November 7th 2025
This Remembrance weekend, we are thinking about our veterans, especially those drawing on care services. Thank you for your service, and thank you to the thousands of care workers who support them.
Royal Star & Garter, which has supported veterans of all ages with disabilities or dementia for over 100 years, is embracing new technology as a core element of its service.
Making nights calmer with acoustic monitoring
Royal Star & Garter introduced Ally Cares acoustic monitoring at its High Wycombe home in March 2024, starting with a pilot of ten rooms within one dementia household. The benefits were immediate.
Following the success of the trial, the technology was extended to 45 rooms in March 2025 and is now a core part of daily practice. Every room used for dementia care now benefits from acoustic monitoring.
The results have been striking. Night-time checks that disturb residents have reduced by almost 50%, improving privacy and rest. Staff checks on quiet rooms have fallen by a third, freeing up time for more focused, person-centred support.
Building on this success, plans are underway to introduce the system across all 60 rooms in their Solihull home. Staff, residents and relatives have all shown strong interest in understanding how the technology works and the benefits it brings.
As the team explains, acoustic monitoring complements rather than replaces direct care. It allows staff to respond when needed, not simply according to a schedule, promoting dignity, safety and better rest for residents.
Using PainChek to improve comfort and care
In January 2024, Royal Star & Garter introduced PainChek, a smart pain assessment tool that helps all team members, not just clinicians, to assess and manage pain more accurately and consistently.
Now fully embedded across all homes, PainChek helps to ensure that every resident receives a pain assessment within three days of admission, with automatic reminders for follow-up checks.
Since its introduction:
- Monthly assessments have risen from under 60 in early 2024 to over 3,200 by October 2025.
- 79% of assessments show no indicators of pain, reflecting improved comfort.
- 75% of follow-ups take place within 24 hours, supporting rapid action.
- Pain resolved completely in up to 60% of mild cases and 35% of moderate ones.
The system is now business as usual across Royal Star & Garter, empowering everyone from healthcare assistants to physiotherapists to play an active role in pain management. Data from PainChek is also shared in governance meetings, helping to drive continuous improvement.
“It’s all about collaboration”
For Kelda Fasasi, Head of Innovation, embedding technology is as much about teamwork as it is about tools.
“We always start with a pilot in one location, learn from it, and build from there,” Kelda explains. “Working with our teams and partners has been instrumental, visiting other homes, sharing what’s worked, and welcoming others to see our journey has helped us refine our approach.”
This collaborative spirit extends beyond the care team. By involving colleagues from across the organisation, including finance and support teams, Royal Star & Garter has built wider understanding and buy-in for digital transformation.
“Seeing the technology in action and hearing staff talk about its impact is incredibly rewarding. What really makes it work is the open dialogue between developers and teams on the ground. It’s a two-way process, and without that, the technology wouldn’t be as successful.”
#RemembranceDay
Photo by corina ardeleanu on Unsplash
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