CASE STUDY

Client Industry - Aged and Community Services

Feros Care is a community owned not-for-profit aged and community care service that supports nearly 900 community care clients living in 14 local government areas. Feros Care services a wide range of locations from the North Coast of New South Wales, south to Coffs Harbour, and north to the Queensland localities of Redcliffe, Caboolture and Pine Rivers.

Client requirement

Along with expanding the range of Feros Care services, the organisation wanted to take advantage of contemporary technologies to streamline access to services and maximise direct care hours.

DCA's solution

The Care Manager is the core client management application of Feros Care’s award- winning Community Gateway – a 24/7 single-point-of-entry accessible on a 1300 number and virtually through the WAN by remote and mobile staff.

The Gateway combines existing broadband and communication technologies with The Care Manager to enable significant efficiencies in service delivery and administration.

Customer benefits

Through the combination of The Care Manager and the gateway, Feros Care has achieved the following benefits;

• A single integrated client record
• Increased efficiently
• Reduced costs (annual savings of $500,000)
• Increased number of direct care hours
• A reduction from initial contact to action from three days to 10 minutes, and
• Industry recognition.

Industry recognition

In 2008 Feros Care won three Industry Information Technology Awards for their innovative use of technology to improve their model of services delivery:

• 2008 Aged and Community Services NSW & ACT Industry Awards: Technology Award Winner
• 2008 Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) Awards: Implementation of the Year Winner
• 2008 Aged and Community Services Australia Awards for Excellence: Technology Innovation Winner

Jennene Buckley, CEO of Feros Care and DCA Regional Manager, David Smith, pictured at the grand opening of the Feros Care Community Gateway.