Orwell Housing Association manages approximately 3,500 properties of mixed tenure in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and North Essex, with a further 150 properties in development.
Currently the largest supported housing provider in Suffolk, Orwell Housing works in partnership with a number of different agencies to provide a wide range of accommodation, plus a variety of housing management, support and care services.
The Association employs approximately 455 staff and volunteers. For many employees the nature of the job will mean periods of working alone, often on a one-to-one basis with service users. Orwell Housing previously tried to mitigate the risk to those lone workers by operating a buddy system, but decided this was an impractical long term solution.
“We needed an automated solution that would enhance the safety of our staff and give us the means to track their location in the event of an emergency,” said Andrew Regent, Supported Housing and Care Manager at Orwell Housing. “Lookout Call was a cost-effective and flexible solution that met all our requirements.
“Since implementing Lookout Call we have been externally audited on our approach to lone worker safety and received praise for our use of the system.”