At Astraline, we believe in the profound impact of proactive care on the lives of our residents. In our professional commitment to their wellbeing, we are proud to introduce the Proactive Wellbeing Service, a partnership initiative with Johnnie Johnson Housing (JJH). This endeavour is testament to our dedication to the welfare of residents and our drive to complement the Customer First Programme and bolster tenancy satisfaction measures.
With an awareness of the challenges our residents face, including a high volume of false alarms, we’ve taken the initiative to provide not only immediate support but also proactive measures to address underlying issues. Our aim is to maintain or improve the health and wellbeing of our residents and, above all, anticipate and prevent crises.
This article is a glimpse into our journey, focusing on our objectives, findings, key outcomes, considerations, and the promising steps that lie ahead.
Objectives
Astraline handles around 72,000 calls from JJH customers annually. Recognising the need to proactively address false alarms, we embarked on the first phase of our Proactive Wellbeing Service starting on April 6th, 2023. Used data intelligence and activations to identify potential people to benefit from the service, this initial phase targeted ten high-volume false alarm callers, offering them the benefits of our proactive call service and four recently discharged hospital patients. Our approach included regular telephone contact, well-being assessments, and referrals to third-party agencies based on individual needs.
Outcomes and Observations
Our Proactive Wellbeing Service yielded not only positive outcomes but also invaluable insights. Notably, the wellbeing pulse score improved for the majority of residents, with an average score of 6.28 after just six weeks, up from 5 at the start. Many participants expressed that they had pressed the alarm button by mistake or were unaware of the frequency. Consequently, we observed reinforced procedures for calling carers, increased utilisation of wearables, housing support recommendations, and heightened resident involvement. Perhaps most rewarding, the next of kin expressed their desire for the proactive calls to continue.
Supporting Hospital Discharge
In our mission to offer comprehensive support, we included four residents who had recently been discharged from the hospital. These residents experienced no false alarm calls, underscoring the effectiveness of proactive engagement. Both residents expressed their preference for a weekly call, highlighting the potential for continued support.
Additional Findings
Our work shed light on vulnerabilities and potential scamming risks faced by customers, particularly before establishing a relationship with our Technology Enabled Care (TEC) team of mobile responders. While false alarm calls triggered by feelings of loneliness or anxiety reduced for the majority, one customer indicated they did not require proactive calls. However, we noted an increase in false alarm calls for residents in the mid-range category, emphasising the importance of their engagement with our service. We were concerned to find that 15% of customers reported feelings of pain, highlighting the importance of addressing physical and emotional well-being.
Nicky Neild, our Partnership & Health Manager, expressed her pride in the team’s accomplishments, saying, “I am incredibly proud of the team and delighted to have the opportunity to support our residents with this enhanced service. We believe that through the use of sentiment analysis and relevant data sets, the service will evolve and improve feelings of wellbeing, customer satisfaction, and engagement.”
Conclusion
The Proactive Wellbeing Service has demonstrated its potential to improve wellbeing, reduce false alarm calls, and enhance access to support services. By implementing the recommendations and considering the ongoing impact, Astraline is committed to continuing our mission of providing proactive and preventative care services for JJH customers. We are committed to delivering excellence in life critical services, and we look forward to a future of enhanced care and compassion.
Look out for updates on our Proactive Wellbeing Service in our newsletter and via the Astraline website.