Swallowcourt
Swallowcourt
Introducing Swallowcourt
Swallowcourt, Cornwall’s leading private care provider, is led by a team of passionate individuals who work together to provide quality lifestyles in beautiful environments.
As well as managing elderly care homes that provide residential, nursing and respite care for older people, Swallowcourt also operate three specialist care homes for individuals with learning and physical disabilities and associated conditions.
But although the multi-award-winning care providers had a highly experienced and certified team behind them, they were being held back by an IT infrastructure that failed to support their data protection, connectivity and adaptive technology needs.
- Comprehensive upgrade of all IT infrastructure organisation wide.
- Enhanced security and improved connectivity across the estate.
- Seamlessly connected all care homes with a cloud-based telephone system.
- Enterprise Wi-Fi installed in each care home.
- Supported the rollout of digital care planning, reducing the administrative burden on team members.
- Ongoing Managed IT Support, becoming Swallowcourt’s IT Department.
THE CHALLENGE
Swallowcourt's Challenges
Inundated with boxes of archiving and struggling with inadequate internet bandwidth, the COVID-19 pandemic was a catalyst for change in a reform that was long overdue for one of Cornwall’s largest employers. Working in one of the most challenging and pressurised of environments, Swallowcourt quickly realised they needed to invest in a comprehensive IT upgrade so they could continue to maintain the highest standard of care for which they are known for.
Leah Marsh, Managing Director for Swallowcourt at the time, said, “It is ironic that in our Poldhu Nursing Home, which is situated just metres away from the very place that in 1901, Guglielmo Marconi sent the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, that we have struggled with wireless connectivity.”
Swallowcourt were also aware of the increasing number of older people that were now embracing technological advancements, such as video and audio communication tools to keep in touch with family and friends. In addition, they wanted to provide Specialist Services, who support individuals with profound physical and learning disabilities, with class-leading IT that could pave the way for assistive technology.
Strict compliance and data protection obligations meant that Swallowcourt needed to have specific retention policies in place. How medical and personal information is being held has huge implications for the organisation, and so a complete security set-up was a top priority for them.
The implications on physical social interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic also created an urgent need to improve connectivity within the care homes. The cobbled-together system was slow, unreliable and lacked the infrastructure to support modern-day communication tools.
THE SOLUTION
Solution and Results
In response to inadequate bandwidth and an inability to fully utilise today’s technology, Swallowcourt partnered with us to undertake a comprehensive upgrade of all things IT within their homes estate.
Leah Marsh said, “Whilst we had planned to upgrade our systems over the coming years, the impact of the Covid pandemic highlighted to us the need to accelerate these plans.”
We installed high-speed connectivity in each home, as well as head office, with gigabit leased lines as primary and fibre in place as failover.
- Comprehensive upgrade of all IT infrastructure organisation wide.
- Enhanced security and improved connectivity across the estate.
A new cloud-based phone system was also implemented, allowing residents to seamlessly connect with friends and relatives during the pandemic. An enterprise Wi-Fi solution was also installed in each home to support the rollout of digital care planning via mobile devices.
The IT infrastructure was a significant investment for the care providers, but they recognised the digital transformation would reduce the administrative burdens on their staff, enhance security and provide valuable connectivity to friends and relatives during a highly challenging time.
- Seamlessly connected all care homes with a cloud-based telephone system.
- Enterprise Wi-Fi installed in each care home.
- Supported the rollout of digital care planning, reducing the administrative burden on team members.
Adaptive technologies would be a lifeline for residents who are not able to communicate verbally. Getting online was now faster, more reliable and easier to access, allowing residents to access online resources and improving quality of care.
With a comprehensive, secure IT infrastructure in place, personal information and other data could be held electronically. And rather than having to keep scanning and sending physical documents, improved communications meant health professionals could share records securely and at speed.
Whilst the main project took 16 weeks to complete, we quickly became an extension of the team through ongoing Managed IT Support. We continue to support Swallowcourt’s drive to utilise the latest technological advancements to support the needs of their residents and staff.
- Ongoing Managed IT Support, becoming Swallowcourt’s IT Department.
GET IN TOUCH
Speak to an IT Specialist
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