Specialist public sector solutions provider, Anite, has partnered with online workforce software experts, Webroster, to offer an integrated system for health and social care called ASSAM.
The two companies’ systems will be interfaced to allow service user, carer, and management requirements to be matched easily. The aim is to improve scheduling efficiency and roster management.
The partners say the new system, ASSAM (Anite Service, Scheduling and Monitoring, will help to reduce the number of ‘missed calls’, where changes in staff availability result in residents going without the necessary care.
Nigel Gittins, Webroster’s managing director, said: "Local authorities can handle more than one million calls a year, with tasks including assisting people with shopping, preparing meals and helping them out of bed. The new system will help authorities to work more effectively. Ultimately it’s about helping the people that need it most."
Anite’s suite of health and social care products, including a social services database (SWIFT), integrated children’s system, electronic social care record and mobile assessment systems, will be interfaced with Webroster’s browser-based workforce scheduling solution, Webroster.net.
The combined electronic monitoring system, ASSAM, will enable health and social care personnel to input and access time and attendance data remotely via the telephone or internet. Staff will also receive roster information via personalised web pages, email and SMS messaging. Previously, workers had needed to visit the office to receive and update paper-based information. All data is subsequently fed through to the back-office for payments, charging and payroll generation.
Mike Kingswood, managing director of local government at Anite, said: "With the provision of health and social care being driven by new legislation, efficiency and budget reviews, it is important to recognize the possibilities that IT systems and solutions can provide. Anite’s partnership with Webroster has the potential to empower health and social care practitioners and support services that are focused on improving outcomes for the individual citizen."