Rapid Response in Greater Manchester ......

Loobeylou

Has anyone heard of Rapid Response based in/around Greater Manchester? I believe they are a company or organisation who will respond to an in-house buzzer activated by the injured, and actually send someone out if you have a fall or whatever.

Not to be confused with pressing an in-house buzzer which allows someone then to "talk" to you via your phone link to see if you are OK, and then calls designated (family/friend/neighbours) phone numbers to raise help.

Help needed for increasingly frail elderly person who does not live anywhere near any of her relatives.

mazza111

Haven't heard of this company in particular, but you may find that a lot of these companies would talk to you first to see what your needs are. If they don't get a response from you then they should, depending on which plan you have with them, send someone round.

Some of these companies are rather good. I had one bad experience with one who shall remain nameless when i worked as a sheltered housing officer. A lady had been pressing her alarm, after a fall in the bathroom of her flat. Agency couldn't hear what she was saying, assumed it was a fault. and ignored her. Several calls came through the night (in excess of 20) and they still assumed it was a fault, grrrrr. I finally got a call at 7am the next morning when the homecare team went in and found her on the floor with a broken hip. I was so angry as I only lived 5 minutes away and could have been there in no time, instead of that she was left laying on the floor for hours because of someone's incompetence. Needless to say a complaint was made about this company and when it came to renewing the contract for the Sheltered Housing they were replaced.

So anyway, I guess what I'm saying it, make sure you know exactly what will happen when you press the button. Will they call you back? Will they speak to you through the intercom? Will they automatically send a care team out to you? Ask all the questions to them that you can think of. I would hate to see that happen to someone else.

Mojisola

The Rapid Response team our area are part of the NHS Trust.

Loobeylou

Mojisola -are you able to give me any further information as to how to contact the one for the Greater Manchester area?

Please note my initial comments - we don't want someone who will just give telephone communication to see if our relative is OK, but rather people who will actually come out to help.

Errata

Loobeylou wrote: »

Mojisola -are you able to give me any further information as to how to contact the one for the Greater Manchester area?

Please note my initial comments - we don't want someone who will just give telephone communication to see if our relative is OK, but rather people who will actually come out to help.

I understand what you're aiming for, but are you prepared for an organisaton to break down your relatives door to gain access? Are you prepared for them to make exhorbitant charges for being called out accidentally?
If the type of organisation you're looking for exists in the Greater Manchester area Age Concern/Help the Aged will have details.

Mojisola

It doesn't look as if this is what you're looking for -

https://www.manchesterfallsservices.org.uk/falls-services/rapid-response.html

but they may be able to give you some advice.

I would also talk to Age Concern for suggestions.