Faster care planning at Southern Cross Care

Published: 5 May 2022
Updated: 23 July 2024

Keeping care information up to date across 17 homes

Southern Cross Care provides a wide range of services to older Australians, including retirement living, home care, health and wellness, respite and residential aged care. As part of its strategy to improve outcomes for residents and staff, the organisation wanted care information to be available throughout the working day, allowing teams to monitor changing needs and make timely decisions.

Its existing approach combined paper-based processes with clinical software that required staff to return to desktop computers to enter information. This meant important care details were often recorded later in the shift, rather than while staff were supporting residents. For an organisation operating across multiple residential homes, Southern Cross Care needed a more practical approach that would support frontline staff, speed up care planning and give leaders access to current information across different locations.

Making real-time information part of everyday care

Southern Cross Care introduced PCS Care in September 2018, beginning with a trial at a newly opened aged care home before rolling the system out across 17 residential homes over two years. The organisation selected PCS Care after evaluating other systems, recognising the benefits of handheld recording, real-time monitoring and reporting across multiple locations.

Recording care while staff are with residents

PCS Care gives Southern Cross Care's staff a way to document support using handheld devices, keeping care information up to date throughout the day. Rather than waiting for registered nurses to enter records at the end of their shifts, care workers can record and review information as care is delivered.

This has reduced reporting time by approximately 30 minutes per employee each day, allowing staff to spend more time with residents while continuing to document and monitor the support they provide. Wayne Stoddard, Executive Residential Care at Southern Cross Care, also observed improvements in the number and severity of incidents, including falls. He partly attributed these changes to carers spending more time at residents' bedsides rather than completing notes at nursing stations.

Completing care plans in one day instead of 28

One of Southern Cross Care's most significant improvements has been the time required to complete resident care plans. Previously, a resident care plan typically took around 28 days to finalise. With PCS Care, the process could be completed in just one day.

Having information recorded throughout the day means staff can contribute to care planning as needs are identified, keeping plans more closely aligned with each resident's circumstances. For Southern Cross Care, faster care planning supports a more responsive approach, particularly when a resident's health, preferences or level of support changes.

Giving leaders a clearer view across residential homes

PCS Care also gives Southern Cross Care a consolidated view of care information across its residential homes. Data from different locations is brought together in one dashboard, allowing managers to review performance across the organisation and identify areas requiring attention.

For frontline teams, visual prompts highlight important or overdue actions, supporting decisions about which residents may need assistance first. This makes daily monitoring more practical for carers while giving leaders the information to review care delivery and introduce changes sooner.

For an organisation managing 17 residential homes, the ability to understand what is happening across different locations supports more consistent oversight and a clearer understanding of residents' changing needs.

Keeping pace with the needs of every resident

Southern Cross Care's approach recognises that residents' needs can change at any point during the day, and the information guiding their care needs to keep pace. With more timely information available to carers and managers, teams are better placed to recognise changes, make decisions and provide support that reflects each person's circumstances.