A startup domiciliary care provider that harnesses technology to help older people stay at home for longer has announced that it has raised £1.5 million in seed funding to “transform the sector”.

London-based Lifted was founded by former management consultant Rachael Crook (pictured) and Zero 1, a new corporate venture builder which is working with FTSE 100 corporate partners to build companies that tackle the world’s biggest challenges. 

Crook started the company after struggling to find reliable care for her mother, who was diagnosed with dementia at the age of 56. She wanted to launch a business that delivers high quality care while enhancing technology to give peace of mind to families about their loved ones’ welfare.

It has launched its own care management platform, the Lifted app, to enable families to get real-time updates on care, leave instant reviews and view wellness data about their loved one. 

It also allows families to chat with a care professional, schedule care visits, agree tasks for the carer to complete, read carer notes after each visit, pay for care and receive notifications when a carer arrives and leaves.

Lifted plans to use the data enhanced by its care management platform to develop AI-based analytics to predict and prevent health deterioration so that older adults can live at home for longer.

“There are few more important decisions than who to trust to look after your loved ones. Yet the current market is broken with a lack of transparency, poor quality care and poor working conditions for carers,” said Crook.

“Precious data languishes in paper files. Lifted is on a mission to change this by harnessing the power of technology and data to transform the quality of care and improve the lives of carers and families.”

Lifted registered with the Care Quality Commission in November 2018 and provides personal care, dementia care, live-in care, respite care and companionship.

The company directly employs its carers and pays the London Living Wage (£10.55 per hour), which is 20% above the market average for hourly care and enabled by operational savings achieved by using a technology platform. 

Lifted’s future plans include broadening its service offering by combining professional care and in-home technology. This will bring together health alerts, in home sensors, and professional carers to transform what it means to care. 

Source: https://www.homecareinsight.co.uk/tech-savvy-home-care-startup-raises-1-5m-to-transform-the-sector/