A Brighton care home is one of the first in the country to use an innovative new infection control data platform.
Swanborough House, part of Renovo Care, adopted the Gather Care technology to help staff at the home identify any problem areas immediately within Swanborough House and generally across the Group.
Gather Care is a unique data capture platform specifically aimed at the nursing and care home industry. It enables care workers, care managers, clinicians and operators to identify the early warning signs of outbreaks of colds, flu, viruses and infectious outbreaks, including COVID-19.
Daisy Fernandez, registered manager at Swanborough House, said: “We have been trialling the Gather Care system since June 2020 and I find the technology to be very useful and effective.
“It helps us to flag up any problem with illness and infection immediately so it can then be dealt with. Also, within the Group it will help us to identify any areas that might need a policy review or to put in place actions to prevent further increases of infections.
“I really hope that many more care homes across Brighton and Hove adopt the Gather Care app as this would give us an overall view of any spread of infection within the area. This would enable care homes to be able to offer support, guidance and share good practices.”
Hugo Spalding, managing director of Gather Care, said: “I’m pleased to hear that Swanborough House is seeing the benefits of this new and exciting technology.
“The Gather Care system has been designed to enable care homes to identify and curtail infections. This can be anything from the common cold to much more serious viruses like COVID-19.
“By entering data into the system, it allows staff to compare the results to other Gather Care users across the country, essentially creating a virtual support system. By comparing data, this can help a home to spot a pattern of increasing infection and will enable them to make informed decisions on which preventative measures must be taken.
“As more care services use the technology it becomes even more useful and effective, and will support homes to monitor and deal with the more common illnesses once this awful Covid virus has been beaten.”