced by Healthwatch Kingston will be shared with the council to help improve safeguarding services.