Rose Lawn Care Home in Devon, part of Keychange, uses Person Centred Software's technology to enable staff to best support the residents they care for.
With Person Centred Software‘s technology, Rose Lawn Care Home in Sidmouth aim to continuously improve the outstanding quality of the care that it delivers to the 28 people living there.
Georgie Patch, Manager of Rose Lawn Care Home says, “Our role is to help people to enjoy their life the way they want to, ensuring that they can keep their own routines, lifestyles and interests along with enjoying new experiences.”
“If they have any questions, I can provide the answers immediately and accurately. It’s easy to find details on who undertook what activity with exact times. It provides massive quality assurance and means I can be confident that everything has been done. A paper-based system just doesn’t compare.”
Georgie has worked for Keychange since 2010 and is now manager of the outstanding rated care home with 35 staff working across care, the kitchen and care support.
As Georgie explains, “Previously, the need to document everything can easily run away with everyone’s time and we can spend more on documentation than actually spending time supporting people. There is a significant pressure to evidence what we do.”
“Technology is a great way to help us to manage all this information whilst putting the needs of our residents first and ensuring they can live their lives as they want.”
“The home used to be completely paper-based, which was a nightmare. You had to look through reams of paper to find anything and there was always the danger that information could get lost. I also had to spend time deciphering different handwriting, which was often extremely difficult.”
According to Georgie, a major challenge as a home manager is keeping up with all the changes in legislation and regulations.
“It’s vital that everything is in place to comply with any changes to the Care Act and CQC regulations. Alongside this, most of 2018 had been focused on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ensuring that all our information is secure and traceable.
“Technology is a great way to help us to manage all this information whilst putting the needs of our residents first and ensuring they can live their lives as they want.”
Rose Lawn adopted Mobile Care Monitoring from Person Centred Software in December 2016, at the same time as Georgie took over the role of manager. The software helps to streamline the way the team at Rose Lawn monitors, assesses and reviews its activities as it strives to deliver a holistic and complete care service to its residents.
“I really like technology,” confirms Georgie. “I like the fact that with Mobile Care Monitoring everything is in one place. It means I can access everyone’s notes and check activities from wherever I am.
“I know some people think they’re going to struggle with technology, but the mobile app is really easy to use.”
“I particularly like the way it flags up activities if something needs to be done. For example, if a resident is put on a fluid watch, the system flags up the exact requirements. Carers can see that it’s important and they can use the app to record all fluid intake.
“I know some people think they’re going to struggle with technology, but the mobile app is really easy to use. And whilst it’s simple enough for all our staff to use day to day, as a manager, the information that I can extract from it can be extremely comprehensive.”
As a home manager, Georgie can now keep track of everything. “It takes just 10 minutes to check that all the care plans and assessments are up to date. If something is overdue, I receive an alert and can take the appropriate action. I feel reassured that everything is done correctly and that my residents are being looked after.
“If something is overdue, I receive an alert and can take the appropriate action. I feel reassured that everything is done correctly and that my residents are being looked after.”
“The time saving for me has been massive,” she adds. “If I had to go back to paper I think the job would be very different. And my care team, who are amazing, no longer have any paperwork, they can simply record activities as they go.
“Now I can find information I need straight away and there’s no chance of losing bits of paper. Most importantly, the timing of activities is accurate since everything is captured in real time.
“This data is particularly helpful when doing an investigation. It records everything a hundred times better than paper, and you can see exactly what happened, and at what time.”
Georgie recalls her attendance at her local coroners’ court, nine months after an event. “When you’re asked to recall facts a long time after an incident, it can be difficult, the facts can feel a bit blurred. With Mobile Care Monitoring, I had documented times of all the care delivered.
“It provides massive quality assurance and means I can be confident that everything has been done. A paper-based system just doesn’t compare.”
“The digital records meant everything felt as clear as if it were yesterday. And the data was invaluable to the court case since it is truthful information that cannot be distorted or doctored. The coroner reported back that all our information was clear and transparent.”
The data from Mobile Care Monitoring is also proving invaluable during CQC inspections. Georgie adds, “If they have any questions, I can provide the answers immediately and accurately. It’s easy to find details on who undertook what activity with exact times. It provides massive quality assurance and means I can be confident that everything has been done. A paper-based system just doesn’t compare.”
Looking to the future, Georgie’s wish is that everyone could use the same technology.
“Some of our residents have complex needs and are looked after by many different people. With such multidisciplinary teams, we could certainly do with better communication and I often feel frustrated that we don’t use the same technology. If we had the same system, it would be easy to flag if someone had lost weight or if something had changed.”
“Mobile Care Monitoring really helps take the focus away from the box ticking and back on to the person. It helps us to ensure our residents can be themselves.”
Georgie notes that whilst the district nurses use iPads, they still leave physical paper about a resident. And there is always a need to scan and print information. The system can hold a scanned document for reference.
Georgie concludes, “It’s important to remember that people are so diverse and individual that they can’t just fit into a tick box. I know they are necessary, but I’d rather be doing things rather than ticking boxes to evidence what happens. Mobile Care Monitoring really helps take the focus away from the box ticking and back on to the person. It helps us to ensure our residents can be themselves.”
Contact Person Centred Software for a demo of Mobile Care Monitoring
If they have any questions, I can provide the answers immediately and accurately. It’s easy to find details on who undertook what activity with exact times. It provides massive quality assurance and means I can be confident that everything has been done. A paper-based system just doesn’t compare.
Digital Monitoring is Integral for Living Horizon
Living Horizon provides a robust service through digital monitoring in Person Centred Software’s system
Benefits of Going Paperless at the Arbory Residential Home
The Arbory Residential Home saves time on documentation and sees information in real-time
How Oaklands Rest Home Benefits from the Relatives Gateway
Oaklands Rest Home uses Mobile Care Monitoring and the Relatives Gateway to support staff and improve occupancy
.webp?width=80&height=80&name=HTD%20Awards%202023%20Badge%20(4).webp)
