Time and time again
Care teams across a range of settings and specialisms say they have more time to care as a result of digital care planning – giving a major boost to staff and service users.
You’ve heard it here before. Social care providers across a range of settings and specialisms say time saving is one of the most significant benefits of making the switch to digital social care records.
Countless teams have now reported that once their chosen digital solution is up and running, care professionals have more time to spend with the people they care for.
Analysis carried out by Liverpool City Council’s adult social care service of the digitised social care providers in their area found that the increased efficiency offered by digital systems resulted in 30-50% less time being spent on administration tasks.
In addition, they found there had been a 90% reduction in medical errors along with increased transparency which means that families can access the same information about their loved ones as the professionals who are caring for them. The local authority also reported a reduction in complaints to the council and an improvement in CQC ratings for care settings and providers which had implemented digital social care records.
According to Ann Williams, commissioning and contracts manager at Liverpool City Council,
The ability for family members and other care professionals, particularly social workers, to access the information remotely and be confident that the information is up to date, whatever the time of day has been transformational.
And it’s not just Liverpool providers which are reaping the benefits of a switch to digital.
Gary Carter is a care worker with Bluebird Care, which supports around 170 people in and around Lewes and the city of Brighton and Hove. He says,
A tangible benefit that I have seen as a carer is the amount of extra time I now have to give care to the customer, which is what I do, which is what I am. I’m a care worker. I’m not a paperwork person.
Managers at Bluebird Care say the reduced paperwork has allowed them to eliminate backlogs and increase responsiveness, and as a result safety, after bringing in a digital social care record solution. As a business, they have seen growth increase from an average of 15% a year to 36% in their first year using the digital platform.
It’s a similar story further along the coast, where residents and staff at the family-run Shangri La care home have also seen the benefits of a digital platform for care planning and recording. They chose a solution that offers a high level of customisation in order to ensure care plans are as personalised as possible for the 25 people who have made Shangri La their home, some of whom live with dementia.
Care home manager Paula Key comments,
With the extra time that has been freed up by using a digital platform we spend more time with the residents. We get to do a lot more things with them like taking them out more, longer activities and involving them more with everything we do.
The team have found that streamlining operational procedures has allowed more time for care and less time spent on administration. This has enabled a more responsive and safer service as a result of the automated alerts function.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Being able to offer relatives the option to stay involved in their loved one’s care through the DSCR’s family portal functionality of their digital social care record solution has also proven to be hugely positive. Several families mentioned that this option played a part in their decision to choose Shangri La for their loved one’s care
With nearly three quarters of adult social care providers in England now using digital social care record solutions isn’t it about time you make the move? Find out more about choosing and implementing a digital social care record solution.