A RETIREMENT complex has become one of the first in the country to install an innovative emergency call system.

Residents at Walton Court in Crook, County Durham, can now vet doorstop callers on a tablet sized video screen, allowing them to view visitors’ identification badges without opening the door.

They can also use the device, an Appello IP, to make emergency calls to care staff which can be answered in seconds, even when more than one call is made at the same time.

It also means Walton Court manager Marian Clark can speak to the residents face-to-face when she makes her daily calls.

“I call everyone every morning to see how they are doing,” she explained. “Some people don’t always like to say if they are feeling unwell as they think they are making fuss. Now I can see how they look too, which is a big advantage."

Walton Court is owned by Housing & Care 21 and comprises 28 flats for older people. The new system was installed as part of a makeover of the site.

Resident Flora Moses said: “I have been here for 11 years and it’s excellent. The new system is brilliant for making calls.”