03.27.2025 PCS
Securing the future of your care home
As we transition into 2025, the social care sector stands at a pivotal moment, ready to embrace a series of transformative changes.
Jemma Robinson, with her extensive background as a former registered care home manager and her current role as the chief operating officer of Person Centred Software, provides insights into emerging trends, innovative practices, and the future direction of social care.
1. Embracing tech and transforming care delivery
The Government outlined its vision for the digital transformation of the social care sector in the 'People at the Heart of Care' white paper, published in December 2021. This document highlighted the necessity for innovation and modernisation within social care, urging providers to embrace digital tools. Since its release, the landscape of social care has evolved dramatically.
This shift has represented a fundamental change in how care is delivered, ensuring that information flows efficiently and enabling a more coordinated approach to resident care.
Over 70% of care providers have successfully integrated digital social care record systems (DSCRs) into their operations. These systems have been favoured over traditional paper-based methods for care planning due to their numerous advantages.
The switch to DSCRs, such as mCare, has improved accuracy, faster access to information, and enhanced communication among care teams, ultimately leading to better resident outcomes, among other benefits. With the widespread adoption of digital social care record systems now a reality, the question arises: what are the next steps for the sector?
The social care sector has numerous opportunities to harness technology, enabling care teams to work more efficiently and effectively. As technological advancements continue to shape the sector, care providers have a growing array of digital tools at their disposal.
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Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate a significant transformation in the sector, particularly through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI has the potential to revolutionise how we predict health outcomes by analysing health data to detect patterns and risks. This predictive capability will not only facilitate proactive care but also enable care teams to make informed decisions based on real-time insights.
By utilising AI data analytics, providers can better understand the health needs of residents, allowing them to adapt and respond effectively to the evolving requirements of the population they serve.
At Person Centred Software, we are working on a range of innovative new digital tools designed to enhance the quality of care provided. Our focus is on creating solutions that not only meet but exceed the expectations of care providers and the individuals they serve.
With these exciting developments on the horizon, we encourage you to stay tuned for more updates and innovations coming your way!
Regulatory challenges
The regulatory landscape of social care in England is experiencing significant changes.
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One of the key developments is the rollout of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) Single Assessment framework, which began in December 2023.
The Single Assessment is designed to offer a comprehensive and real-time evaluation of care quality across various social care settings. By implementing a more detailed assessment process, the CQC aims to gain a more precise and accurate understanding of how care providers are performing. This approach will help ensure that care standards are maintained and individuals receive the high-quality support they deserve.
Person Centred Software has established a partnership with Fulcrum and Delphi Care Solutions to provide comprehensive support to our customers in navigating the complexities of compliance with the CQC's standards.
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Fulcrum and Delphi Care Solutions have extensive experience and expertise in regulatory compliance and can assist organisations in understanding and implementing the necessary changes required by the CQC.
If you struggle to keep up with the evolving regulatory landscape or face challenges in meeting compliance requirements, we highly encourage you to connect with our partners. They are equipped to help you through every step of the process, ensuring you have the necessary guidance and resources to maintain compliance and uphold the quality of care your service users deserve.
Addressing workforce challenges
One of the ongoing and significant challenges the adult social care sector faces is the persistent issue of workforce shortages. Numerous reports from reputable sources have underscored that chronic underfunding in social care is a principal factor contributing to these workforce challenges.
The sector is experiencing a severe shortage of skilled professionals, including care workers, nurses, and social workers, all of whom play critical roles in providing high-quality care to vulnerable individuals. This shortage is putting strain on the existing workforce, which is unable to keep up with the rising demand for care services driven by an ageing population.
This situation raises an important question: Can technology help address staffing shortages in your care home? The short answer is yes!
Our dependency tool, (part of our Connected Care Platform), helps maximise staffing in care homes. This innovative software allows care home managers to make data-led decisions on staff allocation based on their skill mix, levels and resident needs.
By entering information about staff shifts and the number of available beds, as well as assessing resident dependency based on various factors, managers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the staffing needs of their current situation.
This approach will help them deliver a higher standard of person-centred care using clear and interpretable metrics such as skilled hours needed, day and night staffing ratios, occupancy levels and more!
In summary, the tool helps managers make better decisions, resulting in increased retention rates and support for residents. It also allows care homes to manage their staffing resources more effectively, enabling more accurate fee forecasting based on resident needs and reducing unnecessary costs associated with agency workers.
If you want to ensure your staffing matches your resident's needs and you have the right skills mix to deliver high-quality care, schedule a consultation with our team now!
A greater focus on person-centred care
Recent CQC inspections have shown an increased focus on person-centred care. This approach involves not only adapting services to meet individual needs but also ensuring that every decision respects the preferences, dignity, and rights of the people receiving care and support.
For our existing customers, you are likely already aware of how our person-centred software aligns with this philosophy; the essence of our commitment is reflected in our very name, Person Centred Software!
Our digital solutions not only help your organisation comply with regulators and improve outcomes but also help you deliver a more person-centred approach.
Click here to discover more!
Prioritising feedback
Regulatory bodies, such as the Care Quality Commission in England, the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, the Care Inspectorate Wales, and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland, highly prioritise feedback.
For example, part of the CQC's new assessment framework, 'The importance of people's experience', focuses on what matters to people. The CQC encourages people who use services and organisations representing or acting on their behalf to share their experiences at any time. The regulator values people's experiences as highly as other sources of evidence and weighs them equally with other evidence categories.
Actively listening to and taking action based on individuals' experiences of care is fundamental for fostering quality improvement and accountability in the social care sector.
Collecting feedback from those receiving care empowers individuals who rely on care services and encourages care homes to implement meaningful changes.
Care providers can enhance service delivery and improve resident satisfaction by understanding residents' needs, preferences, and concerns. Gathering and responding to feedback plays a vital role in shaping care services' overall effectiveness and responsiveness, ensuring they meet the evolving demands of those they care for.
A wide variety of feedback software solutions are available in the market, each tailored to meet different organisational needs and objectives.
Our feedback solution stands out as it has been specifically designed and developed for care organisations.
Our Resident Experience Tool provides a wide range of benefits designed to enhance the quality of care and the experiences of residents.
One of its standout features is an advanced feedback survey that:
- Fully complies with all regulators across the UK
- Enables care providers to systematically gather and analyse the experiences of individuals receiving care through its advanced survey software
- Provides feedback through in-app services so that residents' voices are heard
The module's easy-to-use survey creator with custom options allows care providers to tailor the surveys however they wish! This flexibility enables providers to tailor questions to gather the best insights they seek.
Once the surveys are created, they can be easily published and shared with residents and their families.
This process enhances engagement and ensures all stakeholders can voice their opinions and experiences.
Book a demo to see the Resident Experience Tool in action!
Better interoperability
Professor Martin Green OBE, CEO of Care England, recently emphasised the lack of integration across health and social care systems, often leaving providers without a complete picture of a person's journey.
He stated, "We need systems that support people from diagnosis to high-level care, capturing critical interventions along the way,".
Sharing information between health and social care services and using an interoperable system, such as mCare, is crucial in providing the best possible care for individuals.
Sharing information about the individuals receiving care, along with specific details regarding their care, treatment and support, enables health and care staff to have all the information they need when they need it. This helps them to make informed decisions about people's care and keep them in the best possible health.
Additionally, it prevents the individuals receiving care from having to repeat their circumstances multiple times when between services.
When considering going digital or switching care software suppliers, care providers should opt for a supplier that provides an interoperable digital social care record system like ours.
Interoperable systems provide significant benefits to the safety and quality of resident care. In addition, having data shared and understood across health and social care services can result in improved health outcomes and organisational productivity.
Having interoperable software has many other benefits; click here to learn more.
Supporting the care workforce with training
In 2023, the CQC published its annual 'State of Care' report (2022/23), which assesses health care and social care in England.
The report looks at the trends, shares examples of 'good' and 'outstanding' care, and highlights where care needs to improve. The CQC conducted surveys and organised focus groups with care professionals to better understand what constitutes good workforce wellbeing.
One of the main points raised by these professionals was the need for employers and leaders to actively support their staff's professional development through training and regular performance appraisals.
In addition, several other reports concerning the care workforce were released. One example is the New Economics Foundation (NEF) report, a British think tank that advocates for social, economic, and environmental justice.
The report titled 'A Care Workforce Fit for Britain' highlights on its first page that the main reason care needs remain unmet is the lack of trained care workers.
The issue of insufficient training for care workers has been a longstanding challenge within the sector, directly affecting the quality of care that individuals can provide.
Many individuals entering the profession begin their roles without adequate background knowledge or skill set, leading to challenges in meeting the needs of the individuals they care for.
This gap in training impacts not only the care workers themselves but also the vulnerable populations relying on them for essential support.
Recognising the challenges above, in 2024, Person Centred Software decided to prioritise learning and development initiatives to enhance the workforce's skills and capabilities and improve the wellbeing of residents across the UK.
Learning and development are essential for helping individuals acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality care and support.
To further this initiative, we acquired Redcrier Training Solutions, one of the largest and most reputable training suppliers in the UK care sector, further expanding our Connected Care offering.
Harnessing data to identify areas of improvement
In the ever-changing landscape of social care, it is crucial to maintain not only high standards of care but also operational excellence across all aspects of the organisation.
To achieve these objectives, one of the most effective strategies is the implementation of thorough benchmarking processes. Benchmarking involves systematically comparing your care home's performance metrics, practices, and outcomes against competitors. This process allows care homes to identify areas where they excel, as well as areas that require improvement.
Regularly evaluating your care home in comparison to competitors facilitates a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. As care homes adopt best practices, they can ensure that they deliver the highest service standards, ultimately contributing to better resident satisfaction and overall wellbeing.
Regularly engaging in this process empowers care providers to make informed decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and adapt to emerging trends in the industry, ensuring sustained excellence in care provision.
Our benchmarking and analytics capabilities enable you to thoroughly assess your care home's performance in comparison to similar providers and reveal areas that may require improvement, allowing you to address any potential issues before regulatory bodies flag them.
With our expertise, care homes can enhance their care organisation's operations, ensure compliance, and ultimately provide residents with a higher standard of care.
To learn more, click here.
The Road Ahead
As we look to the future, it is essential for care providers to adopt a comprehensive approach to technology integration.
While the Government mandates the implementation of a digital social care record system, this should only be the starting point.
Care providers should actively seek out a variety of digital solutions that complement their digital records and enhance overall care quality. For instance, tools that enhance the resident experience or AI-driven tools that help care homes analyse data to uncover trends and identify areas where improvements are necessary; the list goes on!
Furthermore, leveraging technology can streamline administrative tasks, improve care coordination, and facilitate better communication among care teams, families, and residents.
By staying open to innovative solutions, care providers can meet regulatory requirements and foster a more efficient, responsive, and enriched care environment for everyone involved.
Embracing technology in all its forms is more than just a necessity; it is an opportunity to transform the quality of care.
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