My entrepreneurial
idea is a social enterprise aimed at promoting the use of surveillance cameras
in elderly care homes in the UK. This goes beyond public, communal areas,
extending to resident’s bedrooms. My idea has been inspired by the work of a
newly setup company ‘Care Protect’ which has rolled out the use of cameras in bedrooms
to safeguard residents and staff. The company has come up against barriers when
dealing with social workers who believe the cameras violate the human rights of
residents who don’t have capacity, such as those who have dementia. Cameras
aren’t allowed to be turned on in bedrooms even if the residents next of kin or
those legally allowed to make decisions on their behalf give consent. The
cameras can be used with the permission of those who do have capacity, for
example those who live in care homes but not for reasons relating to conditions
which result in loss of capacity.
Since the early
part of this year I have worked in a care home which uses the cameras in
question. Every medical professional involved as an employee at that care home
has given many practical examples of how the cameras have been beneficial, and in the best interests of residents and staff. My idea would
involve using social media as a promotional tool to present the benefits of
this camera use and shatter any myths.
When I
first heard of the surveillance I was sceptical, it felt like unnecessary
intrusion, but that was down to misunderstanding what images the cameras
collect and how selective the process is. It would be my aim to educate others
on the benefits of this camera use, as I believe it is actively keeping
vulnerable people safe.
From a
business stand point, I would look to pitch the idea to Care Protect, to show
how educating the wider public about the cameras and their use would be
beneficial to the business as they begin to consider legal routes, to try to change
how decisions in this area are made for those who don’t have capacity. The
business doesn’t have a vibrant social media platform itself and is therefore
not educating a large audience on what they can offer, they do champion it to a
very small section of people, which I think needs to be expanded if change is
to be achieved.
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