Frequently Asked Questions

What is CareTeam?
CareTeam is an app which has been developed as part of a UK government research project. It allows the friends, family and other carers of an adult living at home to better coordinate care. The aim is to enable people receiving care to remain independent in their own homes for longer.
It has been developed by three partners: The University of Southampton, Southampton City Council and Nquiringminds (a technology company).
This system will let care givers communicate more easily and share calendars and updates, so they can organise the best possible care and support. It includes: secure group messaging, calendar, care updates, tasks, essentials (notes), contacts and optional sensor information.

On which devices can I use it?
You can access CareTeam on the following devices:

• iPhone and iPad, iOS version 6.0 and above.
• Android devices, version 4 and above.

In the future there will be a web version of the app for use via a browser on any device.

How do I download the app?
The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Play Store.

Who can use the app?
Anyone can download and use the app.
When a person creates a CareTeam a secure key will be sent to them or their nominated main carer. This will allow them to use the app. It will also allow them to invite other people involved in the care to start using the app.

Is it free?
Yes – CareTeam is completely free for all users for the duration of the research project.

How secure is my data?
CareTeam is built on extremely secure technology.
Transmitted data is encrypted using the same technology used by banks and the military. Data is stored on highly secure servers. NquiringMinds has won multiple awards for its security technology, in addition to being awarded a number of military contracts for secure data handling.

What type of data do you store?
The aim of CareTeam, is bring all data concerning a person’s care together in one place.
In some ways it is the electronic version of a diary or communications book you might leave on the coffee table or hall.
In principle you can store any data you like in CareTeam in the following features.

• Carestream: updates on wellbeing, categorised by activity such as food, exercise, medication, shopping etc.
• Calendar: when on holiday, upcoming doctor’s appointments, day outings.
• Essentials: notes with important information such as medication, operating instructions etc.
• Tasks: to dos to share within the caring team.
• Key contacts: contact details for key people.
• At home sensors: sensors such as temperature and movement sensors can be connected to the system.

Who can see information I enter to CareTeam?
When you add an update the default is that all people in the care team can view the information.  Use your common sense about what information you can share with the members of your circle.

I have received an email asking me to join CareTeam – what do I do?
If you wish to use the CareTeam app there are three steps to the sign-up process:

1. Install the CareTeam app from the app store of play store;
2. Click on the link in the invitation email you receive; and
3. Accept the invitation within the app

Why do I have the choice to log in with Facebook, Google etc?
You can use your account with other apps such as Facebook and Google to sign in to CareTeam. It is secure and means you won’t have to remember another username or password for CareTeam. We recommend that you use this method to sign in.
Facebook and Google etc send a random code to us to enable you to sign in. This code doesn’t reveal any personal information or your password to us. Also, the security of your Google or Facebook etc Account will not be compromised by signing in to CareTeam with your account.

Why does CareTeam request access to my calendar, location, photos/media/files, camera etc.
CareTeam needs access to this information to work best and help family and carers coordinate care most effectively.

1. By giving access to your calendar you will be able to view your calendar and the calendar of the person you are caring for together in the app.
2. Access to your location is needed for the radar utility and for other functions that are planned in future upgrades.
3. Access to photos/media and files is needed to use picture messaging and to be able to upload files to the carestream.
4. Access to the camera is needed to upload your profile picture and for picture messaging.

I have invited someone to join my team – but they haven’t received my email – what do I do?

1. Make sure you have entered the correct information in the invitation form. You can see this in your pending invitations.
2. Ask the person you have invited to check their spam filter or similar.

I am looking after more than one person – can I be a member of more than one team?
Yes. You can toggle between different people you help to look after within the app.

Do I need mobile data or Wifi to use CareTeam
You will need a device that is connected to the internet by either wifi or mobile data to download and use CareTeam. Once you have downloaded the app and started to use it, you can still use it when you are offline.
Whilst offline you will be able to see information that was posted when you were last online and using the app, as it stores a copy of this on your device. You can also post updates when you are offline however other people won’t be able to see them until you are next connected to the internet by either wifi or mobile data and using the app.

I forgot my password or username – what do I do?
Click on the forgot password option. This will allow you to securely reset your password.

How do I give feedback on the app?
We encourage all trialists and their carers to provide feedback and comments to enable us to make improvements.
There are two methods by which you can provide feedback:

1. Direct to the development officer by phone, email or during a face to face meeting; and
2. Via the in-app feature. Under the menu, under help and feedback you can submit feedback directly to the app developers. When submitting feedback, the app developers will be able to see the feedback provided and the email address of the person providing it.

How will you respond to feedback?
We welcome, encourage and value all feedback received regarding CareTeam. This will all be reviewed and will help us to make decisions about future versions of the app.
If we need clarification regarding any of the feedback given, we will contact you directly. However, in general we will not respond to each individual feedback provided, it will be used, but please do not be discouraged if no response is received.

I have a technical problem – who do I contact?
In the first instance please contact the development officer who will contact the technical support team as appropriate.

How do I change the font size in the app?
The font size is determined by the font size in the phone settings.

I have suggestions/feedback – who do I contact?
There is a facility within the app to send feedback, under the “help and feedback” menu item. We encourage trialists to send questions and feedback by this method. Alternatively, you can send feedback directly to the development officer.

What happens at the end of the research project – will I still be able to use the app?
We hope that at the end of the trail the app will be a success and become available for commercial use. However, this will be evaluated when the trial is complete.

Will the app be updated?
Yes. The app will be automatically updated as improvements are made, and features added.

Who owns the data?
The person receiving care at home is the owner of the data.

How long is the data kept for?
The data is kept for as long as you want it for.
 
SENSORS

Do I have to have sensors installed?
No – sensors are completely optional.

Who will install the sensors?
If you are part of the Southampton City Council trial then sensors will be installed by a trained member of the University of Southampton research team.

Will there be a mess when the sensors are installed?
No, the sensors are wireless and therefore do not require any drilling or mess. There is also a Hub, which needs to be permanently plugged into the mains.

Do I need to have Wifi to use the sensors?
Yes.

What do the sensors measure?
If you wish, different sensors can be installed in the home. Carers can then use CareTeam to check remotely and identify possible issues.
The sensors can measure temperature, humidity, movement of people, specific activities such as whether a door has been opened or a kettle used. You can choose which sensors are installed to suit your needs and preferences.

What do the sensors look like and where will they go?
If you have sensors installed, two different pieces of equipment are involved. Firstly, the sensors themselves, which are wireless and can be fixed using clean removable sticky pads, usually above head height for example at the top of a door frame. They are approximately 4cm in size and white, they vary in shape depending on the type of sensor. Some of the sensors flash occasionally.
The hubs are small (~5cm) white boxes with a small aerial. They need to be plugged into the mains and the wifi router (or wifi extender unit).

Do the sensors need to be plugged into the mains or the router?
The sensors are battery powered and communicate via radio protocol to the hub and don’t need to be plugged into the mains electricity or the router. The hub does need to be plugged into the mains and the wifi router (or a wifi extender).

How much power do the sensors use and how much does that cost
The sensors themselves are battery operated, and so do not take any of the household mains power. The hub that the sensors communicate with and connects the sensors to the app needs to be connected to the mains. It uses up to 3W of power. The cost of this would be approximately 40p per month based on usual UK electricity tariffs, however the actual cost is likely to be less than this as the units will not draw 3W all of the time.