Appello, the UK’s largest provider of digital Technology Enabled Care and Careline services, has been awarded a circa £5 million contract to deliver their digital Smart Living Solutions (SLS) and associated digital support services to PA Housing.
The 3-year contract awarded via the “Consortium procurement” framework, involves the delivery of SLS into 153 independent living and sheltered housing developments across Leicestershire, East Midlands, London and the South East.
PA Housing, one of the largest social housing providers in the UK, with over 23,000 properties, focus on ‘always doing the right thing’ and ‘always being there for their customers’. As part of this focus, they recognised that while acting now on the ongoing changes to the UK’s telecoms network impacting telecare services, they also had the opportunity to enhance the quality of their residents living experience.
“We are fully aware of the telecoms changes taking place and recognise the importance of moving to digital now to take advantage of the new technology and importantly to protect services to our customers. We have undertaken a rigorous procurement process to ensure we have made the best decisions for the future of our business and the safety and wellbeing of our customers. Appello have a proven solution that is already in use by thousands of residents and we want to deliver these benefits to our customers.” commented Dawn Cooke, Independent Living Manager at PA Housing.
The contract will provide PA Housing with the latest digital telecare equipment, delivering a safer environment with significantly improved speed and connectivity to help in an emergency. The introduction of integrated video door entry and social calling provides enhancements to the security of the property and delivers a means for greater communication amongst residents from the comfort of their individual homes.
“We were keen to take a forward-thinking approach, as the expectations and usage around technology are changing fast amongst our customers. Delivering a safe environment is paramount, however being able to provide greater access to services, including My PA, which is the quickest and easiest way for customers to manage their home online, through the touchscreen telecare device will enhance the experience for our customers.”
SLS is enhanced with the connection to the Appello Cloud Services, which provides constant monitoring of the health of the equipment, and remote access for maintenance evaluation where required. This ability to have a far greater insight into the system was a valued capability.
“Not all our properties have 24/7 onsite staff, therefore knowing that the system is operating as expected whilst not physically onsite is a great reassurance. Even a low battery from the customer’s lifeline pendants will be raised as an alert, which means that we can alert family members or prioritise staff to attend at the most appropriate time.”
On award of the contract, Tim Barclay, CEO, Appello said “In 2020 we have seen many new customers embracing Smart Living Solutions to support their wellbeing. We are delighted that PA Housing have also recognised that SLS can significantly enhance the safety, security and wellbeing of their customers, whilst also providing a service that will enable them to reap the benefits of technology over the coming years. We are already working in partnership on a plan to upgrade over 20 priority sites in the next few months and look forward to working together over the coming years.”