Valley View’s aged care software provides complete oversight to its clinical team

How have you found switching to Person Centred Software?

Since implementing the Clinical Care System, we have made improvements in processing new residents, inputting assessment data and care planning, all of which have had positive outcomes.

Seeing our staff fully embrace the transition was fantastic!

The implementation of the new system was well received by the care staff, who were quick to embrace its features, such as the filtering options that made finding information more convenient and its functionality. Even basic tasks like creating care plans became easier and more simplified - this resulted in a number of benefits for management, including improved efficiency and streamlined processes.

Our investment in more advanced devices, upgrading our IT systems and facility and having 60% of staff that had already used the system resulted in a quick and seamless rollout and usage of the Clinical Care System across Valley View. Our team appreciates how the system is designed to capture point-of-care documentation and how quick and intuitive the system is. We devote about 2-3 hours to new staff, training them on how to use the system, handset devices, and the basics. After learning how the system works, they participate in hands-on practice with one of our staff members. This buddy shift approach gives us a better uptake of the system, unlike the classroom version, where only about 15% of them apply what they have learned.

What was training like?

I had a fantastic experience with the training and implementation of the Clinical Care System by Person Centred Software.

Initially, there were some challenges with getting everyone on board with the switch, but the support from their team was overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to their guidance, we were able to not only improve but also develop the system to the next level.

We now conduct daily clinical check-ins, providing autonomy to nurses to ensure quality care plans are systematically documented. Quality documentation is essential, and we were pleased to receive positive feedback from The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission during our last assessment.

Paula Boxsell, clinical manager of Person Centred Software, is our main point of contact and has been excellent support; she is always ready to answer even my most unique questions. The level of support from Person Centred Software has been phenomenal.

The benefits found since using the Clinical Care System

While I understand that not all aged care technology will be the best fit for every aged care facility, it's worth sharing when something works for us, like Person Centred Software's Clinical Care System. Additionally, other systems that claim to be all-in-one often fall short of care improvement.

Recently, I participated in a management training course and shared the benefits of the system with other aged care facilities. Even industry veterans were interested in learning about new ways of thinking about documentation and accountability. Person Centred Software is ahead of the curve for point-of-care documentation and accountability. I appreciate that the team at Person Centred Software always looks into the future and is continuously evolving to stay ahead of industry needs.

In contrast, the previous system we had implemented did not provide that flexibility. We had to do most of the work, which did not feel like a partnership. Person Centred Software provides quality indicators and information rapidly, saving me a lot of time, and we can easily show our tangible data to demonstrate our progress with assessments and care planning. The more we involve our clinical team with the Clinical Care System, the more they use features like charts and reporting. They provide feedback on the formatting of the charts and reports, but overall, they are satisfied with the system.

We are constantly evaluating and testing new features to ensure that they provide added benefits rather than unnecessary duplication. The numerous updates and new features in the Clinical Care System have been incredibly helpful, and I cannot recommend it enough. It has made a significant difference in Valley View for both us and the residents, and I believe it has the potential to do the same for others.

Thoughts on the Operations Management Software

I remember discussing this with the Person Centred Software team about exploring ways to improve our operations and maintain simplicity. We previously implemented multiple systems in our facility around 18 months ago. However, these systems lacked interoperability, resulting in duplicated information and important details being overlooked.

Then, the Person Centred Software team brought up the idea of using Centrim Life as a solution. While we are still in the process of integrating Centrim Life fully and eliminating duplication of information, it has proved to be valuable for managing our waitlist. We have also found it useful for organising facility tours and providing necessary data for prospective residents.

I am particularly fond of the feedback module and its integration with Incident Management. Moving forward, we are exploring the use of action plans in collaboration with Incident Management to showcase our analysis and improvements in response to incidents. Our goal is to simplify our systems, and Centrim Life complements the other elements we use.