Care Home Group
The Challenge
A care home group operating five residential facilities across Wales needed reliable 24/7 call handling for emergency situations and family inquiries. Their legacy phone system couldn't differentiate between routine calls and emergencies, meaning critical calls were sometimes stuck in queues or went to voicemail. After-hours calls often went unanswered, leaving families unable to reach staff during evenings and weekends. The system had no way to route calls to on-call managers or medical staff, and internal communication between locations required expensive external calls. During one incident, an emergency call from a family member took 8 minutes to reach the on-call manager, highlighting the urgent need for improvement.
The Solution
We implemented a comprehensive VoIP system with priority-based call routing. Emergency calls are identified through dedicated emergency numbers and automatically bypass all queues, going straight to on-call staff with immediate mobile notifications. We configured separate call flows for routine inquiries, family updates, and medical emergencies, each with appropriate routing. After-hours handling includes professional voicemail with immediate email notifications to relevant staff, and a mobile app ensures on-call managers receive instant alerts for any calls. All five locations are connected on one unified system, enabling free internal calls and seamless staff communication. We set up presence indicators so staff can see who's available at other locations, and configured group calling for urgent situations requiring multiple staff members. Training was provided to all staff, including emergency protocols and how to use the mobile apps.
The Results
Emergency response time improved by 80%, with critical calls now reaching on-call staff within 15 seconds instead of the previous 3-8 minutes. Family members can now reach staff 24/7, with 100% of after-hours calls being answered or properly routed. The care home group has completely eliminated missed critical calls, and family satisfaction with communication has increased from 68% to 94%. Staff communication between locations is now seamless and free, reducing communication costs by 75%. The system has also improved coordination during multi-location incidents, with group calling enabling faster response times. Compliance reporting is now automated, providing clear records of all emergency calls and response times.
Key Metrics
- ✓5 care homes connected on unified system
- ✓80% improvement in emergency response time
- ✓100% of after-hours calls answered or routed
- ✓94% family satisfaction (up from 68%)
- ✓75% reduction in communication costs
- ✓15-second emergency call response time