The personal touch: why goal setting is so empowering for the people you care for
We’ve all experienced that innate sense of self-fulfilment that comes from ticking off an item on our to-do list, or removing that reminder post-it note from our desks.
Setting achievable goals can have a substantive impact on our happiness and sense of self-worth. And this is even more true for care home residents or service users within a care home environment.
Plus, if you’re a care home manager, you probably know first-hand that helping your service users set life goals (and witnessing them come to fruition) can be almost as fulfilling as setting them for yourself.
It doesn’t matter if these goals are short-term or long-term — all that matters is that they provide a sense of direction for your service user.
{{testimonial="/inner-testimonials/mark-topps"}}
Examples of service user goals could include:
- Making small changes to their every-day schedule that improve overall health and wellbeing - even if it’s something as simple as ensuring their teeth are brushed twice a day
- Improving their mobility
- Learning how to cook a meal for themselves
- Travelling around the UK or Europe - or just booking a holiday
While these goals are great, what would make them even more attainable, would be to reframe them with the SMART goals framework in mind. SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
- How specifically will your service user’s goal improve their overall wellbeing?
- How will they measure success?
- What does the roadmap to achievement look like?
- Are these goals relevant to the current care needs, or health and wellbeing priorities of your service user.
- Are they time-bound? When will this goal be achieved?
With the SMART framework, we can take another look at the original goals and reframe them to make them easier for a service user to break down into smaller chunks, making the goal easier to achieve:
SMART goals are the foundation of truly person-centred care. And, as we’ll explore later in this resource, properly defined SMART goals make it easier for you to deliver person-centred care that aligns with current CQC regulatory requirements.
But SMART goals are only the first piece of the puzzle. You’ll also need to design a goal-setting strategy to ensure that these goals are met.
Making it happen: how to work with your service users to build their goal-setting strategy
To deliver outstanding person-centred care, you need to understand your service user’s individual goals and tailor your care provision to match. For this work, both you and your service user need to be aligned on what success looks like.
This means that it’s essential that you work together on a clear strategy for achieving a relevant goal.
Here are our four tips for creating effective goals:
Make the time
First thing’s first. You and your service user need to get over the biggest hurdle: making the time.
It’s important that you and your service user carve out time for this goal. It’s not just a question of what you’ll be achieving, it’s also about understanding when to make time for it.
It’s important for you to work collaboratively with your service users to identify pockets of time that can be reserved specifically for goal-setting discussions and activities. This could be a recurring daily, weekly or fortnightly slot, or even shorter, more frequent intervals. Remember, the key to person-centred care is to align time management to the service user’s needs!
Seek feedback
To ensure you’re both aligned, make sure that both you and your service user work together to create a feedback process.
Two distinct groups of stakeholders are going to need to be involved here: your managers and professional peers are one group; the other is the family, friends or loved ones of the person you’re caring for.
And of course you can’t create a feedback process without first asking this question: what does success look like for your service user?
You’ll need to ask yourself other questions. What feedback will you need from your fellow team members to ensure that you’re aligned on your service user’s goals? How can you and your service user create a genuine dialogue where you’re giving each other support and feedback?
Find ways to keep service users motivated
Some goals may feel easier to achieve than others. How can you work with service users to ensure they stay motivated every step of the way?
We strongly recommend setting up regular review times and 1-1s so you can track goals and set milestones.
For example, you could have a service user who would like to visit more museums in London. Have they made a shortlist of where they’d like to visit? Have they drawn up a realistic schedule of when and where they’ll be able to visit?
Stay organised to maintain focus
Did you know that according to a study by Dominican University of California, people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them?
Work with your service user to come up with a documented plan for achieving their goal. Work closely with service users to decide:
- How they’re going to achieve their goal
- What resources they’ll need to achieve
- What obstacles will stand in their way
- How they’ll document progress
These strategies are essential for helping your service user to set goals that make them feel personally fulfilled.
But personal fulfilment can’t be the only aim of an effective goal setting strategy (as important as that is).
Effective goal setting is vital for ensuring regulatory alignment too.
Staying compliant: why evidencing goals is important for the Care Quality Commission
In 2024, effective goal setting is essential if your care home is to stay compliant with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s new single assessment framework.
Log my Care’s resident care management expert Mark Topps has outlined a number of reasons why effective goal setting will be so important for care home providers who want to demonstrate compliance with the new framework.
A renewed focus on person-centred care
The recent framework emphasises the importance of person-centred care. It promotes choice, dignity, and involvement in decision making.
The roll out of person-centred care will see a huge focus on family and loved ones being involved.
With the consent of the individual, we know involving family members and support networks in decision making processes can contribute to a more holistic and effective approach to care.
With so many stakeholders and support networks to consider, it’s never been more important for you to work with service users to draw up effective goals that are achievable AND well-documented.
A new quality of life framework
The primary purpose of CQC’s new quality of life framework is to improve the commission’s ability to consistently identify and take appropriate regulatory action in services that fail or are failing to meet the needs, aspirations and skills development of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. This framework looks at four sections:
- Is there a planned programme for each person that focuses on their quality of life?
- Are the planned programmes relevant to each person's needs?
- Is each person's support programme being delivered at the right level of intensity?
- Is there a balance of the programmes and support plans for each individual, with coherence across settings and over time?
By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, care homes demonstrate their commitment to providing care that seeks to improve quality of life and aims to achieve the best possible outcomes for each service user.
Ensuring staff development and training
While the CQC has neglected to include training in their framework and lacks regulation on care home workers’ training and development, it’s still important to ensure staff receive proper training and support.
Training enables frontline staff to develop a greater understanding of the impact of their day-to-day activities on the well-being of the people they work with.
This in turn makes it more likely that your staff will feel empowered to work with service users in the creation of effective goals.
Key benefits of goal setting for care provider business operations
Ensuring alignment with regulatory frameworks
By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, your care home can demonstrate its commitment to providing care that respects individual preferences and aims at achieving the best possible outcomes for each service user.
Effective goal setting not only meets these regulatory requirements but also serves as a tool for continuous improvement within care settings.
Care plans that are regularly updated with new goals based on the evolving needs of residents are a sign of a dynamic and responsive care environment, which regulatory bodies favour.
Link to inspection outcomes
Any goal setting strategy you set will need to be informed by the criteria set down by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
And so while you should, of course, put empathy and empowerment for your service users at the heart of any goal setting strategy, you need to be guided by compliance too!
CQC inspectors are going to look for evidence that care homes are effectively setting and monitoring goals as part of their broader evaluation of the service’s responsiveness and person-centred approach.
This means that your goal-setting strategy could, in some cases, actually influence the outcome of a CQC inspection. For instance, a lack of effective goal setting or even poor documentation could lead to a negative inspection outcome.
Inspectors may conclude that the care home is not fully responsive to the needs of its residents, potentially resulting in a lower overall rating and the need for follow-up inspections or interventions.
If this sounds intimidating, remember that the reverse is also true: documentation and effective goal-setting systems are the secrets to ensuring your care home is ultimately recognised for offering truly goal-driven, person-centred care!
Enhancing your care home’s reputation in the long-term.
Beyond compliance and inspections, effective goal setting can enhance the reputation of your care home amongst your service users, their families and your peers in the industry.
Facilities that are known for their robust, responsive, and person-centred care planning are more likely to attract new residents and be recommended by families and healthcare professionals.
Furthermore, care homes that excel in their inspection outcomes due to effective goal setting often find themselves at an advantage in competitive local markets.
In Chapter 2, we’ll explain how you can create the necessary systems to ensure your service user’s goals become a reality.
The personal touch: why goal setting is so empowering for the people you care for
We’ve all experienced that innate sense of self-fulfilment that comes from ticking off an item on our to-do list, or removing that reminder post-it note from our desks.
Setting achievable goals can have a substantive impact on our happiness and sense of self-worth. And this is even more true for care home residents or service users within a care home environment.
Plus, if you’re a care home manager, you probably know first-hand that helping your service users set life goals (and witnessing them come to fruition) can be almost as fulfilling as setting them for yourself.
It doesn’t matter if these goals are short-term or long-term — all that matters is that they provide a sense of direction for your service user.
{{testimonial="/inner-testimonials/mark-topps"}}
Examples of service user goals could include:
- Making small changes to their every-day schedule that improve overall health and wellbeing - even if it’s something as simple as ensuring their teeth are brushed twice a day
- Improving their mobility
- Learning how to cook a meal for themselves
- Travelling around the UK or Europe - or just booking a holiday
While these goals are great, what would make them even more attainable, would be to reframe them with the SMART goals framework in mind. SMART goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
- How specifically will your service user’s goal improve their overall wellbeing?
- How will they measure success?
- What does the roadmap to achievement look like?
- Are these goals relevant to the current care needs, or health and wellbeing priorities of your service user.
- Are they time-bound? When will this goal be achieved?
With the SMART framework, we can take another look at the original goals and reframe them to make them easier for a service user to break down into smaller chunks, making the goal easier to achieve:
SMART goals are the foundation of truly person-centred care. And, as we’ll explore later in this resource, properly defined SMART goals make it easier for you to deliver person-centred care that aligns with current CQC regulatory requirements.
But SMART goals are only the first piece of the puzzle. You’ll also need to design a goal-setting strategy to ensure that these goals are met.
Making it happen: how to work with your service users to build their goal-setting strategy
To deliver outstanding person-centred care, you need to understand your service user’s individual goals and tailor your care provision to match. For this work, both you and your service user need to be aligned on what success looks like.
This means that it’s essential that you work together on a clear strategy for achieving a relevant goal.
Here are our four tips for creating effective goals:
Make the time
First thing’s first. You and your service user need to get over the biggest hurdle: making the time.
It’s important that you and your service user carve out time for this goal. It’s not just a question of what you’ll be achieving, it’s also about understanding when to make time for it.
It’s important for you to work collaboratively with your service users to identify pockets of time that can be reserved specifically for goal-setting discussions and activities. This could be a recurring daily, weekly or fortnightly slot, or even shorter, more frequent intervals. Remember, the key to person-centred care is to align time management to the service user’s needs!
Seek feedback
To ensure you’re both aligned, make sure that both you and your service user work together to create a feedback process.
Two distinct groups of stakeholders are going to need to be involved here: your managers and professional peers are one group; the other is the family, friends or loved ones of the person you’re caring for.
And of course you can’t create a feedback process without first asking this question: what does success look like for your service user?
You’ll need to ask yourself other questions. What feedback will you need from your fellow team members to ensure that you’re aligned on your service user’s goals? How can you and your service user create a genuine dialogue where you’re giving each other support and feedback?
Find ways to keep service users motivated
Some goals may feel easier to achieve than others. How can you work with service users to ensure they stay motivated every step of the way?
We strongly recommend setting up regular review times and 1-1s so you can track goals and set milestones.
For example, you could have a service user who would like to visit more museums in London. Have they made a shortlist of where they’d like to visit? Have they drawn up a realistic schedule of when and where they’ll be able to visit?
Stay organised to maintain focus
Did you know that according to a study by Dominican University of California, people who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them?
Work with your service user to come up with a documented plan for achieving their goal. Work closely with service users to decide:
- How they’re going to achieve their goal
- What resources they’ll need to achieve
- What obstacles will stand in their way
- How they’ll document progress
These strategies are essential for helping your service user to set goals that make them feel personally fulfilled.
But personal fulfilment can’t be the only aim of an effective goal setting strategy (as important as that is).
Effective goal setting is vital for ensuring regulatory alignment too.
Staying compliant: why evidencing goals is important for the Care Quality Commission
In 2024, effective goal setting is essential if your care home is to stay compliant with the Care Quality Commission (CQC)’s new single assessment framework.
Log my Care’s resident care management expert Mark Topps has outlined a number of reasons why effective goal setting will be so important for care home providers who want to demonstrate compliance with the new framework.
A renewed focus on person-centred care
The recent framework emphasises the importance of person-centred care. It promotes choice, dignity, and involvement in decision making.
The roll out of person-centred care will see a huge focus on family and loved ones being involved.
With the consent of the individual, we know involving family members and support networks in decision making processes can contribute to a more holistic and effective approach to care.
With so many stakeholders and support networks to consider, it’s never been more important for you to work with service users to draw up effective goals that are achievable AND well-documented.
A new quality of life framework
The primary purpose of CQC’s new quality of life framework is to improve the commission’s ability to consistently identify and take appropriate regulatory action in services that fail or are failing to meet the needs, aspirations and skills development of people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. This framework looks at four sections:
- Is there a planned programme for each person that focuses on their quality of life?
- Are the planned programmes relevant to each person's needs?
- Is each person's support programme being delivered at the right level of intensity?
- Is there a balance of the programmes and support plans for each individual, with coherence across settings and over time?
By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, care homes demonstrate their commitment to providing care that seeks to improve quality of life and aims to achieve the best possible outcomes for each service user.
Ensuring staff development and training
While the CQC has neglected to include training in their framework and lacks regulation on care home workers’ training and development, it’s still important to ensure staff receive proper training and support.
Training enables frontline staff to develop a greater understanding of the impact of their day-to-day activities on the well-being of the people they work with.
This in turn makes it more likely that your staff will feel empowered to work with service users in the creation of effective goals.
Key benefits of goal setting for care provider business operations
Ensuring alignment with regulatory frameworks
By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, your care home can demonstrate its commitment to providing care that respects individual preferences and aims at achieving the best possible outcomes for each service user.
Effective goal setting not only meets these regulatory requirements but also serves as a tool for continuous improvement within care settings.
Care plans that are regularly updated with new goals based on the evolving needs of residents are a sign of a dynamic and responsive care environment, which regulatory bodies favour.
Link to inspection outcomes
Any goal setting strategy you set will need to be informed by the criteria set down by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
And so while you should, of course, put empathy and empowerment for your service users at the heart of any goal setting strategy, you need to be guided by compliance too!
CQC inspectors are going to look for evidence that care homes are effectively setting and monitoring goals as part of their broader evaluation of the service’s responsiveness and person-centred approach.
This means that your goal-setting strategy could, in some cases, actually influence the outcome of a CQC inspection. For instance, a lack of effective goal setting or even poor documentation could lead to a negative inspection outcome.
Inspectors may conclude that the care home is not fully responsive to the needs of its residents, potentially resulting in a lower overall rating and the need for follow-up inspections or interventions.
If this sounds intimidating, remember that the reverse is also true: documentation and effective goal-setting systems are the secrets to ensuring your care home is ultimately recognised for offering truly goal-driven, person-centred care!
Enhancing your care home’s reputation in the long-term.
Beyond compliance and inspections, effective goal setting can enhance the reputation of your care home amongst your service users, their families and your peers in the industry.
Facilities that are known for their robust, responsive, and person-centred care planning are more likely to attract new residents and be recommended by families and healthcare professionals.
Furthermore, care homes that excel in their inspection outcomes due to effective goal setting often find themselves at an advantage in competitive local markets.
In Chapter 2, we’ll explain how you can create the necessary systems to ensure your service user’s goals become a reality.
With the rise of digital record keeping in social care, care home providers have a range of options when they want to build a system for codifying and documenting their service users’ key goals and objectives.
How do digital systems compare to their paper-based counterparts?
Paper-based systems
Paper-based systems are simple and accessible, requiring minimal training for caregivers and staff, thus avoiding technical failures or power outages. They are easy to set up and can be maintained long-term, providing a personalised experience for service users who find screens and keyboards overwhelming.
However, paper-based systems require significant storage space and are susceptible to damage from water, fire, or mishandling, risking data loss. They pose data privacy and security challenges, increasing the risk of breaches under laws like GDPR, and updating them can be time-consuming for already busy care home staff.
Digital systems
Digital systems allow real-time updates, ensuring staff have the most current data on residents, which improves long-term care provision through timely and accurate information sharing.
They simplify data retrieval with proper indexing and search functions, and enhance collaboration by enabling multiple users to access and update records simultaneously, leading to efficient operations and improved communication.
However, digital systems can involve substantial initial costs for hardware, software, and network infrastructure, and require comprehensive training for all users, which can be challenging in environments resistant to change.
Additionally, digital systems can be overwhelming for some staff and residents who are not tech-savvy, making it essential to consider whether a digital solution fits the caregiving context.
That’s why it’s vital to make the transition from paper to digital as seamless and inclusive as possible for your staff and your service users.
Explore Log my Care's Outcomes & Goals feature in the below interactive demo to see an example of digital goal setting in action
Case study: How Log my Care helped Moorville Residential to make the transition from paper to digital
Moorville Residential, a learning disability care provider in Sheffield, transitioned from paper to digital to improve care delivery and efficiency.
By adopting Log my Care, they aimed to address challenges such as:
- increasing accessibility for elder staff
- reducing time-consuming tasks
- improving task visibility
The transition involved a structured approach, starting with a guided demo and tailored online training sessions. This process ensured that all staff, regardless of their tech-savviness, could comfortably use the new system.
Within a month, the team fully adopted Log my Care, leading to significant improvements in care management. Features such as Outcomes and Goals, enabled effective tracking of service user achievements, while real-time data access and consistent updates enhanced overall efficiency and communication.
Implementing Log my Care resulted in numerous benefits, including reduced paperwork, more quality time with service users, and improved accountability.
The system provided quality evidence for inspections, cut costs on stationery, and offered better digital accessibility, especially for less tech-savvy staff.
The ease of use and ongoing support from Log my Care facilitated a smooth transition, ultimately improving care processes and outcomes at Moorville Residential.
Systemising SMART goals: how going digital brings structure to your goal-setting strategy
In the first section, we explored the pivotal role that SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals play in helping both service users and carers achieve goals. The case study of Moorville Residential is just one example of how a digital care system can make it easier to help your service users realise goals that are truly SMART.
Specific
Digital care systems allow for detailed goal setting. Each goal can be outlined with specific criteria and milestones. For example, if a service user aims to improve mobility, digital systems make it easier to document exact exercises, frequency, and expected outcomes.
Measurable
Digital systems allow care providers and service providers to track progress through measurable data. They can record quantitative metrics such as exercise repetitions, steps taken, or medication adherence.
For qualitative goals, digital systems can store notes, photos, and videos, providing a comprehensive view of progress.
Achievable
By integrating data analytics, digital care systems can help assess the feasibility of goals. Carers can adjust goals based on real-time feedback and ensure they are within reach.
Relevant
Digital care systems ensure that goals remain relevant by linking them to the service user’s overall care plan and personal preferences.
Time-bound
Digital systems make it easier to set deadlines and reminders for each goal, ensuring timely completion. They can schedule regular check-ins and updates, helping both carers and service users stay on track. Automated reminders and alerts keep everyone informed about upcoming milestones and deadlines.
But it’s not just the ability to set SMART goals that sets digital solutions apart. Here are some other ways that building digital systems can elevate the quality of care provision.
Regulatory implications
Digital systems excel in meeting regulatory standards governing privacy, security, and accessibility of information. Unlike paper records, which often struggle with compliance issues, digital platforms offer advanced security protocols and backup capabilities, ensuring superior adherence to regulations.
While digital systems do face challenges such as data protection and cybersecurity threats, their ability to implement robust security measures and regular updates makes them a more reliable option for regulatory compliance.
Funding considerations
Transitioning from paper-based to digital systems in care homes is a crucial investment that can significantly enhance operational efficiency and care quality.
Funding for digital transformation can be sourced from government grants, private investments, and organisational reserves.
While availability may vary by region and economic climate, the long-term benefits—such as reduced paper use, lower storage needs, and decreased administrative overhead—can lead to substantial savings.
Conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis and understanding available grants and funding opportunities is essential for care homes to make informed decisions about investing in digital technologies.
Facilitating person-centred care.
Don’t forget - delivering person-centred care is the reason for building a robust goal-setting system in the first place. So when deciding between paper and digital, this of course needs to be one of your primary considerations.
As we covered in the first section, paper systems might be better for goal setting if you’re dealing with service users who are overwhelmed by digital technology.
How to access funds for going digital
In the past year, more funding has been made available for care homes to make the digital transition through the Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Fund and it’s designed to support any CQC registered social care provider looking to adopt a Digital Social Care Record system. The grant is also being used to roll out sensor-based falls prevention and detection technologies to support those at risk of falls.
To be considered, you have to either:
- Not have a digital care platform in place (e.g. you’re using paper) or
- You’re using a platform that’s not on the assured suppliers' list (e.g. you’re switching from an unassured supplier to an assured supplier). Search the assured suppliers’ list below.
Read more on how to access this funding HERE.
In the next chapter, we’ll look at how exactly you can implement and track your goals using a digital care system.
Digital care systems play a crucial role in how well these goals are set, tracked, and adjusted. In this chapter, we’ll explore how digital systems can enhance goal-tracking with practical use cases and examples.
Prioritise the individual
This is foundational to tracking and measuring goals. Goals only work if they’re tailored to the individual service user, and, of course, some goals will have different metrics for success.
Quantitative goals
For instance, if a service user needs to undertake a course of physiotherapy to improve mobility, digital systems can include dedicated goal-tracking features, detailed steps, and milestones. This ensures that each goal is broken down into manageable parts that can be easily tracked and updated in real-time. Digital records can capture frequency, intensity, and any challenges encountered, providing a comprehensive overview of progress.
Qualitative goals
For more qualitative goals, such as a desire to travel around Europe, digital systems provide flexibility to capture nuanced progress through notes, photos, and videos. This enhances the richness of the recorded experience and allows for a more holistic view of the service user’s journey towards their goal. Integration of various media ensures a complete and engaging record.
Whether the goals are quantitative or qualitative, digital systems offer superior capabilities in terms of real-time updates, ease of access, and comprehensive record-keeping. This ensures that all aspects of a service user's progress are accurately documented and easily retrievable, leading to better outcomes and more personalised care.
Understand how you’re going to gather feedback
Benchmarking and measuring success is critical, but gathering and documenting feedback is equally important.
Digital systems streamline this process, allowing for efficient collection and analysis of feedback through online survey tools and digital feedback forms. These tools enable quick gathering of insights from service users and staff, which can be seamlessly integrated into goal setting and adjustment processes.
In digital systems, adjustments can be made in real-time based on electronically received feedback, ensuring immediate incorporation of new insights. This dynamic approach ensures that feedback is actionable and promptly reflected in care plans.
Visualising trends
Visualising progress has multiple benefits, from celebrating achievements to facilitating access to relevant documentation during CQC inspections or meetings with senior managers.
Digital systems excel in visualising progress. For example, digital care platforms like Log my Care make it easier to embed photos and videos, providing a comprehensive view of each individual’s progress and making it easy to share updates with stakeholders.
By leveraging digital systems, you can ensure that all aspects of goal setting, tracking, feedback gathering, and visualisation are handled efficiently and effectively. This leads to a more responsive, personalised, and high-quality care experience for service users.
Conduct regular goal reviews
A goal-setting strategy only works if you’re regularly reviewing those goals.
It’s vital to conduct meetings to discuss progress with key stakeholders and adjust goals as needed. We’d always recommend making sure these goal review settings are collaborative, and include all stakeholders.
Digital systems make it easy to conduct these reviews. Below, you can see a key example from Log my Care’s own platform.
Example: documenting user goals with Log my Care’s Outcomes & Goals feature
Log my Care’s Outcomes and Goals feature is one of the most effective ways to set impactful goals.
It enables care teams to actively collaborate with service users to create person-centred goals, monitor progress through action plans, and track outcomes that you can easily evidence in an inspection.
With the Outcomes and Goals feature, managers can evidence service user involvement in the goal-setting process by empowering them to collaborate and countersign each goal that they set.
This demonstrates the service user’s agreement to the goals that have been set for them.
After adding goals to the platform, the care team and service users have a range of functionalities at their fingertips, including:
- Creating action plans to break down goals into small, achievable steps, fostering collaboration between service users and the care team.
- Linking relevant care plans to specific goals, providing a comprehensive view for the care team, ensuring holistic care delivery.
- Linking care logs to specific goals to manage progress efficiently and maintain evidence of the steps taken to achieve a goal.
- Increasing oversight with a built-in timeline to keep the team informed about goal-related changes, such as linking care logs and service user goal signatures. Time and name stamps improve accountability and provide evidence of support.
Learn more about Outcomes and Goals HERE.
In Chapter 4, we’ll walk you through how to maintain regulatory compliance with CQC standards, and why it’s important to maintain the proper documentation.
Person-centred care and CQC compliance
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) mandates thorough documentation of care plans, including the goals set for each service user.
The CQC’s 17th regulation for care home providers and managers states that:
“Providers must securely maintain accurate, complete and detailed records in respect of each person using the service and records relating to the employment of staff and the overall management of the regulated activity.”
Under the CQC’s guidance, clear documentation serves multiple purposes: it provides a clear record of the care provided, facilitates continuous improvement, and demonstrates accountability during inspections.
Recently, the CQC released its new single assessment framework, which has provided greater clarity of what they are looking for in their assessments and inspections of care home providers.
For example, the new framework places a renewed emphasis on person-centred care - promoting choice, dignity and involvement in decision making. So if you’re going to stay compliant with the CQC’s framework in the long-term, it’s never been more important to have an effective goal setting strategy.
In this chapter, we’ll take you through the essential strategies that every care home provider needs to follow to stay compliant. But first, let’s take a closer look at why the CQC places such a high value on person-centred care.
Log my Care’s in-house expert Mark Topps has identified nine core reasons why evidencing goals for your service users is important in the eyes of the CQC.
- Demonstrates staff dedication and capability, boosting ratings and reputation.
- Shows care is tailored to individual needs, aligning with CQC standards for Caring, Effective, and Responsive care.
- Ensures continuous monitoring: Regular tracking and documentation ensure effective care plans and timely adjustments.
- Involves family and stakeholders, providing holistic support and compliance with CQC standards.
- Provides tangible evidence of health improvements and increased independence through assessments and feedback.
- Demonstrates achieving goals and gaining independence, boosting care ratings.
- Aligns staff and resources with service user goals, showing wise resource management.
- Captures and addresses complaints, demonstrating responsiveness and commitment to improvement.
- Regular progress assessments show a focus on sustained health and well-being, meeting CQC standards.
You can read Mark’s in-depth blog post on why evidencing goals is so important here.
Maintaining regulatory compliance
Evidencing and aligning your goal setting involves a number of key components to be successful.
Consistent documentation
If you’re going to successfully meet the CQC’s inspection standards, you need meticulous documentation!
This includes maintaining comprehensive records of service user goals, progress notes, and outcomes. Each entry should detail the specific goals set, the steps taken to achieve these goals, and the progress observed.
Preparing for inspections
Inspections can be a nerve-wracking time for your team - so make sure you organise all relevant documents and ensure they are easily accessible to all stakeholders.
We’d recommend creating a checklist of required documents, such as:
- care plans
- progress notes
- staff training records
- feedback forms
Regular internal audits can help identify any gaps in documentation and address them proactively. Being prepared for inspections demonstrates a commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.
Striving for continuous improvement
To maintain high standards of compliance, it’s essential to regularly review and update documentation practices. This can be achieved through internal audits, feedback from staff, and staying informed about regulatory changes.
Implementing a culture of continuous improvement ensures that documentation practices evolve with regulatory requirements and industry best practices. Regular training sessions can keep staff updated on new documentation standards and techniques.
Promoting staff engagement
Include your staff in goal setting initiatives
Your staff play a crucial role in the goal-setting process, acting as the bridge between service users and the care plan.
So it stands to reason that their involvement ensures that goals are realistic, achievable, and aligned with the individual needs of service users.
By actively participating in goal setting, staff can better advocate for service users, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are met. This engagement not only enhances the quality of care but also empowers staff to take ownership of the care process.
Create the strategies that will let you identify & overcome obstacles
Several obstacles can hinder effective goal setting, including lack of training, time constraints, and resistance to change. Insufficient training can leave staff ill-prepared to set meaningful goals or track progress accurately.
High workloads and tight schedules can make it challenging for staff to find the time needed to engage in the goal-setting process thoroughly. Additionally, some staff may resist new goal-setting systems, preferring familiar routines over new methods.
Overcoming these challenges requires targeted strategies. Comprehensive training programs can equip staff with the skills and knowledge needed to create the goal setting strategies we’ve discussed in this book.
Change management strategies, including open communication and involving staff in decision-making, can reduce resistance and increase buy-in. Likewise, support systems like mentorship programs and regular feedback mechanisms also play a crucial role in fostering a collaborative environment.
Create a collaborative culture
Promoting a culture of collaboration involves regular team meetings and workshops where staff can discuss progress, share experiences, and address challenges.
Regular meetings and workshops also allow staff to share their achievements in helping service users to set tangible and actionable goals.
By fostering a supportive and collaborative environment, care providers can enhance staff engagement and improve the overall quality of care.
Collect & integrate staff feedback
Regularly gathering staff feedback through surveys and questionnaires can provide valuable insights into the service user goal-setting process.
This feedback can identify areas for improvement and highlight best practices in supporting service users. Involving staff in the review and adjustment of service user goals ensures that their perspectives are considered and their expertise utilised.
The benefit of a collaborative approach? It’s more likely to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, enhancing the effectiveness of your goal setting process.
In the next chapter, we will guide you on how to future-proof your goal setting strategy and set your team and service users up for long-term success.
In this final chapter, we’ll discuss strategies for long term success: staying ahead of regulatory changes, continuing investment in resources and technologies and strengthening your industry partnerships.
Staying ahead of regulatory changes
Staying informed about potential changes in regulatory standards and expectations is crucial for maintaining compliance in care environments.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) frequently updates its guidelines and standards to ensure the highest quality of care. Regularly reviewing these updates, as well as industry guidelines, is essential to ensure your goal-setting practices remain compliant.
There are a number of ways you can stay ahead of the curve here:
- Subscribing to regulatory newsletters (we’d always recommend subscribing to Log my Care’s newsletter for the latest insights on high quality care provision).
- Attending relevant training sessions and online webinars (again, stay tuned for future webinars and training sessions from the Log my Care team).
- Participating in industry forums and attending conferences.
Developing this proactive approach to regulation makes it easier to ensure your staff training is up to date and aligned with CQC standards. Likewise, regularly updating documentation practices to align with the latest guidelines is also critical.
Set up your team for long-term success
By encouraging continuous professional development and fostering a culture of learning and innovation, staff become better equipped to support service users effectively.
Regular training sessions, workshops, and access to online courses can enhance staff skills in setting, tracking, and achieving goals. Building a flexible workforce ensures that staff can respond to each service user's unique needs, align with their aspirations, and adjust to evolving goal-setting practices.
And, as Log my Care’s resident expert Mark Topps explains, it’s vital to encourage your own staff to set their own goals too. It engenders personal and professional growth and encourages resilience and self-reflection as they work with service users.
Strengthen your industry partnerships
Collaborating with technology providers, industry experts, and other care homes is vital for staying ahead of trends and sharing best practices.
Building strong partnerships can help care homes access new resources, gain valuable insights, and enhance their service delivery. These partnerships can also provide support during the implementation of new systems, ensuring a smoother transition and better integration of new technologies and practices.
Invest in new resources and technology
Investing in the latest technologies is a crucial strategy for long-term success if you’re a care home manager.
Technologies that support goal setting and tracking, such as software for electronic health records, data analytics tools, and communication platforms, can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of care.
These tools not only streamline administrative tasks but also provide valuable insights into service user progress, helping to set more realistic and achievable goals.
Investing in technology also prepares care homes for future advancements, ensuring they remain at the forefront of industry standards.
Ultimately, new technologies are also the key to ensuring that your goal setting strategy contains these three crucial pillars:
1. It’s personalised
Digital care systems allow for highly personalised care plans tailored to each resident's unique needs and preferences.
By documenting specific criteria, exercises, and milestones, these systems ensure that every goal is relevant and achievable for the individual. Personalisation enhances the resident's engagement and motivation, making their care journey more meaningful and effective.
2. Visualise progress & maintain consistent documentation
One of the standout features of digital care systems is their ability to provide easy visualisation of progress.
Carers and residents can see real-time updates and track improvements effortlessly. This visual clarity helps in celebrating milestones, identifying areas that need attention, and keeping everyone informed and motivated.
Additionally, these systems facilitate compliance by making it easier for your team to keep documentation accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible for audits and inspections. This helps your care home meet regulatory standards and demonstrates your commitment to high-quality, accountable care.
3. Quality of care
This is the most important pillar of all.
Embracing digital care systems means you’re embracing the opportunity to significantly elevate the quality of care provided in care homes. With real-time data access, seamless communication, and efficient documentation, carers can deliver more accurate and responsive care.
This technology supports better decision-making, ensures that all team members are working towards the same goals, and allows for immediate adjustments based on the resident's current needs. The result is care provision that is more efficient, effective and compassionate.
And we’d argue that striving for this high quality care is the most important goal of all!
Let us help you put person-centred care at the heart of your practice
The well-being and progression of your service users are at the core of everything you do.
Working with service users on goal setting should be:
- Streamlined for your team
- Effective for the service user
- Simple for management to be able to track
Collecting data to evidence the impact of your team’s care delivery and service user goal achievements can also be challenging. Even more so when dealing with stacks of paper or systems that just weren’t built for your needs.
This is why we built Outcomes and Goals.
It’s easy to use, as comprehensive as you need it to be, and enables you to level-up your ability to empower service users to achieve goals. Plus, when you need to submit evidence of this person-centred care approach, you can do so with ease.
Book your 1-1 demo to see Log my Care in action and learn about how we can support you in putting person-centred care at the heart of what you do.
In this final chapter, we’ll discuss strategies for long term success: staying ahead of regulatory changes, continuing investment in resources and technologies and strengthening your industry partnerships.
Staying ahead of regulatory changes
Staying informed about potential changes in regulatory standards and expectations is crucial for maintaining compliance in care environments.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) frequently updates its guidelines and standards to ensure the highest quality of care. Regularly reviewing these updates, as well as industry guidelines, is essential to ensure your goal-setting practices remain compliant.
There are a number of ways you can stay ahead of the curve here:
- Subscribing to regulatory newsletters (we’d always recommend subscribing to Log my Care’s newsletter for the latest insights on high quality care provision).
- Attending relevant training sessions and online webinars (again, stay tuned for future webinars and training sessions from the Log my Care team).
- Participating in industry forums and attending conferences.
Developing this proactive approach to regulation makes it easier to ensure your staff training is up to date and aligned with CQC standards. Likewise, regularly updating documentation practices to align with the latest guidelines is also critical.
Set up your team for long-term success
By encouraging continuous professional development and fostering a culture of learning and innovation, staff become better equipped to support service users effectively.
Regular training sessions, workshops, and access to online courses can enhance staff skills in setting, tracking, and achieving goals. Building a flexible workforce ensures that staff can respond to each service user's unique needs, align with their aspirations, and adjust to evolving goal-setting practices.
And, as Log my Care’s resident expert Mark Topps explains, it’s vital to encourage your own staff to set their own goals too. It engenders personal and professional growth and encourages resilience and self-reflection as they work with service users.
Strengthen your industry partnerships
Collaborating with technology providers, industry experts, and other care homes is vital for staying ahead of trends and sharing best practices.
Building strong partnerships can help care homes access new resources, gain valuable insights, and enhance their service delivery. These partnerships can also provide support during the implementation of new systems, ensuring a smoother transition and better integration of new technologies and practices.
Invest in new resources and technology
Investing in the latest technologies is a crucial strategy for long-term success if you’re a care home manager.
Technologies that support goal setting and tracking, such as software for electronic health records, data analytics tools, and communication platforms, can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of care.
These tools not only streamline administrative tasks but also provide valuable insights into service user progress, helping to set more realistic and achievable goals.
Investing in technology also prepares care homes for future advancements, ensuring they remain at the forefront of industry standards.
Ultimately, new technologies are also the key to ensuring that your goal setting strategy contains these three crucial pillars:
1. It’s personalised
Digital care systems allow for highly personalised care plans tailored to each resident's unique needs and preferences.
By documenting specific criteria, exercises, and milestones, these systems ensure that every goal is relevant and achievable for the individual. Personalisation enhances the resident's engagement and motivation, making their care journey more meaningful and effective.
2. Visualise progress & maintain consistent documentation
One of the standout features of digital care systems is their ability to provide easy visualisation of progress.
Carers and residents can see real-time updates and track improvements effortlessly. This visual clarity helps in celebrating milestones, identifying areas that need attention, and keeping everyone informed and motivated.
Additionally, these systems facilitate compliance by making it easier for your team to keep documentation accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible for audits and inspections. This helps your care home meet regulatory standards and demonstrates your commitment to high-quality, accountable care.
3. Quality of care
This is the most important pillar of all.
Embracing digital care systems means you’re embracing the opportunity to significantly elevate the quality of care provided in care homes. With real-time data access, seamless communication, and efficient documentation, carers can deliver more accurate and responsive care.
This technology supports better decision-making, ensures that all team members are working towards the same goals, and allows for immediate adjustments based on the resident's current needs. The result is care provision that is more efficient, effective and compassionate.
And we’d argue that striving for this high quality care is the most important goal of all!
Let us help you put person-centred care at the heart of your practice
The well-being and progression of your service users are at the core of everything you do.
Working with service users on goal setting should be:
- Streamlined for your team
- Effective for the service user
- Simple for management to be able to track
Collecting data to evidence the impact of your team’s care delivery and service user goal achievements can also be challenging. Even more so when dealing with stacks of paper or systems that just weren’t built for your needs.
This is why we built Outcomes and Goals.
It’s easy to use, as comprehensive as you need it to be, and enables you to level-up your ability to empower service users to achieve goals. Plus, when you need to submit evidence of this person-centred care approach, you can do so with ease.
Book your 1-1 demo to see Log my Care in action and learn about how we can support you in putting person-centred care at the heart of what you do.
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