Barnsley MBC Home Care Service in partnership with leading software provider, CACI, picked up the 'IT Innovator of the Year' Award at the Ceretas Awards on the 31st May 2008. The prize was awarded specifically for the development of inTOUCH, a mobile working home care product which enables carers to download their specific service user schedule and provide them with contextual information and prompts for each visit.

Ollie Watson, CACI Business Sector Manager commented: "We are thrilled that our application, inTOUCH, contributed to Barnsley MBC winning this award. A great deal of technical innovation and teamwork went into making this product one that can ultimately improve the quality of care. We are delighted that this has been recognised within the industry."

The Awards aim to benefit individuals, organisations and sponsors. Nominees are chosen for their dedication and commitment whilst also helping to raise the profile of the home care industry as a whole.

This award for the Care Provider division of CACI is proof of the strategic partnership between supplier and client, a relationship that had been established since 2004, where CACI had been exploring the concept of mobile working in Home Care for some time and were keen to partner with a user that had a similar vision for the future. CACI and Barnsley MBC Home Care service embarked on a partnership which had one aim: to develop a comprehensive, dynamic and affordable mobile working solution for the home care market.

Paul Higginbottom, Business Manager of Barnsley MBC Home Care Service said of the award "We are delighted to receive such a prestigious award and recognition for all of the hard work put in by the Barnsley Team and our development partner CACI. 200 home carers are already benefitting from the technology, which is providing them with real time information to enhance the delivery of care."

"InTOUCH has helped improve our compliance with the 27 minimum care standards ultimately supporting continual service improvement, with the Barnsley MBC Home Care Service being awarded a 3 Star Excellent quality rating from CSCI at this year's key inspection".

Please click here for more information on inTOUCH

Notes:

inTOUCH is CACI's mobile care provider management solution, the first solution of its kind to address all areas of mobile working for home care in UK. Carers are issued with a 'smart-phone' that downloads their specific service-user schedule and provides them with contextual information and prompts for each visit.
As a result of these and other industry-leading features, inTOUCH delivers a host of business benefits, but in particular substantial cost savings, efficiency improvements, lone worker safety and enhanced quality of care.