Kingfisher Court, Oakdale Care Homes

‘An electronic support plan was used in the home and staff carried small electronic tablets which recorded the care and support people needed and when this was given. This system ensured people received care and support in the way they preferred and we saw their support needs had been discussed and agreed with them. People knew they had a support plan and where people’s needs had changed, the support plan was updated to reflect this.’

‘One person told us, “The staff explained the system. I think it’s marvellous and it makes it clearer for everyone. I can see what’s written down on there or the staff show me on a computer. It’s the way things are now and I’d rather spend time with them than have them scribbling in books about me all the time.” Another person told us, “I know I have a support plan and they do it all on the tablet. You can click on the photo and it gives you all the information. I know this is how they report everything.”‘

‘With people’s consent, family members could have access to the electronic care records throughout the day. One member of staff told us, “We always make sure we use appropriate language when we are recording anything in our reports. We don’t do anything different because family are seeing our notes. We need to be open and transparent with what we are doing and as our system is refreshed each hour, family can see what is happening and how their family member is being supported throughout the day.” The information recorded was used during the handover between each shift team.’

‘People were confident that personal information was kept secure and staff understood the importance of confidentiality and respecting people’s private information. Information stored electronically was password protected and each person, relative and member of staff had an individual account. […] Where information was recorded, this was date stamped electronically so there was a record of who and when the record was completed.’