One of Scotland’s leading providers of residential care has gone a step further to take “every possible precautionary measure” to protect staff and residents from COVID-19.
Balhousie Care Group is in the process of installing Hikvision thermal imaging cameras into all 25 of the Group’s care homes across Aberdeenshire, Angus, Tayside, Fife, Falkirk and at the company’s Head Office in Perth.
The state-of-the-art technology automatically detects and measures an individual’s outer temperature in real-time upon entering the building. The camera immediately sets off an alert if someone’s temperature is elevated, and they will not be asked if they can sit to one side while a manual thermometer test is conducted.
A significant investment of £7k per home, the cameras will enable each care home to monitor staff temperatures even more rigorously.
As well as the introduction of the new technology, all staff are wearing protective PPE and following rigorous infections control procedures. All non-essential visits to care homes within the Group have been suspended since March 11, 2020.
Jill Kerr, Group Chief Executive Officer at Balhousie Care Group, commented:
“While continuing to follow advice from Scottish Care and the Scottish Government, we wanted to ensure we were taking every possible precautionary measure to do everything we can to protect our staff and residents and keep the virus out of our homes as much as we can. The Hikvision cameras are a highly effective way to monitor temperatures and we hope they will reassure our staff and residents that their health and wellbeing is our first priority.”
Scott Davis, Regional Manager, Hikvision UK commented:
“We are pleased our products could provide a preliminary screening solution. Technology coupled with good hygiene practice definitely has a support role to play during these challenging times. We also really appreciate how the installation by McKenna Fire and Security was managed quickly and professionally making optimal use of the equipment.”
