The uncertainties during the COVID-19 crisis will have a significant impact on people’s mental and physical health, especially for those who were already vulnerable. We’ve been asked if our platform Care View, which is undergoing a multi-city pilot co-funded by the European Space Agency Business Applications, can be used in the COVID-19 crisis. In this post I’ve outlined how Care View can be used by frontline teams. We can also offer free subscriptions to a small number of cities. If you are interested, please get in touch using the form below.
What is Care View?
Care View is a web app that allows vetted public and third sector professionals to generate a secure heatmap of social isolation or other unmet needs across a city. Staff working out in the community tap the app when they see external signs that a householder might be struggling. These tell-tale signs of neglect include rubbish in the garden or curtains always shut.
Using satellite technology, this ‘App Tap’ generates a pin on a web-based map of the city. Multiple ‘App Taps’ create hotspots, pinpointing streets, never houses, where people might welcome help. This information allows Councils to target their multi-agency outreach work. For example: leafleting or visits to create referrals into the city’s existing social care process.
Since 2016, Care View has been used by Public Health, Fire & Rescue Service, the Police and third sector organisations like Age UK. After a twelve month NHS-funded trial in Leeds (click here to download the visual summary of the evaluation report), we are currently running a multi-city pilot co-funded by the European Space Agency Business Applications.
Care View, Social Isolation and COVID-19:
We’ve been approached with several creative ideas of how we can deploy Careview in cities. Based on our current operation in Leeds, Wakefield District and Bury, we’ve identified the following process that can make an immediate, meaningful impact:
If you have staff or volunteers on the ground, they can ‘App Tap’ to add pins to indicate the streets they are visiting. Every time they add a pin, they can also add the nature of the request they are responding to. For example: delivering groceries. Care View prevents users from adding any personal identifiable information.
This process can highlight areas across the city that have vulnerable populations, such as older people or newly arrived migrants, with potential unmet needs. You can use these hotspots to plan further outreach and avoid duplication, especially if you have a multi-agency setup. In follow-up visits, users can update the hotspot. As it changes intensity you can see if your intervention is making a difference.
What can we offer?
We’ve done the maths and we can offer a free four-month subscription to a small number of cities. There will be a setup cost that goes directly to cover technical operations.
For each city deployment, you can add up to 150 users. These could be vetted public and third sector professionals, postal workers or volunteers. Care View cannot be used by other members of the public. We’ll also need to appoint an administrator for each city. This could be someone from the city council or a charity. Their main role is to add users to the platform.
Care View is a progressive web app that runs on any smartphone. It doesn’t require additional storage space and uses the same amount of battery life as using a website. It takes only a couple of minutes to sign up. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. We have help guides that we can share with you.
If you are interested in using Care View please get in touch using the form below.