Facility praises hands-free communication

A large facility on the NSW Central Coast has launched a new piece of communications technology.

The Orana Centre operated by Baptist Community Services – NSW & ACT has begun using the Vocera communications system which allows staff to communicate with each other without using their hands.

The voice activated devices were implemented at the 160-bed facility by IBM with assistance from Cisco and Questek.

Staff at the Orana Centre say they have seen a significant improvement in resident care since the introduction of the new system as it has enabled them to respond to residents more quickly.

Before the Vocera badges were implemented, nursing staff were using a fixed phone system with limited voicemail, bulky walkie talkies and pagers or mobile phones that often cut out.

“Once we saw the technology and understood how we could utilise it for aged care, we loved it,” said the facility’s Executive Care Manager, Lara McIntyre.

“Our staff have spent a lot of time trying to find a team member in a variety of situations and now there is no reason for a staff member to be unable to locate the right person immediately.

“The software also allows us to track how often a particular resident is calling for assistance and means we can easily prioritise our work loads, from making a patient a cup of tea to attending to someone immediately in need of urgent assistance”.

Orana Centre is home to 160 residents, providing high care, low care, dementia care and respite care services.