Improving resident outcomes with Person Centred Software

About Woodlands & Hill Brow Ltd

Woodlands & Hill Brow Ltd is a family-run residential/nursing care home group rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Woodlands & Hill Brow has four homes in the local area: Woodlands, Hill Brow, Hill House and Farnham Mill, and has an excellent reputation in the Fleet community for the consistently high standards of care it achieves. The organisation offers 24-hour care and support for older adults living with long-term medical conditions, memory loss, and the early stages of dementia.

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The home, which has 39 rooms, each equipped with en-suite facilities, features a well-stocked library, sprawling wooded gardens adorned with tranquil water features and fishponds, a picturesque bluebell glade, and a sunlit courtyard, further enhancing the serene ambience of the property.

Hannah Blight, the assistant general manager for Woodlands & Hill Brow, explains why they switched care software suppliers and chose Person Centred Software.

Why we made the switch

We've been using mCare, Person Centred Software's digital social care record system, for almost a year now; this innovative system has been seamlessly integrated into all four of our residential & nursing homes, drastically improving efficiency and enhancing the quality of care provided to our residents.

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As part of my responsibilities at Woodlands, I primarily focus on ensuring adherence to governance and compliance standards across the four homes' policies and procedures. Additionally, I oversee all matters related to clinical governance, including quality of care, risk management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Fully compliant

I found it easy to make the switch to mCare for several reasons.

First and foremost, mCare is officially approved by the NHS and fully compliant with the 14 NHS Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) standards, ensuring that it meets the requirements for digital social care records, which gives me confidence in its reliability.

Furthermore, the system's widespread recognition and positive feedback within the social care sector made it the clear frontrunner for our needs - since using the system in my previous role, I have also become very familiar with the customer service team, who have been extremely helpful and easy to contact!

Easy to implement and user-friendly

After carefully evaluating our previous care management software system, we identified several key shortcomings that led us to switch suppliers. The main issue was the lack of user-friendliness, as the system was clunky and not intuitive to use. This resulted in a significant reliance on printing in order for our care teams to access the necessary information, creating inefficiencies and wasting resources.

Compared to our previous system, mCare is very user-friendly. Let's be honest here: the skills and expertise required for nursing and caregiving are not centred around IT. Therefore, an easy-to-use system is highly valuable in these professions.

mCare's user-friendly icon-driven interface is easy to navigate and was well-received by our care team. The implementation process was seamless, and I like how the system has flexible integration capabilities. We also have confidence in the system's security, which exceeds industry standards, ensuring the safety of all resident data. Additionally, the extensive support options available with Person Centred Software ensure that any issues can be promptly addressed by contacting the customer services team.

A customer-centric approach

I'm also impressed with Person Centred Software's commitment to putting customers at the centre of its approach. One feature that stands out to me in mCare is the 'User Voice' feature. This innovative feature is a valuable customer ideas portal, providing me with a seamless platform to share my suggestions and feedback about the product. It's great to be able to directly contribute to the enhancement of the software based on my experiences and insights.

Complete oversite of each care home

I am impressed by the way mCare allows me to have a complete, detailed oversight of all the individuals we support. The system provides comprehensive dashboards and reports, enabling me to monitor each home closely. This capability makes it much easier for me to compare and analyse the overall performance of each of our homes. This level of detailed insight has been incredibly valuable in ensuring the best possible care for those we support. We can also compare the strengths of one care home to another, which I believe is highly beneficial.

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With mCare's Group Reporting feature, I can examine almost every aspect of care delivered and identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. mCare's data helps us examine KPIs and measure information, and the best part is that you can pull all the information you need with just a few clicks. It is much, much better than any other system I've seen!

Saves time

One of the most significant advantages of using mCare is the time it saves for our care staff. With mCare, we are able to automate numerous time-consuming and repetitive administrative tasks, which in turn allows our carers to dedicate more of their time to meaningful interactions with the residents.

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This could involve reading a favourite book to a resident, organising and participating in engaging and enjoyable activities, engaging in heartfelt conversations about topics of personal interest to the resident, accompanying them on leisurely walks through our beautiful gardens, or even taking the time to play a board game together.

By providing our carers with more time, we ultimately create a safer and more enriching care environment that is truly centred around each resident's individual needs and preferences.