Pictured: Chris Roche (ACUTEC) with Helen Munro and Peter
Dean of Mencap
A charitable organisation, which supports people with learning
disabilities across South Warwickshire, is improving efficiency by
investing in IT and continuing a 17-year relationship.
Stratford & District Mencap supports more than 100 people
with learning disabilities across the county and has placed IT at
the heart of its plans for the future.
The organisation aims to offer tailored support for people's
needs rather than a one-size fits all solution but, in the days of
austerity, it needs to run even more efficiently to do that.
So it is investing in a new computerised rota system, which is
being installed by its IT providers of 17 years, ACUTEC.
The new system will be integrated into its existing network and
will improve efficiency because, currently, that information is
captured manually.
Finance manager Peter Dean, who joined Stratford & District
Mencap 17 years ago, said the use of new technology is becoming
increasingly important and that his time with the organisation
highlighted the change in attitude towards IT.
"When I first came here, I was tasked with buying the first PC,"
he said. "I picked up the Yellow Pages - of course it would be
Google or Yell.com now - and found a company called Computime in
Coventry. I had to run the decision of buying a computer past the
board!
"Computime became part of ACUTEC a couple of years ago and over
the years they have served us extremely well. We have gone to them
to say when we need a new function and they regularly come to us to
say our system could be improved.
"Originally, we needed to start using IT for accounting purposes
to improve efficiency that way. Now, we are adding our rota onto
the network and again that will make us work smarter.
"Our managers, most of whom work externally, will now all have
access to it wherever they are and that will be a massive help and
will improve the way we work.
"Everyone is being asked to deliver the same service but for
less money and that is why we must always strive to be more
efficient in this way."
Chris Roche, of ACUTEC, said: "We have been delighted to support
Stratford & District Mencap over the years as it does fantastic
work.
"They are a great example to many other organisations of their
type, in that they recognise just how big a part IT can play and
want to use it to its full.
"Like any other charitable organisation, they don't have money
to burn so they have to get the maximum out of their budget and the
fact we have a 17-year relationship proves that we deliver."
For more information on Acutec, view their website here: www.acutec.co.uk