Monash Council—How Duress Boosted Care Worker Safety and Confidence by 95%
Key Takeaways
The Challenge: A care worker was assaulted by a client, which showed just how important it was to have a reliable safety system for outreach staff working in clients’ homes.
The Solution: Duress provided a fast-response system with features like check-in timers, fall detection, and a hold-down duress button, giving workers immediate access to help when needed.
The Outcome: Duress has boosted the confidence of care workers, offering peace of mind through 24/7 support and easy-to-use tracking features for working in homes.
The Challenge
Monash Council’s Home Support team, led by Sue Corless, faced a serious wake-up call when one of their outreach care workers was assaulted by a client with dementia during a home visit. It became clear that they needed a better, faster safety system to protect their staff, especially those lone workers working alone in clients’ homes.
The existing safety measures just weren’t enough to make the team feel safe, and Sue and her team realised they needed something more reliable—something that would provide immediate help in case of emergencies.
The Process
Sue and her team began looking at different safety options that could offer quick emergency response and fit smoothly into their existing workflows. That’s when they found Duress. What made Duress stand out was the combination of features like fall detection, the emergency duress button, and a check-in timer to track how long workers spent in clients’ homes.
The onboarding process went smoothly overall, though there were a few hiccups early on. The original training video had some issues with sound quality, but the Duress team quickly sorted that out by providing a higher-quality video. The introduction of a hard case for the devices was another great improvement, addressing the team’s feedback.
While the council initially struggled a bit with using the portal system, Duress offered hands-on support and the team appreciated how responsive they were to inquiries.
The Outcome
Since bringing Duress on board, the Home Support team at Monash Council feels much more confident and secure. The fast response times and features like fall detection and the emergency duress button have been game changers for workers in the field. Sue summed it up nicely:
“The Duress Falcon alarm gives us confidence that our staff are all safe while out in the community.”
The check-in timer feature has also been a huge help, giving workers a way to track how long they’ve been inside clients’ homes. It adds an extra layer of accountability and safety.
Overall, the staff feel much more supported and protected. The team’s sense of safety has dramatically improved, with Sue rating their safety experience a solid 99%. While there were minor issues with the portal, they were quickly resolved, and the team has been happy with Duress’s responsive customer service.
Quotes and Stats
“Duress has been a pleasure to deal with, very responsive to phone calls and all enquiries.”
– Sue Corless, Coordinator Home Support, Monash Council
Satisfaction with Duress: 90%
Satisfaction with Duress training: 90%
Overall sense of safety improvement: 99%
Likely to recommend Duress: 90%
Key Stats
• 100% boost in confidence for care workers after using Duress.
• 99% rating for team safety since Duress was introduced.
• 90% likelihood to recommend Duress to other councils or organisations.
Want to see how Duress can work for your team?
Book a time to chat with us today and discover how we can enhance your team’s safety and confidence.
