Taking Care to provide 24/7 response services for digital support app

Leading personal alarm provider Taking Care has won a new contract to provide 24/7 response services for Brain in Hand’s digital support app.

Brain in Hand aims to transform the model of care for autistic people, those with learning disabilities, and those with mental health difficulties. Integrating intuitive, personalised web and mobile software with human support via its innovative digital support system, Brain in Hand empowers people to easily access strategies that work for them from their phone or tablet, whenever and wherever they’re needed. People can be supported remotely, stay connected to their supporters, and live independently with confidence.

Brain in Hand users can get extra support using a traffic light system within their app. By pressing a red traffic light or with three consecutive presses of an amber traffic light, the user will trigger an alert.

With the new technology enabled care (TEC) partnership, Taking Care’s Emergency Resolution Team will then deliver non-medical, remote support using the preferred contact method of a call, text or email. The team supports the user in accessing the right coping strategies that will help them ‘get back on track’ and continue with their day, or just to provide some reassurance to help the user feel better about a situation.

Situations in which users may want to trigger an alert are wide-ranging but common examples include travelling to and from places, preparing for upcoming lectures or exams, and organising their time and activities.

Louise Morpeth, Chief Executive at Brain in Hand, said: “We are delighted to be working with Taking Care – another great south west business. They are the perfect partners to support our rapid growth. Like us, they care about the quality of each interaction with the customer; empowering them on their journey to independence.”

Since 2008, Taking Care, a subsidiary of AXA PPP healthcare, has helped 170,000 people in the UK stay safe and supported them with maintaining their independence.

Taking Care employees undertook a ‘Super User’ training course provided by Brain in Hand. On the course, they were taught about Brain in Hand’s users and the specific types of challenges they have, how to tailor their response to the individual’s requirements, and deal safeguarding concerns effectively.

From this course, Taking Care staff have expanded their repertoire of skills to respond to customers with the ‘Brain in Hand approach’ – person-centred and empathetic. Taking Care staff will receive ongoing training and support from its own in-house training team as well as Brain in Hand in order to provide the best possible service to users.

Steve Gates, Managing Director at Taking Care said: “We’re genuinely excited about our partnership with Brain in Hand. We believe that this provides the opportunity to combine the leading-edge 121 and digital support that Brain in Hand provide with personalised support from highly experienced Taking Care responders to help customers through some of their more challenging circumstances.

“This partnership is absolutely in line with our vision as an organisation and allows us to further demonstrate how, by working together, we can enable people to become more confident and independent.”