Discovery Care Group
Key Results
94% faster investigations, from up to 8 hours to 30 minutes or less
Eliminated on-prem NVRs, enabling remote access and easier footage sharing
Higher resident and staff satisfaction through faster, more confident incident resolution
Background
Discovery Care Group operates four Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered care homes across Kent, England, delivering a broad spectrum of care services including nursing and palliative care, dementia support, and care for individuals with learning disabilities. Across its homes, the organisation is committed to creating safe, supportive environments where residents are treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
When Ajay Singh, Head of HR, Operations, and Compliance, joined Discovery Care Group in 2022, he quickly identified opportunities to modernise the organisation’s approach to safety and security. Many of the existing systems were largely analog, relying heavily on manual processes that led to administrative burden, prolonged incident investigations, and gaps in visibility. To better support staff, residents, and compliance requirements, Ajay began evaluating modern physical security solutions — including CCTV and visitor management — that could streamline operations while enhancing safety across all sites.
Challenges
Although Discovery Care Group already had a CCTV system in place, it became clear that the legacy solution was no longer fit for purpose. With no intelligent search or fast-forward capabilities, staff were forced to review footage minute-by-minute to locate relevant moments.
“Something as simple as finding a 30-second clip could take up to eight hours,” Ajay explained. “We had to watch everything in real time.”
Accessing footage posed a further challenge. Because the system relied on on-premise NVRs, administrators had to be physically onsite to view or share video, slowing incident response times significantly. The system also did not capture audio, limiting context and making it more difficult to fully understand what had occurred.
Additionally, the legacy system lacked role-based access controls, meaning all managers had unrestricted access to CCTV footage. Face blurring had to be applied manually, creating confidentiality concerns and making it difficult to enforce consistent GDPR and data governance standards across the organisation.
The Solution
When assessing different security solutions in-market, Ajay engaged with a number of vendors; however, Verkada was the only provider to offer a free hardware trial. This allowed the team to validate performance, usability, and privacy controls in a live care environment. Following a successful month-long trial, Discovery Care Group selected Verkada as its long-term security platform.
Today, Discovery Care Group runs a unified, cloud-managed security system across all four care homes, replacing fragmented, on-prem infrastructure with a single pane of glass. The deployment includes:
Cameras
Verkada cameras are deployed across indoor and outdoor areas, including entrances and exits, building perimeters, communal spaces, and car parks. This comprehensive coverage provides immediate visibility during incidents while thoughtful camera placement preserves privacy in private living areas.
Intercoms
Verkada intercoms at main entrances give reception and care teams real-time visibility into who is requesting access. With video and two-way audio, staff can verify visitors before granting entry, supporting a more proactive and secure approach to access management.
Guest management
With Verkada Guest, Discovery Care Group replaced manual, paper-based sign-in processes with a digital visitor management system. Staff can pre-approve guests, streamline check-in, and maintain real-time visibility into who is onsite — strengthening audit trails for regulators and improving safeguarding accountability.
AI-powered alerts
By leveraging Verkada’s AI-powered alerts, the team can proactively monitor for critical events such as slip-and-falls, motion activity, and line crossings. Fall detection, in particular, provides immediate visibility into unwitnessed incidents, enabling care teams to respond more quickly and complete incident reports faster and with greater accuracy.
Privacy & GDPR
Live face blur protects resident and visitor privacy while maintaining situational awareness. Authorised staff can selectively unblur individuals during investigations and create Person of Interest alerts to proactively track repeat offenders across sites.
Tiered account access
Through role-based permissions in Verkada Command, Ajay helps ensure that access to sensitive data is tightly controlled. This tiered model enforces consistent governance and aligns with Discovery Care Group’s GDPR and compliance requirements.
Partnership with Cirtec
To support deployment, Discovery Care Group partnered with Verkada-certified integrator Cirtec, who worked closely with the team throughout both procurement and installation. Although this was the organisation’s first time working with Cirtec, the partner brought prior experience supporting care home environments, ensuring the rollout was completed with minimal disruption to residents and staff. Cirtec assisted with securing appropriate funding and structuring flexible payment options, while also advising on optimal camera placement and hardware selection. Initially scoped for approximately 60 cameras, the deployment was refined based on Cirtec’s recommendations to ensure the right coverage in the right areas.
Through detailed site assessments, regular check-ins, and careful coordination around sensitive spaces, Cirtec helped deliver a smooth installation that aligned with Discovery Care Group’s operational and care priorities.
The Benefits
Faster, more informed investigations
One of the most immediate benefits was a significant reduction in investigation time. Today, incidents that once took up to eight hours to review are typically resolved in 30 minutes or less.
“Verkada has helped us save a lot of man-hours,” Ajay shared, “Time we used to spend searching through footage is now time we can give back to resident care.”
In one case, Discovery Care Group supported a coroner’s investigation into an unwitnessed fall by retrieving clear, contextual footage. As a result, the coroner was able to close the case within two hours – a process that can otherwise take up to two months.
Audio capture has further strengthened safeguarding and fact-finding. In one instance, when a resident alleged that a staff member had made a specific promise, Ajay was able to review both video and audio footage to determine the claim was unfounded, resolving the situation quickly and fairly.
Improved operational oversight
Beyond security, Verkada has improved day-to-day operational visibility. Proactive alerts help teams monitor routine activity — from confirming bins collections to identifying residents moving through corridors after hours who may need assistance.
More recently, animal detection alerts even helped staff quickly respond to squirrels accessing waste receptacles.
Verkada Guest further supports efficiency by providing clear records of visitor activity, including medication deliveries, helping teams track critical inventory and maintain stronger operational controls.
Higher Satisfaction Ratings Among Staff and Residents
Access to clear, contextual footage has reduced workload stress for managers by increasing confidence that safeguarding procedures are being followed and staff are acting in line with training. This transparency has reduced escalations and improved trust across teams.
Residents benefit from a safer, more responsive environment, with reassurance that incidents can be investigated quickly and their well-being consistently protected.
Looking ahead
As Discovery Care Group continues to grow, the organisation plans to expand with several new properties, including a storage facility, staff and guest accommodation, a wellness centre, and an additional care home supporting residents with learning disabilities. Across each new site, Ajay plans to deploy Verkada from day one to ensure a consistent approach to safety and operations. The team is also exploring additional solutions such as access control and air quality sensors to proactively monitor risks such as temperature fluctuations, dampness, and mould.
“Verkada is the best investment we’ve made in our care infrastructure,” says Ajay. With a scalable, cloud-based platform in place, Discovery Care Group is well-positioned to maintain the safety of residents and staff, while providing operational consistency across every site.
