College apprentices help develop new app to help carers

Digital apprentices at Barking & Dagenham College (@BarkingCollege) are helping to develop a new app.  It’s designed to increase the expertise of care workers to recognise the early signs of deterioration, with the overall aim of initiating early treatment to help reduce hospital admissions.  

The new ‘e-Care’ app is in its pilot phase and is now available to download. It has been designed to help domiciliary care workers as well as health and social care students.  It will enhance their understanding of anatomy and physiology, and through the app, introduce them to digital tools which are being used to monitor such things as blood pressure, heart rate and blood oximetry and to spot deteriorating health.  It also features interactive activities and case studies.  

The ‘e-Care’ app has been developed through a partnership between Barking & Dagenham College and Care City and funded by the charitable organisation, UfI VocTech. The development of the app is well timed.  The pandemic has made the app even more relevant, as remote monitoring has become more necessary, with carers dealing with more complex challenges that require the need for new ways to keep those in care safe and well.    

Working in the College’s digital department, the apprentices were delighted to be asked to become part of the project with their colleagues.  As part of the team, they set about working on the design and some of the animations used within the app.  

Sophie De’ath, is one of the Digital Learning Apprentice’s working on it.  She commented: 

“Working on the e-Care App has been a real learning experience. Working with health care professionals and curriculum designers I really feel we have created something special for our care workers”  

Jeanette Griffin, Employer Lead, Health & Social Care, at Barking & Dagenham College added:

“The idea behind the app was to enhance the skills of domiciliary care workers by building a mobile platform to enable them to learn about anatomy & physiology combined with the latest monitoring technology that they can use to monitor service users.  People who are in domiciliary care may deteriorate quite quickly and it helps if signs of deterioration are spotted early. The idea of the app is to teach care workers and students new concepts but also reinforce what they already know and enable them to learn on the go at a time that suits them. The app has to function well to do that, and that’s where the apprentices, alongside the digital department at the College have really done a great job.  They’ve been a pleasure to have on the team!”   

The app is free to download on both iphone and android and the team are keen for students and carers to sign up to help them develop the app further.