From Paperwork to People: How Digital Care Software Lets You Focus on What Really Matters

Understanding the Burden of Paper-Based Care Systems:

Paper-based care management systems have long been the standard, but in today’s fast-paced care environment, they often hold us back. In the beginning, this system may seem simple, but behind the scenes, it can often make care harder to deliver and track.

Whilst paper-based systems may work initially, as time goes on and the number of individuals requiring care continues to increase, using these systems is no longer feasible for providers who need to scale effectively whilst also consistently delivering a high standard of care to their service users.

So, what exactly is a paper-based care management system?

Paper-based care management systems typically involve manually writing and storing all staff and service user records in filing cabinets. For staff, this can mean that they need to carry around large folders of printed documentation related to service users or memorise large volumes of information on a day-to-day basis.

The main benefit of a paper-based system is that you do not need to pay for a digital care management solution. However, there are a few hidden costs that providers should be aware of, such as an increased administrative burden, a higher likelihood of forgetting key service user information, and difficulty communicating updates with relevant stakeholders. Additionally, it’s important to include printing costs and the associated environmental impact as key hidden costs.

It is also important to note that providers utilising a paper-based system to manage care delivery will find it difficult to maintain compliance with national regulations as they scale, partially due to the time-consuming process of manually compiling evidence for inspections.

Ensuring your care organisation remains fully compliant with national regulations is fundamental to the long-term success of your care organisation and ensures a high standard of care delivery and safeguarding for both staff and service users.

Additionally, a paper-based care management system can prevent a strong relationship being built with their clients’ families. Digital is the default expectation and a part of everyone’s day-to-day lives. If families cannot instantly access information on their loved ones from any location it can sometimes have a negative impact on the level of trust between the carer and other key stakeholders. This can even affect the level of engagement with the care being provided and ultimately the outcomes achieved.

Less Admin, More Care: Saving Time with Smart Tools:

Paper-based care provision is a very manual, time-consuming method of planning, delivering, and tracking care provision and often involves high levels of repetitive administrative work.

This is where digital care management systems come in!

Digital care management systems come packed with all the functionality you need to streamline tedious administrative tasks, such as automated shift assignment, clocking in/out of shifts, and generating comprehensive timesheets for payroll, all within one platform.

Here are some of the tools we have heard from our customers that have transformed the way they plan and deliver care:

• A highly configurable template library allows providers to easily create and share key documents such as care plans, weekly rotas, and care assessments.
• Periodic digital feedback surveys are sent to all key stakeholders involved in a service user’s care, allowing them to provide direct feedback which can be used to inform future care plans.
• Medication scheduling enables providers to precisely schedule and manage medication administration, ensuring service users get the right dosage at the right time.
• Automated reporting pulls evidence from all areas of the system to provide evidence of compliance in the areas of safe and effective person-centred care delivery.
• Centralised noticeboard allows for key announcements to be displayed on staff members’ devices, with staff being required to sign off after reading each announcement. As a result, all staff are fully informed of any important changes at all times.

Electronic care management systems also come with a centralised repository for all staff and service user records, enabling the instant sharing of information between key stakeholders.

The centralised nature of these systems eliminates the requirement for carers to carry around large folders of documentation or memorise large volumes of information, freeing your care staff up to do what they do best – providing excellent care!

Additionally, any changes that occur within the system are instantly communicated to all key stakeholders, ensuring all parties are fully informed and up to date.

Digital care management systems also encourage service users to be more engaged with the care they are receiving and empower them to take on a more active role in their care, ultimately enhancing their care outcomes.

Staying Compliant Without the Headache:

Ensuring that all aspects of care planning and provision are compliant with national regulatory standards which are laid out by national regulatory bodies such as the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in Ireland, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and Wales, and the Regulation Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) in Northern Ireland, is essential in social care, with providers expected to comply or they will be prevented from delivering care.

To ensure providers remain fully compliant, they are periodically inspected by their relevant national regulatory body, so it is essential that a strong record-keeping process in place.

Manually recording, collecting and compiling all actions completed can be a very time-consuming process, however, digital care management systems streamline this process by requiring staff to sign off after each key task has been completed. The action is then recorded and includes a time, date and author stamp, enabling providers to easily compile an audit trail for inspection purposes.

With extensive reporting and dashboarding capabilities, providers no longer have to invest significant amounts of time into preparing for an audit, instead, they can easily compile all their auditable activities into a singular report, which can then be given to auditors during inspections.

Additionally, these systems also come with automated reminder capabilities, which prompt providers when a task is due to be completed and when a task is missed, with all relevant key stakeholders being notified if the task has not been completed in the allotted time frame.

Providers who have failed to meet the established standards will be provided with a list of recommendations to improve their service and meet the required standards, and in extreme cases, may be unable to operate until they are re-audited and successfully meet the standards.

Whether you’re just beginning your care journey or laying the foundations for the future of your care organisation, moving beyond paper is a powerful first step and with the right digital system, you can spend less time chasing compliance and more time doing what you set out to do: provide excellent care to your service users!

Ready to step away from paper-based systems? Book a demo with OneTouch Health to see how our digital system reduces the administrative burden you and your staff face daily, streamlines key processes, and makes remaining compliant a breeze!