5 Steps To Implement Electronic Care Planning Systems

If like many care providers you're thinking about moving away from paper care-recording processes and implementing electronic care planning in your care service it can at first seem quite daunting. Not only do you need to get to grips with a new way of doing things, but you need to choose the right system that fits your managerial/reporting requirements as well as the day to day needs of your carers. By now you know that electronic care planning, can not only help your care service deliver better more consistent care, but it can help you demonstrate the quality of your care to regulatory bodies like CQC.

In the updated KLOEs from CQC they list a question under section E (1.3) which specifically asks you, "How are technology and equipment used within the home to enhance care?" So how can you make sure that you choose the right technology and in this instance electronic care planning system to enhance your quality of care and support your care provision?

So what are the 5 steps that will help you implement electronic care planning into your care service?

Step 1 - Decide what your main goal of implementation is

Sounds simple on the surface. But genuinely what is your primary goal or goals? Could it be to compliance with GDPR? Making sure that you securely store resident/service-user information, whilst making the necessary information available to frontline care staff?

Electronic care planning systems like Log my Care, help to improve care delivery as it reminds care staff what care needs to be delivered to whom and when, whilst keeping Seniors and management up to date with everything in real-time. It also charts useful things like health metrics, so if your goal is to

Step 2 - Assess the three main challenges

Adopting an electronic care planning system is only going to be worthwhile if it improves the quality of care you are able to deliver. Before you commit to changing you need to assess the three main challenges to getting your care service to adopt an electronic system:

1. Can your care service provide the right hardware?
2. Do you have good enough Wi-Fi or internet connectivity?
3. Do you have someone who can help those who aren't so technologically minded?

Time and time again we come across these three reasons from care providers who are struggling to adopt our care system. You need to assess what hardware is right for your carers to use. Whether it be a smartphone or tablet to allow point of care recording. Or a wall-mounted unit or PC in a communal area etc. You need to decide what your approach to hardware is.

Connectivity is also a huge issue for some homes. If your care service is based in and around not-spots for Wi-Fi or places where you know there will be intermittent access. Check out our short hardware guide for more information on what you need to get.

Step 3 - Research the different electronic care planning systems out there

There are plenty of electronic care planning systems on the market and some are better than others. Make sure you don't just fall for the marketing gimmicks of a flashy trade stand at a trade show, but look for peer reviews on the internet and talk to people you know. The only point we'd make here is that there are a lot of care homes that actually get paid for promoting things as a side income. Make sure you always check to see if someone is getting a kick-back from recommending something, that way you know if their recommendation has the integrity you need.

Step 4 - Start a pilot of your chosen system

Starting a pilot is another area where we've worked hard to make simple. Knowing where to start when it comes to running a pilot, isn't always easy. That's why we've come up with a handy little guide and video telling you exactly what you need to do, to pilot an electronic care planning system in your care service.

Step 5 - Change management, who is doing what, when and where?

This can be harder than it first seems. Do you know who is going to lead on the project to implement the system? Who is going to source the hardware and make sure the Wi-Fi connection or data packages are in place to support it. What about the date and time? Or even which care service are you planning on implementing in first? These are all questions we cover in our pilot video but are those you need to work out up front so that your implementation has a good chance of success.

How can Log my Care help?

We know that this is going to be hard for quite a few care providers to achieve. After all, changing something you've done for quite a while can be tough, let alone when it comes to care. That's why we offer all of the care providers who use our electronic care planning system a free remote (over the internet) setup session and free training too. That way we know we can guide you through the 5 steps and help you to make the most out of the system as soon as possible.

Head on over to our Get Started page to set up your free account today, or talk to one of the team on our live chat (the little widget, in the bottom right-hand corner).