Keeping up to date with the latest monitoring centre technology helps services to be more efficient and resilient, but requires ongoing maintenance and investment. Moving to a Software as a Service model means we’re always working with the most advanced system and we have specialist support at hand 24 hours a day. We can just log on and use the system, the rest is managed for us.
Deborah Tempest, Head of Housing, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership
The Challenge
Operating an effective community alarm and telecare monitoring centre requires continued management and investment in hardware, software and specialist support.
How has the move to ‘Software as a Service’ provided Lincolnshire Housing Partnership’s Lifeline service with an easy to manage platform for future growth which will increase the efficiency of its service?
What We Did
Lincolnshire Housing Partnership (LHP) is a new 12,700 home landlord formed in April 2018 from a merger between Boston Mayflower and Shoreline Housing
Partnership.
Prior to the merger, Boston Mayflower’s Lifeline service supported over 5,000 people with community alarms and telecare, and managers were reviewing the options available for upgrading the existing PNC6 monitoring centre software. After consulting with the IT department, the decision was made to move to a Software as a Service model to reduce the need for hardware, and the associated management and costs. The Lifeline management team also wanted to benefit from the increased flexibility and functionality that an up to date system could provide, and reduce the amount of paperwork used by the service. It was also important to invest in a system that was future proof, in terms of developments in digital technology, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance
and scalability.
The resulting tender was won by Tunstall, and following the merger a project team from Tunstall worked closely with relevant staff at LHP to ensure a smooth transition for staff and service users, creating a dedicated plan for migrating data and training staff.
Results
Moving to PNC8.2 as a service has resulted in many benefits for LHP, including:
- It provides a digital platform, capable of supporting end-to-end IP and future-proofing the Lifeline service in anticipation of the completion of the UK’s phone network transitioning to digital by the end of 2025
- The need for onsite infrastructure and IT support is removed and 24 hour support is included in the licence fee
- The system can be accessed securely from multiple locations, enabling flexible working. Records can be updated in the field, giving real time information and reducing paperwork
- Workflow guidance and the Case Manager module helps operators to be more consistent and efficient
- GDPR compliance is supported, as PNC8.2 runs in an encrypted environment and includes a number of tools such as Data Redaction
- Updates are included in the licence, ensuring LHP is always operating on the latest version of software available
- Business continuity and disaster recovery provision is provided and managed as part of the Software as a Service approach
- The system is scalable, enabling the Lifeline service to grow in the future
