Sandwell Homes is an ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) set up by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council to manage its housing service. This role involves an extensive programme of management, repair and maintenance of council properties, including sheltered housing schemes, as well as the operation of an advice service for tenants. With over 32,000 properties spread across the borough, this is a demanding task involving hundreds of personnel working within different areas.




As Sandwell Homes has members of staff operating in all aspects of housing management, a considerable proportion of these personnel are working in situations in which they could be at risk: either from members of the public, or through working in isolated conditions. With staff involved in sheltered housing, Community Alarm and Tenancy Support Service and the investigation of anti social behaviour, it is especially important to know a member of staff’s location and to give them the capability to raise the alarm immediately should they find themselves in danger for any reason.




The management at Sandwell Homes have always been aware of the importance of having a system of monitoring the whereabouts and safety of its lone working staff. When it was decided to review their previous system, and upgrade it to something more modern and efficient, Bev Abberley, Manager of the Community Alarms and Warden Service at Sandwell Homes spent time looking at the variety of options available on the marketplace. “We had been using a Pentyre system previously,” explains Bev, “and we felt that the Voice Connect system was similar to the Penpoint system in the way it worked.

We also felt that The VC Lone Worker product was simple to operate and wouldn’t disrupt the procedures which we already had in place, making the transition process relatively straightforward.” With over 300 lone working staff employed in a range of roles from sheltered housing wardens, to Environmental Health Officers, to cleaners, the switch needed to be as seamless as possible. So, after looking at the range of products available, Sandwell Homes finally opted for VC Lone Worker, installing the system in March 2004.

Whilst there were inevitably some minor teething problems as the system settled in, the staff have found it easy to operate and are all using it efficiently. “The only problem that we have experienced is when staff are due to refresh their log-on time: if they wait for the reminder call they may miss it if they are already using the phone,” explains Bev.

Despite this, the company is more than happy with the way that the system is being used. “Lone Worker system has lived up to our expectations: it does exactly what it says it will, plus it has a variety of options available such as the facility for logging in using a standard mobile phone, and the option of GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking. It has worked so well that more and more departments are viewing it as a one stop lone worker system for the whole Sandwell borough.”

The team at Voice Connect pride themselves on their client care: as a relatively small company they aim to provide a personalised level of service to all their clients and Bev has found the company committed to looking after the customer.

“They are always quick to respond if we have any problems, and unlike some companies, they will always return my calls,” explains Bev. In fact, Sandwell Homes have been so pleased with the way that the system works that they have shown it to other organisations looking for a cost effective way of monitoring and ensuring the safety of their isolated workers. Now Sandwell has taken the Lone Worker system forward in order to provide support for people who are working alone across the borough. Bev concludes with a clear endorsement of both the VC system, and the company itself:

“I would recommend Voice Connect to other companies for having the most comprehensive lone worker system available at this time. It has achieved exactly what we wanted.”