The Digital Care Planning System is revolutionising care for people with learning disabilities of all ages

Person Centred Software – more challenges solved

Mulberry House is quite a large complex, and we needed something that would give us visibility across the whole home – Person Centred Software’s Digital Care Planning System did precisely this. From a clinical governance point of view, mainly because I'm a nurse by background, I can now get a glance at what's happening in the home without having to run around asking people. So, it's great to run reports and immediately get a good oversight of the whole building.

When we are showing prospective families around our home, we always highlight that we use the Digital Care Planning System because it's what they expect now. They expect to have that ability, visibility, and transparency and for us to be able to share information with them immediately.

The system helps to give visibility to all staff members, which is particularly good for our agency staff. They get to see the same information as the regular staff so they can be fully aware of each client's care needs.

I also like how the Digital Planning Care System relies heavily on icons; it makes it perfect for our carers where English is not their first language. Writing care notes can often be challenging, but with Person Centred Software's icon buttons, information is now recorded quickly and easily - their emoji system is brilliant! It's a masterpiece when it comes to saving time.

The fluid and nutrition monitoring features are beneficial - we use them daily. It helps the team at Mulberry House to keep track of what fluid and food has been provided and consumed in the last 24 hours. The good thing about this feature is that it's not age-related; it's very individual. With the fluid feature, you can fully personalise each client's fluid needs, so carers have a clear indication of each person's fluid requirements, whether it's a fluid target that needs to be met or a fluid cap in place due to a medical condition. It's easy to see instantly in the building who hasn't drunk, what they need to drink, who hasn't eaten and what they need to do daily, amongst other things. You can stay responsive, which is one of the key lines of inquiry being responsive immediately. I can instantly pick up the phone to any of my senior staff and say, "Janice hasn't drunk very much today; she needs to be offered some more water". So, I like that it tells me what's been offered because you can't change the fact that a 90-year-old isn't going to drink very much, but you can change the fact that she was only offered 1 cup of tea in 24 hours for example. This feature has helped reduce falls and UTIs; we have almost no incidences of UTIs, chest infections, or pressure and ulcer damage. We still have some instances of falling, although it's behaviour-related falling rather than anything else.

The Digital Care Planning System has so many other features, like the body map, where you can track the progress of a wound or infection and the oral care feature, which enables staff to evidence how they support residents to maintain good oral health. I could be here all day if I mentioned all the features!

Easy to use, learn and set up

When I first started using Person Centred Software's Digital Care Planning System, I found it relatively easy to use and learn. It's like anything; you've got to put some effort in and be interested. The system is easy to navigate, but if you need a little help, Person Centred Software offers plenty of helpful advice. They run training sessions on how to use their Digital Care Planning System; they also have a few interactive webinars which help to guide you through each part of the Digital Care Planning System, as well as an online chat service, which has a quick response rate.  

What would you say to care providers that are still using paper-based documentation?