Telecare services connect vulnerable people to trained operators – but what actually happens when someone presses their alarm button? In this blog post, we follow the conversation of a real call handled by Danny Wood, an operator at Appello Careline.
“You have to get it right. You're dealing with people's lives, so you have to be one hundred percent focused.”
Meet Danny, who has been an operator with Appello Careline for three years. He's been a calm and steady voice on the other end of the line for thousands of telecare calls, making sure people get the help they need.
On this particular morning, the call came through like many others.
“Hello, I'm speaking for my husband. We're just going to have breakfast and I can't get him to be responsive to me.”
“Okay, is he unconscious?”
“No, but he's in a dream.”
The caller sounds very calm but Danny knows this doesn't always reflect the situation.
“It's important to remember that family members won't necessarily react the way you think,” he says. “If someone's having a heart attack or not breathing, you think a family member is going to be crying and hysterical, but a lot of the time they're in shock.”
Building a picture of the situation
Danny begins with some questions to get as much information as possible. Every emergency is different, so he needs to quickly establish the situation in order to determine the right course of action.
“If you're asking him a question, is he answering you?”
“Slowly and not quite sensibly.”
“Okay, so he's answered you – are his eyes open? Can you speak to him now and ask a question?”
“Are you alright? No? What’s wrong?”
As Danny speaks to the caller, he has a set of procedures on his screen in front of him to guide his questions. The Careline call handling system provides these for all operators so they can effectively triage each call, no matter what's happening.
Every answer builds a picture of the situation. While some calls will lead with key information that immediately points to a certain procedure – such as chest pain or breathing difficulties – others, like this one, may begin more slowly, with crucial details emerging through the course of the call.
“The guidelines for the triage are extremely useful but at times you also have to use your own common sense,” explains Danny. “I may go between the different types of procedures. With this particular call, his wife started off very casually saying he hasn't been feeling very well. But then all of a sudden, we get to the fact he's not responding, so you realise it's very serious.”
“His breathing doesn't sound very good? Is he very clammy?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Can you ask him if he has any pain anywhere?”
“Yes. John – no? Feels tight? Where? Across your chest? His chest is very tight.”
“Okay. Has he ever had a heart attack or angina before?”
Procedures backed by training and instinct
While Danny is following the on-screen procedures, he’s also reading the service users notes to check for any medical information, all while maintaining the conversation with the caller.
“You've got to multi-skill,” he explains. “It's important to listen to what they're saying so you don't miss keywords. Then you've got to read their medical background because it may not necessarily come up in a triage question. You have to be completely focused to get the triage correct. It takes some training to be able to do that.”
During the call, Danny sees from John’s records that he’s on new medication for his heart, which he confirms with his wife. The picture is becoming clearer. The symptoms are pointing to a potential heart attack: chest pain, new heart medication, difficulty breathing, clamminess.
“That pain across his chest, is it crushing or stabbing or just feels tight?
“What is your pain like across your chest, darling? John… John?”
“Obviously it's quite upsetting when you hear calls of that nature,” Danny says. “You know it’s a person; it’s somebody's loved one and she's there. You hope the outcome's a positive one. You have to be reassuring. Remain calm. And also remain human on the call as well.”
Getting the right help
Danny has heard enough information and has already made the call to the ambulance service. He tells John's wife an ambulance has been dispatched and that they might call her directly.
“So, I'm going to close the line down. Would you like me to call anyone else for you? Maybe your cousin or anyone else?”
With the phone ringing in the background, Danny knows the ambulance service is ready to take over. He gently directs John's wife to answer so they can speak to her.
“Okay, if you can answer that phone as quick as possible. I'm going to close the call. If your husband's condition changes or worsens, please activate the alarm.”
As Danny ends the call, he can rest assured that John will now get the medical attention he needs. “When the ambulance is called, you know they're putting the information into their system and they’re getting ready for that,” he says. “Every time I make that happen, there's a sense of relief.”
Making a difference
For Danny, this is what being a telecare operator is all about: listening carefully to the person on the other end of the line, staying focused and being there when it matters the most.
“Ultimately, there's nothing better than helping somebody. When they’ve received the right treatment and can then recover at home, it’s the best feeling possible. It’s extremely rewarding. I'm just very glad that John is okay.”
Watch our video to hear more from Danny about his call with John’s wife: https://appello.co.uk/video-operator-video-in-an-emergency-every-moment-matters
Appello Careline offers 24/7 monitoring and emergency assistance for older people and vulnerable individuals living in supported housing or their own homes. As the UK's largest Careline provider, we enable people across the UK to live safely and independently, working with housing providers and local authorities.
Find out more about our award-winning Careline monitoring services.
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