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Residential Care

Company Profile

The Care Centre is a limited company, providing private sector care services for people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. The Centre caters for up to 25 long and short term residents and provides outreach services to clients living in their own homes. It currently provides full and part-time employment for 58 people.

Business Need

The centre provides respite care plus structured learning activities in line with client needs.  Changes in Government care regulations and internal admin both present daily challenges. For example, management need to know about legislative changes; learn about service developments; and understand how clients can gain additional benefits from the centre’s use of best practice.  

To meet these challenges the main administrator identified the need to computerise information and client records; to access Government services electronically; and to share data and knowledge with other care providers.

eCommerce Solution

As the management team had limited experience, the company decided to contact Business Eye, the impartial business advice service from the WDA, for help. Business Eye’s advisers provided full information on two schemes: Opportunity Wales, and the WDA’s Broadband Subsidy Scheme.

The Broadband Subsidy Scheme, which also provides a “try before you buy” service, enabled the team to witness the benefits that broadband can bring to an enterprise, before signing up to a package. Their chosen package was BT Business Broadband, which provided a free firewall and capabilities for wireless networking too.

An Opportunity Wales adviser provided them with the drive and focus needed to move their Internet capabilities forward. The adviser’s report provided further suggestions for use of their broadband connection, and to redevelop their Web presence.

The new Web site promoted the residential care services and structured learning facilities to both current and potential clients. It was also designed to support the growing network of clients and care workers in the community by providing an effective forum for outreach activities, and was designed for W3C AAA accessibility.

Opportunity Wales Implementation Support helped to develop a ‘contact centre’ based on technologies including Voice Over IP and instant messaging. This would ensure that the Care Centre had a cost-effective yet dynamic customer operation.

Business Benefits

• Easy to use and upgrade, cost-effective, tailored solution.
• Hassle-free installation and on-going support.
• Timely access to Government Web sites and national care databases.
• An adviser from the company’s bankers HSBC recommended that they use HSBC’s on-line banking services to view transactions, make payments and much more.
• All records are stored electronically and updated quickly and easily – cutting down paperwork by at least a half-day per week.
• Round-the-clock information and support for care workers and clients in the community.
• Efficiency savings enable more valuable time to be spent with the people cared for and to further develop and extend the caring programmes on offer.
• Extended market reach to ensure that potential beneficiaries are aware of Care Centre.  
• Increased opportunities to recruit skilled professionals from outside the local area.