National Care Group one of the UK’s largest specialist care providers has invested over £13,000 installing the latest state of the art ‘fever thermal imaging’ systems in their North East based, Abbeyvale Care Centre.
The Abbeyvale Care Centre located in Blackhall Colliery near Hartlepool, which cares for 42 residents and employs 62 staff, has installed the thermal imaging cameras throughout their care service. The thermal cameras, which are being used to scan and assess the body temperatures of everyone entering its care service, also monitor the three dining rooms and common areas but do not impact on individuals’ privacy in bedrooms. The monitored results ensure that all the residents and staff are not showing signs of fever which is a common symptom of Coronavirus.
Julie Shield, Registered Manager at Abbeyvale said: “The new thermal cameras are great! They provide us with accurate temperature readings throughout the day and are so much less invasive and more dignified than our having to ask everyone for a temperature check with a thermometer twice a day.” Julie added: “The cameras are so clever they can even recognise if someone is not wearing their face mask correctly and will give them a warning to put it on.”
Abbeyvale, which provides accommodation for people with a variety of needs including old age, dementia and mental health needs, is home to one of National Care Group’s oldest residents. Mary Wears, who will tell you herself that she is 100 years, 2 months and 6 days old today, is a big fan of the new cameras and will love to see her face on the monitor.
National Care Group Area Operations Manager, Charlotte Lumley, who oversaw the installation of the ‘fever thermal imaging’ system, said: “In being responsible for looking after the North East region it was particularly important to me to support the local economy. D C Electronics who are based in Stockton on Tees were a perfect choice. They provided us with amazing service, the latest technology and above all a friendly and trouble-free installation service.”
Charlotte added: “I am also very proud to say that throughout the pandemic Abbeyvale has remained 100% COVID free. That is testament to the dedication and total commitment of our manager and all our care workers and my heartfelt thanks goes out to them.”
The new ‘fever thermal imaging’ system represents a significant investment for National Care Group and demonstrates their ongoing commitment to maintain the safety, wellbeing and health of their residents, staff and visitors. Mike Cleasby, National Care Group Quality Director, commented: “We will be closely monitoring the effectiveness and success of the Abbeyvale installation to inform our future COVID-19 planning. We already have strict safety measures and policies in place to limit the spread of the virus.