CQC Says Digital Tech Should Be Adopted By Care Sector

Hot off the back of a very interesting few sessions with West Sussex Partners in Care (WSPIC) we were treated to a presentation from CQC Inspector Steven Rust, which had some very interesting insights when it came to the use of technology in a care service.

Although we've known for a long time that the CQC has been championing the transition of the care sector to digital care recording, the anecdotal feedback we've had from some Care Providers has been that their inspectors haven't shared the same opinion. Hence why we've got the feature for printable care notes and logs in our care home software.

However according to Steven's presentation in October, the view of CQC is that "digital technology should be embraced by the care sector" - State of Care Report 2018. That is pretty straightforward right? Finally, it looks like CQC have gotten behind the drive to digitise the care sector in the right manner and have equipped their inspectors with the right type of information so they can help to back it up.

If you don't fancy reading the presentation on the above link a short synopsis is basically that CQC are now suggesting that technology in the care sector can "Enhance care delivery, help to achieve and monitor outcomes" and "improve the independence of people receiving care services".

Another interesting point they make is that "Innovation is part of being Outstanding", which when you consider it in the context of the presentation on technology, means that they are likely to correlate the adoption of technology that enables their "Enhance care delivery, help to achieve and monitor outcomes" and "improve the independence of people receiving care services" guidance as part of the way that a care provider can achieve the coveted Outstanding rating.

Steven's presentation went on to talk in depth about how three specific KLOEs cover the use of technology. These are the new and updated KLOEs that specifically mention tech:

Effective E1.3

How is technology and equipment used to enhance the delivery of effective care and support, and to promote people's independence?

Steve went into a lot of real-life detail here, speaking about how care providers could effectively use technology to underpin the care and support they delivered on a daily basis. Tools like nurse calls and buttons are fairly commonplace now, but what about innovative systems and electronic care plans that adapt to people's needs and promote independence?

Responsive R1.6

How is technology used to support people to receive timely care and support? Is the technology (including telephone systems, call systems and online/digital services) easy to use?

Another area, which is fairly easy to explain is that by using smart technology you can ensure that care is delivered at the right time. Whether that's being reminded to perform certain support activities or care delivery like the medication round, or reacting to one-off events like incidents and helping people accordingly. The final part of this section was actually really interesting to us. For quite a while now, we've known that a lot of CSWs and other frontline care staff struggle with tech, that's why we've made our digital care planning system as simple as possible. By making tech easy to use, it means that not only is it accessible for your carers and wider team, but it then translates into better outcomes for the people you look after too.

Well-led W4.6

Are information technology systems used effectively to monitor and improve the quality of care?

This is an area, which is an absolute must for any piece of technology in care. How does it monitor the people you look after and help you to improve the care that they receive. For our digital care planning system this is where the health charts and recording comes in, all of this data gets neatly drawn up into a series of charts for your residents, which then allows Care Managers to see how someone's health metrics have changed over time. This means they can then spot trends and take actions to mitigate declines and foster improvements.

How can Log my Care help you with technology in your care service?

Well we can't say that we'll change everything overnight and deliver you an Outstanding rating on a plate, but we know for a fact that care delivery that's structured around care home software like ours is more responsive to people's needs, more effective at delivering better care and allows Managers greater oversight of care delivery across the whole care home. There are a tonne of different care software providers out there for a reason and we're one of them.

We know how much benefit a good care home software system can have on a care provider, that's why we made ours free - every care provider out there, no matter how tight their budgets are, should have access to a quality care recording system.

No contracts, no hidden fees - just a simple digital care planning system that'll help you in no time at all. Head on over to our Get Started page or have a gander at some of our reviews to see what people are saying.