Jersey Post launched trials of the Call and Check service, where postal workers visit elderly Islanders along their route to make sure they are safe and well, in St Brelade in 2013.
The service was later expanded to St Peter and St Ouen and since its inception posties have made 30,000 checks.
Now the Health Department has provided the service with £100,000 of funding until the end of next July to enable postal workers to carry out the checks across the Island.
A family member, doctor, pharmacist or parish community team can recommend someone for the service which is only delivered if the individual agrees to receive the visits.
The service is free for those who meet certain criteria set by the Health Department and the Call and Check team. It is also planned for the service to be rolled out privately at £6.75 per visit for Islanders who do not fit the criteria for free checks.
When they carry out the service, the postal worker asks five short questions ranging from the person’s health and wellbeing to their safety and security.
The postal worker uses a digital handset, which they already wear on their rounds, to input the answers and if any issues arise they are flagged up immediately to the Call and Check hub team who will contact the relevant agency that can offer support.
Joe Dickinson, head of innovation at Call and Check who came up with the idea for the scheme in 2012, said: ‘I think it works because it is simple. People get it – if someone is passing a house every day they are a logical person to check out what is going on.’
Health Minister Richard Renouf said the pilot scheme demonstrated that it could help meet the States objectives of reducing isolation and enabling Islanders to stay in their own homes for longer.
‘This service not only connects patients to healthcare and community services but will lead to substantial savings in the cost of home-based healthcare because it will replace the regular non-essential visits that healthcare professionals currently have to do,’ he added.
Since the scheme was trialled in Jersey it has also been piloted in Finland, Ireland and Iceland.
Phil Romeril, director of Call and Check, said: ‘Since the first trials began in Jersey in 2013, Call and Check has garnered global recognition, awards and interest. By better co-ordinating care, reducing pressure on traditional services, families and carers, and creating new revenue streams for the postal service, Call&Check is a win-win-win.’
For further information contact the Call and Check team on 280800 or email hello@callandcheck.com.
