You know just how big of a role admin plays in the running of your organisation, being at the heart of every care decision and playing a vital part in the delivery and quality of care.
In 2022/23, there were nearly 5,500 requests for support made every single day in England, according to The King’s Fund Social Care 360 Report. And with each request for care, there is more and more administration being processed.
In this article, we’re looking at the key pressures care providers face with their admin, and exactly how software can help ease these burdens.
Types of admin tasks social care providers perform
There are countless types of administrative tasks your teams perform every single day. Some of which will be client facing, whether that’s in person, online or over the phone. And others will be done behind the scenes, running in the background to keep your service ticking over. Here are just a few examples:
Client onboarding
There is always admin to be done around client onboarding, from the initial referral and developing care plans to maintaining contact information and updating records.
Scheduling and coordination
Your teams will also be creating complex rosters, communicating updated schedules and keeping in touch with third parties such as healthcare professionals, local authorities or staffing agencies.
Payroll and invoicing
Of course, there is always lots of admin around care invoicing and payroll. And with the frequent schedule changes and growing care complexity, there can often be lots of amendments and considerations needed with these finances.
Compliance and risk management
Your teams will likely be constantly monitoring regulatory compliance and service delivery, ensuring that your services are adhering to the various standards and managing risks before they become an issue.
Staff training and development
There is also the need to organise staff training to make sure everyone is up to date with their certifications, with individual performance and support also being managed to continue empowering your staff.
What is the impact of administrative burdens in care?
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Drain on resources
When your teams are bogged down by manual admin, it can be a huge time and resource drain. That’s because not only are they spending longer than necessary finding documents, writing down updates and trawling through emails, but this extra effort is likely pulling them away from other important tasks that need their attention, slowing productivity even further.
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Inconsistency
Admin tasks in care can often be complex. Yet manual processes can lead to mismatched outcomes, as each of your team members can approach the same task differently. And having these siloed processes can also mean that you have multiple versions of the truth, with duplicate data entries or missing records affecting your overall data quality.
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Errors and compliance
Accurate data is critical for providing the right care to the right people. But of course, with inconsistent processes and manual data entry, you’re more prone to errors being made. This not only takes time and effort to correct but could even affect your services ability to deliver timely and compliant care because you simply didn’t have the right information when you needed it.
How to reduce admin pressures in care
1. Automate tasks
You know just how complex care processes can be, and how much coordination it takes to get a task from start to end. Automation helps to reduce the time your teams spend on repetitive tasks, whilst simplifying the process and enhancing accuracy.
So, whether it’s getting a handle on multiple schedules or establishing workflows to streamline processes, look at where you can automate your admin tasks. Doing so can help streamline care coordination, minimise the risk of human error and helps reduce the workload that often comes with manual processes. All of which helps to give your busy care teams time back to focus on their other core responsibilities.
2. Have your data in one place
Instead of updating multiple spreadsheets or collating information from an endless trail of emails, look to have your key information in a centralised system to simplify your administrative tasks. This will save your teams from spending more time than necessary looking for the information they need, as it can all be available within a few clicks of a button.
Having dedicated cloud-based software to manage your admin processes not only helps ensure your information is accurate, but it helps keep those important records more secure and accessible no matter where you are. You may even be able to quickly run reports knowing the data is up to date, referring to pieces of information you may not have easily had access to before.
3. Complex, not complicated
We know just how demanding and complex the administrative workload can be. And the pressure rises when these processes are disjointed or confusing, heightening frustration for both staff and clients at a time which may already feel stressful.
Providing your teams with easy to use software with clear steps to follow ensures that processes are adhered to, and key tasks don’t get missed or forgotten. This could mean that they’re able to gather all the information they need during the client onboarding processes straight away, reducing the risk of losing contact or repeating the same steps over and over. Or it could mean that complex rosters can be created easily, with the right people rostered to the right place, at the right time.
4. Evaluate
Keep on top of how your admin processes are going, to make sure your teams are always getting the most out of their way of working and there aren’t any new bottlenecks rearing their head. If demand for care has gone up, regulatory guidelines have updated or your risk management focus has shifted, it may be worth checking if you will need to amend your processes to better support your needs.
Get feedback from your staff and your clients to understand what changes your service can make to improve and streamline your administrative processes.
Digital transformation in social care
Digitally transforming admin processes can truly make a difference in the care sector, playing a key part in the long-term delivery of care.
Our DSCR Assured Care Business Management solution, provides total visibility of your core operations, helping alleviate the admin pressures you face from recruitment to care management.
But we don’t stop there. Our OneAdvanced Care portfolio includes time and attendance, financial management, Board meeting & risk and people management solutions to cover all your organisation’s needs.