We recognise how important it is for domiciliary care providers to have a digital tool that it designed around their unique needs, especially as demand for care continues to increase.
Having the ability to access systems anywhere, whether that be for viewing care plans or managing operational processes, shouldn’t be a ‘nice to have’ – it’s essential.
We’ve identified some of the key challenges home care providers may face when it comes to mobile access and how a digital tool can ensure total mobility for your staff.
What benefits can mobile technology bring to home care?
Enhanced service user experience
Innovative solutions help those working in domiciliary care deliver crucial support to their service users. And by replacing manual processes with more efficient digital solutions, your support staff can spend more meaningful time with their clients, helping to improve service user experience.
Having a digital tool that service users can access and update themselves also gives them more control over their care, further enhancing their experience with your service.
Simplified operational processes
Software helps to replace out-dated manual tasks, allowing for clearer oversight of your operational processes. Covering all areas of business and care needs, a single software solution can offer intuitive interfaces that help you monitor care plans, assessments and safeguarding compliance no matter where you are accessing the system.
Going paperless
Digitisation of course helps you to reduce your reliance on paper records. There’s no need to document and organise physical data, for it to possibly get misplaced or damaged.
Digital processes help to reduce the amount of time your staff spend filling forms or checking off care requirements as they can easily update the system remotely, without the need to file through masses of paperwork. And all records can be accessed online, so your staff no longer have to rely on being on-site to access the documents they need.
Greater transparency
Digital systems give you real-time data instantly, using dashboards and reporting tools so you can have a clear overview of every part of the organisation. Instead of looking through files of paperwork or having to react to unprecedented need, you can work more proactively with all the relevant information at your fingertips, whether you are working remotely or on-site.
What challenges do home care workers face when they’re remote?
Keeping in touch
Care workers travelling all over for their client visits may struggle to keep in touch with the care coordinators based at their desk, so can’t be made aware of any rota or care plan changes as quickly.
And communication barriers aren’t unique to people on the road. Office based staff working remotely may find themselves relying on documents left on-site or systems only accessible on their desktop, then needing to travel back and forth to do their job effectively.
Juggling admin with care
Lots of care workers’ time is spent filling out important (but time consuming) forms during their client visits. Logging start and end times, checking off care plans, noting any changes and even tracking mileage. This lost time could be better spent with the service user, building rapport and personalising their care.
Demanding schedules
Travelling between service users can take more time than expected - getting stuck in traffic or driving down long rural roads can eat into their client’s visiting time. And as providers try to meet demand for care, it can be a challenge delivering high quality support and carrying out specific tasks in the time available. This may be resulting in some home care staff working extra hours to complete all the administration that they didn’t get time to do during their shift.
What mobility functionalities should you look for in home care software?
On-demand access
Many digital tools are a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, giving you instant access to the system no matter where you’re logging in. This ‘on-demand’ style of access allows your team to view and update records on the go, without having to rely on a system that’s only installed on a laptop.
And when tools are designed to work alongside the mobile app, it protects your data when care workers find themselves with no signal, because any changes made on the go are automatically updated once signal is re-established.
User friendly
Domiciliary care workers need to be able to juggle multiple tasks at a time, all whilst visiting several service users every day. A mobile solution that is user friendly and easy to learn is imperative to enhancing and speeding up care processes.
Software with an easy to follow design, as well as visual and intuitive dashboards can help both client facing and non-facing staff to efficiently conduct day to day tasks.
Helps keep staff safe
Digital solutions can allow to identify who is lone working, and where they are so they can keep in touch with your staff at the office or emergency services. They may also include a functionality so you can alert a lone worker via the app, notifying them to wait for additional support before starting their visit.
Complete care business management
Mobile working has different interpretations; the ability to log in remotely or the ability to access via a mobile app. A complete care business management solution will not only provide both functionalities but also accommodate end to end care business management accessible anywhere, anytime.
Complete care oversight brings together care and business management in one system. Your client facing staff can have access to care plans at the point of care whilst all members of your team can have more control over day to day operational needs.
Care Business Management is our purpose built care business management solution, designed to directly support the needs of domiciliary care no matter what your role is or where you’re working from.
Find out more about how we can bring you complete care business management by downloading our Care Business Management Overview today.