How to Configure an Escalation Procedure

What

When an escalation happens, such as a fall, resident call, or assistance call, a quick response is needed. Nobi makes sure of this by contacting people through the channels you have configured. You manage this with an escalation procedure. You configure it on the Procedure tab in Escalation flow.

The Procedure tab has three sections:

Escalation set up: choose how care staff are alerted about escalations. This can be through a nurse call system integration (if you have one), Escalations via Nobi Mobile App, and the phone numbers to call, in order.
Informational set up: email addresses and mobile notifications that send informational updates about escalations, such as when an escalation starts and when it closes.
Department level modifications: a summary of what has been overruled per department. This is one of two places where you overrule or reset the procedure for a department. You can also do this on the Escalation procedure tab of the department itself.

You can configure the escalation procedure at two levels:

Community level: applies automatically to all departments and housing units.
Department level: overrules the community procedure for that department only. You set this in the Department level modifications table on the Procedure tab, or on the Escalation procedure tab of the department.

If no escalation procedure is configured, a warning shows on the housing unit card on the dashboard.

Why

Without an escalation procedure, Nobi cannot alert anyone when an escalation happens. When you configure it, escalations get a response as fast as possible. Every department is different, and the setup gives you that flexibility. You can choose specific care providers and specific channels. Keeping the escalation set up separate from the informational set up also keeps communication and responsibilities clear.

Tip: set a default procedure at the community level. This way, no housing unit is ever left without help.

Only managers can change the escalation procedure. All changes are logged for transparency.

Summary

What	Expected response	Delivery method	Configured in
Nurse call system	Depends on the integration	Depends on the integration	Escalation set up
Escalations via Nobi Mobile App	Immediate action needed	App notifications immediately sent to all available caregivers signed in to that working area	Escalation set up
Phone numbers	Immediate action needed	Called one by one, in the order they are listed in the escalation procedure	Escalation set up
Informational emails	Informative only	Sent to a chosen user or non-user when an escalation starts and closes	Informational set up
Mobile Notifications	Informative only	Sent to a chosen existing user through the Nobi Mobile App when an escalation starts and closes	Informational set up
Department-level overrides	N/A	Overrules the escalation set up for one specific department. Informational recipients are added on top.	Department level modifications

Escalation set up

Escalation set up defines the steps Nobi takes to get help right away. There is always a backup option, in case the integration fails or no caregivers are available in Escalations via Nobi Mobile App. Nobi goes through the steps in order: first the nurse call system if one is integrated, then Escalations via Nobi Mobile App if it is turned on, then the phone numbers, one by one.

Phone numbers are not required, but Nobi strongly recommends adding at least one. Do this even if you use a nurse call system. If no phone number is added, a warning shows on the Procedure tab.

The nurse call system itself is configured in that system, not in Nobi. See how to add an integration for setup details.

Detailed steps

Follow the steps below to configure the escalation procedure. Nobi saves your changes automatically and confirms each update with a blue “Successfully updated” banner.

From the dashboard, click Escalation flow in the left navigation menu.
You’ll land on the Procedure tab automatically.
If a nurse call system is integrated, it appears first and no further setup is needed here.
Use the toggle to turn Escalations via Nobi Mobile App on or off.
Under Escalations via phone, click + Add to add a phone number.
Choose an existing user (their number is added automatically) or a non-user (enter first name, last name, and phone number manually).
Click Done.
Repeat to add as many numbers as needed. Nobi calls them in the order listed. If a phone call from Nobi is not answered and confirmed by pressing “1”, Nobi moves to the next number. Nobi keeps phone calling until someone confirms the escalation. If the escalation is still open 10 minutes after the last phone call, Nobi begins phone calling again.
To change the order, drag a phone number up or down the list. To remove a number, click the trash icon next to it and confirm.
When Escalations via Nobi Mobile App is on and at least one phone number is added, a choice appears next to Escalations via phone. Choose how long Nobi waits before it starts the phone calls: 2, 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes. During this time, care staff can claim the escalation in the app. If no caregiver is available in the Nobi Mobile App, Nobi skips the wait and begins phone calling right away.

Informational set up

Informational emails and mobile notifications are an extra, passive way to keep managers, team leads, or others informed. They are useful for oversight and follow-up, but not for responding in the moment. They create a passive record of escalations across communities or departments. Teams can use this to review incidents later, analyse trends, and improve reporting, without having to step in during escalations. They are not part of the Escalation set up. They don’t let anyone respond to or claim an escalation.

Housing units do not have their own informational set up. They follow their department, or the community.

Emails: sends an email to a chosen user (with an email address) or non-user (with an email address entered manually). The email tells them when the escalation starts and when it ends.
Mobile Notifications: notify a chosen existing user in the Nobi Mobile App when an escalation starts and when it closes. This covers fall escalations, resident calls and assistance calls. It works even when Escalations via Nobi Mobile App is turned off. You can only select existing users. The notification only reaches them on a device where they are currently signed in.

Detailed steps

Under Informational set up, click + Add next to Emails.
Choose an existing user (their email is added automatically) or select non-user and enter a name and email manually. Then click Done. This person will now receive informational emails when escalations happen.
Click + Add next to Mobile Notifications.
Select an existing user (non-users cannot receive informational mobile notifications) and click Done.
The user now shows under Mobile Notifications. If they are not signed in to a mobile device, it shows No devices yet. If the user is signed in, it shows the type of device they are signed in to.
The user will now receive informational mobile notifications when an escalation happens.
To remove a recipient, click the trash icon next to them and confirm.

Department level modifications

A table at the bottom of the Procedure tab lists every department. It shows each department’s escalation set up and informational recipients. Departments that overrule the community procedure are listed first. Departments that follow the community procedure show Community set up. This way, you can check what has been overruled across the whole community without opening each department.

You can set a different procedure for one department, or reset it back to the community procedure, from this table. You can also do this directly on the department: go to Departments in the left menu, click Edit next to the department, and open the Escalation procedure tab.

Detailed steps

To check what’s currently overruled:

Scroll to the Department level modifications table at the bottom of the Procedure tab.
Each row is a department. The Escalation set up column shows Community set up or Overrules the community escalation procedure.
To see the escalation steps of a department that overrules the community, hover over Overrules the community escalation procedure.
The Informational column only shows the recipients added for that department, for example “+1 recipient”. Hover over it to see their names. If there are none, it shows a dash.

To overrule the procedure for a department:

Click the Edit button next to the department in the Department level modifications table. This opens the escalation procedure of that department.
Click Overrule to set up a different procedure for this department.
Set the phone numbers and the Escalations via Nobi Mobile App toggle (and the wait time) for this department. The overrule also covers the nurse call system. Follow the same steps as in Escalation set up above.

You can add informational emails and mobile notifications for a department without overruling. They are sent in addition to the community recipients. On the department’s page, the community recipients are greyed out. You can only remove them on the community’s Procedure tab.

To reset a department back to the community procedure:

Click Reset to remove the department’s own procedure and follow the community procedure again.
Confirm that you want to reset the department escalation procedure.

The Procedure tab is one part of Escalation flow. You can also read how to configure the other tabs: causes and preferences.