Phones and IT support for care homes
Help families reach the right person, keep staff connected as they move around the home, and keep the systems behind the care running.
Why use Chrome for care homes?
ChromeX gives care providers more control over call routes, queues, voicemail and missed-call reporting.
We’ll understand how your home works, prepare the setup and train your team. We’ll also remain available when you need help or something changes.
Manage busy call periods
Use queues, ring groups and agreed overflow routes when several people call together.
Reach staff around the home
Choose desk phones, cordless handsets and applications based on where people work.
Follow up missed calls
See which calls went unanswered and give your team the information needed to respond.
Calls rarely arrive at a quiet moment
Families may want an update. A GP or pharmacy may need the care team. Someone may be asking about an available room.
At the same time, reception staff may be welcoming visitors, helping residents and completing other work.
ChromeX can help you decide what happens when several calls arrive together.
Your setup may include call queues, ring groups, short call menus, agreed overflow routes, opening-hours rules, voicemail, out-of-hours messages and calls shared between homes.
You’ll get a review of how calls are handled today before anything changes.
The aim is to give callers a clearer experience and make calls more manageable for staff.
Families wanting an update
Calls that matter, often arriving in the middle of a handover.
GPs and pharmacies
Clinical calls that should not sit in a queue.
Room enquiries
New enquiries reaching someone who can actually answer them.
Reception already busy
Decide what happens when several calls land at once.
IT Support for Care Homes
A care home runs on far more than its phone line. Digital care records, medication systems, staff rotas and the network underneath them all have to work on every shift, not just in office hours.
Chrome looks after that technology so your team can stay with residents rather than chasing a frozen screen.
Systems that stay available
Care records, eMAR and rota systems have to be reachable at 3am as much as at 3pm. We monitor the network and devices behind them and deal with faults before they reach a handover.
Nurse call and care systems
Your nurse call system, care records and phones all lean on the same network. We make sure they work alongside each other, and can introduce you to a specialist installer when the nurse call hardware itself needs replacing.
Security and inspection evidence
Resident data carries real obligations. We handle backups, staff security training and the access controls inspectors ask about, and keep records you can actually show them.
Help callers reach the correct person
A short call menu can help families, professionals and new enquiries reach the team they need.
Options might include reception, the care team, management, accounts, new resident enquiries, recruitment or a particular home or location.
Keep the choices simple.
Long menus can be difficult to follow, particularly for older callers or people contacting the home during a worrying time.
Your organisation may prefer some calls to go directly to reception. We’ll set up the routes around the approach you agree.
Outside office hours, callers can hear a clear message explaining when the team will be available and what they should do next.
Any instructions about urgent resident care should be agreed by your organisation and checked regularly.
Keep staff contactable around the building
Care staff are rarely sitting beside the same telephone all day.
They may be in resident rooms, lounges, dining areas, offices or outside spaces.
The right equipment depends on the building and the role.
Cordless handsets
Cordless phones can help agreed staff answer and transfer calls while moving around the home.
Large buildings, extensions and thick walls can affect the signal. We’ll review the premises and explain where additional equipment may be needed.
Desk phones and headsets
Reception and office staff may benefit from desk phones and wireless headsets.
A headset can make it easier to use a computer, check information or make notes during a call.
Desktop and mobile applications
Supported applications can allow authorised staff to make calls, check voicemail and view recent call activity through a computer or smartphone.
The home’s business number can be shown instead of a staff member’s personal mobile number.
You’ll get equipment recommendations based on where each person works and which calls they need to handle.
See which calls need following up
An unanswered call may be from a family member, healthcare professional, supplier or someone considering the home for a relative.
Without reporting, managers may not know how many calls were missed or whether someone returned them.
ChromeX reports can help authorised staff review information such as unanswered calls, the date and time, the number or home contacted, queue waiting times, call volumes and activity by team or department.
The available information will depend on the reporting setup.
A report does not return the call by itself.
The home still needs a clear process for checking missed calls, deciding who should respond and recording when the follow-up is complete.
Reports can also help managers understand when call volumes rise and whether calls are reaching the correct team.
A change to a ring group, queue or opening-hours setting may help before more staff are added.
Keep families and other callers informed
Clear messages can reassure people that they have reached the correct home and explain what will happen next.
Recorded greetings and on-hold messages can share opening hours, visiting information, other ways to contact the home, short answers to common questions, recruitment information and temporary updates agreed by the home.
The wording should be calm, brief and easy to follow.
It should not feel like a long sales message, especially when someone is calling about a resident.
Chrome can help prepare the wording, arrange the recording and add it to the agreed parts of the phone system.
Connect several care homes
A care group should not need to manage every home through a separate phone system.
ChromeX can bring users, numbers and call routes together across several locations.
Depending on the setup, teams may be able to transfer calls between homes, share responsibility for busy queues, use a central contact directory, manage opening hours through one portal, view reports across agreed locations and keep greetings and call menus consistent.
One home may also be able to help when another reception team becomes particularly busy.
We’ll agree how calls should be shared before setting up any overflow route.
Review important calls when needed
Call recording may help when there is a clear reason to listen again.
A care provider might use suitable recordings to review a complaint, check what was discussed, support staff training, understand a difficult or abusive call, or help with a safeguarding review.
Recordings may contain personal or sensitive information.
Your organisation should decide why calls are recorded, who can listen and how long recordings are kept.
Chrome can explain the technical options. Your organisation remains responsible for its data protection, employment and care-sector requirements, including anything expected by CQC or other relevant bodies.
Legal or compliance advice may also be needed.
Check services using analogue phone lines
The move away from analogue phone lines can affect more than reception phones.
Care providers should check services such as lift communication lines, fire and security alarms, door-entry equipment, telecare products, emergency phones, fax machines, payment terminals and resident telephone lines.
This can include nurse call systems and other telecare equipment from suppliers your home already uses.
Do not assume equipment will continue working when its existing line changes.
Chrome can help identify the lines at the premises and explain which suppliers may need to be contacted.
The provider responsible for each alarm, lift, telecare product or other device should confirm what it needs.
Plan for a phone or connection problem
A cloud phone system uses an internet connection and power.
Before the service begins, we’ll discuss what should happen if the main connection becomes unavailable.
Options may include sending calls to another number, diverting calls to selected mobiles, using supported applications through mobile data, sharing calls with another home or adding a suitable backup connection.
The right approach will depend on the building, services and calls that need to remain available.
Chrome can support your phone system, internet connection and business mobiles through one team.
How Chrome helps
A care home phone system should fit how the home actually runs. This is how we work through it with you.
We understand the home
We recommend and prepare the setup
We train and support your staff
One team for more of your care home technology
A phone system depends on the technology around it.
Chrome can also support internet connectivity and care home Wi-Fi, business mobiles, managed IT, Microsoft 365, cyber security, and CCTV and access control, including care home CCTV for shared spaces and entrances where that is appropriate for your home.
This gives your organisation fewer suppliers to manage and one team to call when responsibilities overlap.
We’ll make it clear what Chrome supports and when another provider needs to be involved.
Related industries: healthcare providers and doctors’ surgeries. You can also browse every sector we support.
Why care providers choose Chrome
What working with Chrome looks like in practice.
Clear advice
We explain the options in plain English before you commit.
A setup based on the home
We look at the building, staff, callers and working hours before recommending anything.
Training for your team
We show your team how to use the phones and tools needed for their roles.
Support after installation
Speak to people who understand your setup when you need help or a change made.
We’ll talk through the options and agree what suits you before anything changes.
Support matters after installation
Planning, training and day-to-day support all affect how confidently a care team can use its phone system.
Read what customers say about Chrome’s communication, support and the people behind the service in our reviews.
Care home phone systems FAQs
Common questions we hear from care homes about phone systems.
Can we keep our existing care home number?
In most cases, existing business numbers can be moved. We’ll check the numbers before the project begins and explain any restrictions or timescales.
Can cordless phones work across the whole home?
That will depend on the size, layout and construction of the building. We’ll review the premises and explain where additional equipment or another option may be needed.
Can several staff answer calls at once?
Yes, subject to the phone licences, internet connection and agreed setup. Calls can be sent to a group, held in a queue or shared with another location.
Can several care homes use the same system?
Yes. ChromeX can connect staff and call routes across several locations. We’ll agree how numbers, queues and overflow calls should work between them.
Can we see which calls were missed?
ChromeX reporting can show unanswered calls and other call information. The available details will depend on your reporting package.
What happens if the internet connection goes down?
The available options depend on the phone and connectivity setup. Calls may be sent to another number, mobile or care home. A backup connection may also be suitable.
Is your current phone system helping your care team?
Important calls may be going unanswered. Cordless handsets may lose signal in parts of the building. Existing phone lines may still be connected to equipment that needs reviewing.
Chrome can look at the full setup and explain what needs attention.
You’ll receive clear next steps based on the way your home works.