The art of caring for people living in residential care has always been multi-faceted and complex, requires a wide range of experience, specialisms and people skills. Yet what has changed in more recent times is the increasing number of digital and electronic tools that are now available to carers, mangers and external medical professionals. There is now a plethora of IT programs, apps and systems available to the industry to support the physical health and emotional wellbeing of people in need of additional care.
The rise and rise of care planning software is one important example of this shift in care management. Carers can access important records and information on the go using smart phones and tablets. Data can be shared securely and instantly between healthcare professionals for easier, joined-up care. Auditing is made much simpler too, as historical data can be pulled up alongside current stats for quicker and increased comparisons and trend spotting. Here are ten reasons why you should be considering make the switch to care planning software from Care Vision this summer and beyond.
Less admin, more care time
Having a digital management system at your fingertips allows admin staff and managers to spend less time manually inputting data, or writing it out by hand and making sure everything is legible. Care planning software not only updates in real time, it can populate multiple records with the same data and use it to produce reports and enhance care planning. All of this freeing up time for carers to spend time looking after and enjoying the companionship of those in their care.
Person-led care
Care Vision’s care planning software has a personal record tool that enables users to add individual details about residents likes and dislikes, family connections, interests, allergies, medical conditions and more. This makes creating bespoke care management plans far easier and helps care homes work towards person-led care for the benefit of all.
Secure and confidential
Maintaining data privacy and confidentiality is a vital part of care management. Care Vision offers exceptional data protection to keep residents’ personal details safe and free from hacking, identity theft and other cyber risks. Passwords, encryptions and secure cloud storage helps managers adhere to GDPR regulations and keep sensitive data locked away from unauthorised users.
Safer care and support
Creating digital records, updating medical information in real time and having the ability to send important data straight to medical professionals all leads to joined-up care that keeps residents safe and doctors and family members informed. Carers can trust that the data they are working from is accurate, up-to-date and legible. This helps prevent errors from creeping in through poor handwriting, slow updates and paper records getting lost or damaged.
Streamlined storage
Care homes and other settings are often busy places with lots of space required to store IT equipment, office furniture, medical supplies and residents’ personal effects. Paper-based records take up a lot of physical space, especially if they need to be locked away in secure filing cabinets. Moving all records to a digital format means that the bulky folders and files can be replaced with streamlined, paper-free cloud-base storage.
All in one place
Care Vision’s care planning software incorporates a wide range of tools and useful functions. From nursing and medical care support features such as eMAR, nurse call and GP Connect to HR, staff rota planning and electronic signing in tools, Care Vision allows the whole care home to be run from one comprehensive system. There are also features for meal planning, event logistics procurement, housekeeping, audits and review.
Collaborative working
Following from the point above, having everything available in one place means that people can work closely together, all using the same system. Carers can share resident updates between each other as they change shifts and managers can have an overview of the whole system at any time, simply by logging in. Data can even be shared with external care providers, hospital admission staff and therapists to provide joined-up care that puts the person being looked after right at its heart.
Accountability and transparency
Audits, reviews and assessments are made far easier when all the information needed is saved in one place. Care Vision allows authorised people access to the details they need 24/7, from any connected device. This promotes transparency too, as wider teams can see what everyone has been doing, raise questions if anything is unclear and check up on each other’s progress.
Sustainability solutions
Many workplaces are moving away from paper trails and filing hard copies of important documents to help reduce their carbon footprint and adopt more sustainable ways of working. When a care home is able to store all important data electronically and securely to the cloud, this supports a more sustainable, paperless operation. Easy sharing and access for multiple users can also help reduce the need to photocopy documents and arrange for their delivery via courier or private vehicle.
Staff support
Finally, digital care planning software supports staff training and career development. Staff can use the HR, training and payroll features alongside the medical and healthcare tools. Audits and performance reviews can be recorded via the app, as can resident and family feedback that is used to track staff progress, highlight knowledge gaps and share praise and positive reviews.