This 90-bed case study was produced as the result of an NHS Digital Project, encouraging collaboration and integration between the Ally resident monitoring system and KareInn digital care records. The resulting insights were collected and verified via KareInn records.
UPDATE: 2nd December 2021 – The NHS has just released £150m worth of funding for care homes to improve the technology within their homes via the Digitising Social Care Programme. Part of this funding is specifically for “caretech supporting falls prevention such as acoustic monitoring”. You can apply for this funding via your local ICS.
A Case Study on Night-Time Resident Monitoring by Ally Labs
Friends of the Elderly (FoTE) installed Ally AI Wireless Acoustic Monitoring in 90 bedrooms to give staff more time and improve the quality of night-time care for residents. Installation and training took two days.
Ally Labs worked closely with Elaine, the Care Home Manager, to ensure the smooth transition for staff using the system.
With Ally deployed in each resident’s room, staff are alerted when residents call for assistance, are restless or up and active, allowing rapid response and appropriate care. These real-time alerts gave the care home manager the confidence to appropriately extend the gap between regular checks, reducing the frequency that residents are checked when sleeping.
“We have learned so much about our residents through Ally’s system, which means we can provide care tailored for their particular needs.”
Data from Ally, FotE’s electronic care records, and staff feedback were regularly reviewed to help FotE understand the benefits to residents, staff, and the business. In the first 6 months, FotE’s residents with Ally has recorded improvements for:
Care Outcomes:
%
Reduction in Falls
Occupancy Rates:
%
Reduction In Hospital Admissions
Staff Satisfaction:
%
of Staff Time Released / Night
The Right Care, The Instant It Is Needed
“Since we installed Ally I am now even more confident at night knowing that my staff now assist residents the moment they need it.
For example, Ally alerted that Janice was active. From the audio, my team could clearly hear she was distressed. They quickly attended, finding Janice in cardiac arrest and immediately assisted her. Without Ally, Janice’s heart attack would have gone undiscovered until the next scheduled check. The early intervention enabled by Ally likely saved her life.”
From Ally’s data, residents needed assistance before the next regular check, on average once/night.
“I now see the care notes saying ‘heard them calling for help’ or ‘found them on the edge of the bed’. My team can now assist residents before anything happens. We have seen night-time falls drop by over 50%”
By enabling carers to respond immediately to residents’ care needs or emergencies, FotE’s care records showed residents experienced 55% fewer falls during the night and 20% fewer hospital admissions over the first 6 months.
40% More Time To Care, Residents Sleep Better
“When first using Ally it became clear how often regular checks wake residents up, with staff commonly receiving alerts soon after. After the first week, we decided to extend these checks from 2 to 4/5 hours. Our residents are now clearly sleeping better.”
From Ally’s data, 20% of all regular checks disturbed residents to the point of being fully awake. Appropriately extending regular checks reduced the total number by 75%. This creates up to 3 hours extra per staff member per night* to spend with residents who need it, or complete other tasks such as laundry or care planning.
* Based on an average of 7 minutes/check for 8 hours between evening and morning personal care rounds.
Happier Teams, Healthier Residents
The transparency, quality, and knowledge that Ally brings to night-time care has given Elaine huge comfort, whilst her team are happier providing better care with more time.
“I now hear stories on handover, of how my staff have helped residents at night rather than just hearing everyone slept well. Whether this is a resident upset and crying because they were scared and confused, in pain, or even that they were cold because the duvet has slipped off.
My staff are now much happier as they know they are providing the very best night-time care that they can.”