Making Video Surveillance Suitable for the Care Home

It is one of the hottest issues around: The use of CCTV in the care home! At Cloudview, we believe it is vital and that, by linking cameras to the cloud, it is possible to address both the cost and privacy issues involved.

There are arguments both for and against the use of CCTV in residential care homes. In its favour, for example, the use of cameras can enable managers to both ensure the safety of residents and make more effective use of staff, freeing up qualified carers to better prioritise their workloads and respond to incidents more quickly. Equally, when asked, concerned relatives will often welcome the reassurance of being able to see for themselves the standard of care their loved ones receive.

On the other side of the coin, arguments against include the high cost of installation and maintenance plus the need for technical expertise and training in order to use CCTV properly. Moreover, there are huge privacy issues to consider, especially when it comes to residents who, quite understandably, object to being monitored in what is, after all, their own home.

The dilemma, therefore, is being able to deliver the benefits of CCTV to care homes while at the same time addressing the concerns of managers, residents and relatives alike. One possible solution is to use Cloudview’s remote video surveillance solution, which, instead of a costly and complex in-house monitoring system, connects cameras via the Internet to a secure hosted service in the cloud.

Cloud-Based Video Surveillance

A lot quicker and easier to install compared to a traditional CCTV system, Cloudview can be used with any camera on the market. More than that, the only other requirements are a small, encrypted Edge Device plus access to the internet utilising a broadband router.

Our Edge Devices, compatible with multiple cameras from different manufacturers, encrypt recorded footage and send it securely to the cloud. From here, management, monitoring and storage is all done in the cloud via a web browser, meaning users can access their recorded footage from anywhere at any time.

Simple, Smart, Secure

Cloudview can be used alongside existing on premise CCTV recording, but for new installations with limited budget, by removing the need for local recording and monitoring equipment, it is a more affordable solution. There are no hidden costs, organisations simply pay to access the platform and the length of time they wish to store recorded footage.

But more importantly in a care home setting, access to that footage can also be restricted to authorised users only and on a per camera basis. This ability to strictly enforce access enables footage from cameras in public areas, for example, to be monitored by care home managers and staff only, while cameras in residents’ rooms can be restricted to approved relatives. Footage can then only be accessed and reviewed by those authorised to see it, guaranteeing privacy and adhering to organisations GDPR policies.

Another plus is that Cloudview’s video surveillance platform is designed to be smart. Cameras can be programmed to detect and record events based on motion or ‘smart triggering’, such as people and vehicle detection, and upload them to the cloud. Event-based recording means you only capture what matters and enables users to find specific events quickly without having to review hours of ‘dead footage’, across multiple cameras. Once an event has been captured and stored, automated notifications are sent to relevant personnel in real time so that they can view and assess the footage, from wherever they are, and take appropriate action.

Finally, the health status of a system is the most critical factor in running an effective video surveillance system. Without it, the very purpose of deploying such a surveillance system is defeated! However, because organisations such as care homes do not have the resources to monitor cameras continuously they only become aware a camera is down after an incident has occurred and they attempt to retrieve the footage. Cloudview addresses this by monitoring the status of all cameras connected to the system and alerting if a camera stops recording. This enables care home managers to minimise any down time and ensure the system is operating as required.

Costing just a fraction of traditional CCTV and requiring very little in the way of technical expertise to operate, Cloudview is an attractive solution for care homes looking for affordable and easy to use video monitoring.

To find out more contact sales@cloudview.co.uk or call 0203 436 1100.