The Homecall partnership comprises Phil Romeril, local healthcare professional and businessman, Joe Dickinson from Jersey Post and Jersey Post Group. Joe originally devised the Call & Check concept when he entered an employee competition to explore potential diversification solutions for Jersey Post.

Since the competition, Call & Check has been developed by Joe and the team at Jersey Post. Following trials in several island parishes, Call & Check is now a viable, much-loved service. It enables postal workers on their usual postal rounds to check on the wellbeing of vulnerable members of society and to connect them with supportive community services. It aims to help people stay in their home for longer, surrounded by their family and friends, which has been proven to have considerable mental and physical benefits for the individuals concerned.

Joe Dickinson said, “Call & Check is a simple concept, but it works. We have a rapidly aging demographic in Jersey, and over the next 20 years the number of people over 65 will double. With Call & Check we can provide much needed support to islanders who live alone or find themselves socially isolated. Since I first came up with the idea, my desire has always been to see it grow and develop into a service that can help people deal with the many problems of our ageing society.”

With the ageing population increasing worldwide, the Call & Check service has been frequently in the spotlight as being a real solution to the challenge presented by this age-related, societal issue. The service has won an impressive array of awards including the World Mail Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Sunday Times UK Social Innovator of the Year.

In addition, Call & Check has been chosen as one of four major healthcare projects by the US Innovation Group, with a trial of the service soon to be launched in Detroit, USA.  Other jurisdictions that are planning or have already started trials of the service include the UK, Finland, Ireland, Australia, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

Phil Romeril recognised the potential within the service and has been working closely with Joe Dickinson and Jersey Post over the last 12 months.  Phil said, “The new partnership will ensure that the service is able to explore the interest shown in Call & Check by local and international postal and government authorities, and help to demonstrate how the service could operate and support communities in Jersey and around the world.”

Tim Brown, Chief Executive at Jersey Post, added, “We are very proud that our innovative home grown solution to a local problem has attracted such global interest. This partnership with Homecall, will enable us to build on our award winning service so it continues to thrive both in Jersey, and further afield.”

Source: Jersey Post