COVID-19 has become a serious global challenge that has tangibly changed the shape of societies and work environments all around the world. But it has also become a wake-up call that has shown just how invaluable access to real-time data can be, especially when it comes to critical care and life-saving services.
Since most EU countries urged workers to stay at home, setting up long-term lockdowns and restrictions, companies faced an urgent need for quick digital solutions that would facilitate their operations and keep them on track. So did Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN).
PSN is a health and social service organisation that provides practical and compassionate support to New Zealanders. One of their services, Lifeline Aotearoa, runs a 24-hour crisis helpline, providing support to people in distress, including those at high risk of suicide. In 2020, in response to the pandemic, the New Zealand government declared a national lockdown, forcing all employees to stay home. The PSN and its mental health helpline service team had only 48 hours to find and set up a quick and effective digital solution for remote working so that they could continue to help people needing mental and emotional support.
“Before COVID, we supported about 8,000 calls every month. And since COVID, we’re now supporting 10,000 calls a month. And we support about 15 to 25 people every day that are at high risk of self-harm,” – Helena de Fontenay, Lifeline Aotearoa, a service of Presbyterian Support Northern.
For Fujifilm CodeBlue, it became a priority to effectively address this challenge, as they witnessed its magnitude. For almost 20 years, they’ve been helping businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand access affordable and forward-thinking technology solutions – from managed IT services and cloud solutions, to video conferencing and project management – to help them work smarter and more efficiently.
The company has already been providing IT support to the PSN Lifeline team for some time, but this case was especially urgent. After the lockdown, there was a huge increase in calls, and the Lifeline team could not work from home. Fujifilm CodeBlue had to quickly provide a remote working environment that allowed the team to access their systems and collaborate with the same level of flexibility that they would have from the office. It allowed to respond to calls and texts around the clock and ensured secure communication for the staff and people calling the helpline.
“During lockdown we had a call from a young lady who was having thoughts of wanting to hurt herself or self-harm. And she really didn’t see what her value was in this world. Through talking to her, we could find what was important to her. And what was important to her was her peers at school, and that she brought a shining light to them. Her self-harming or not being here anymore meant that shining light wasn’t going to be there. Finding that meant that the thoughts around self-harm or ending her life had faded. And every call like that means that we can support someone that needs us,” – Daniel Mclvor, Fujifilm CodeBlue New Zealand.
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