Surrey care home celebrating thousands of hours of paperwork saved since going digital

Published in Care Home Professional

A Downing Care owned and operated residential care home in Surrey is celebrating 5 years of switching to a digital care planning and monitoring system – a decision that has saved each carer up to 2,000 hours of paperwork and enabled them to transform care delivery by focussing on residents.

Previously, The Chestnuts had been using a paper-based system, which saw carers spending up to an hour per day documenting care interactions. Since switching to Person Centred Software’s Mobile Care Monitoring 5 years ago, staff have been able to free themselves of burdensome admin, allowing them to focus on their residents instead.

Speaking of their decision to switch to a digital care system, Home Manager Beata Czapla said: “I’m always looking for new ways of bringing technology into the home. It was 2015 when we first started using Person Centred Software’s Mobile Care Monitoring, our main motivation being to enable carers to spend more time with their residents.”

“Prior to using Mobile Care Monitoring, our staff had to record all interactions on paper in their individual diaries, which was very time consuming. Now, by using the software and a mobile device to document care as and when tasks are complete, up to an hour per day of admin is being saved. This hour can be spent interacting with our residents instead, and we’ll often use the extra time for activities such as baking and arts and crafts, which are much more beneficial to the residents.”

As a Home Manager, Beata has also felt the benefits of being able to access detailed care records from anywhere and at any time – particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw Person Centred Software implement eight new features to protect the elderly and vulnerable.

“There are so many advantages to going digital. Not only are you saving time, but as a Manager you have all of the information that you could possibly need in one place and it’s easily accessible. I can track exactly what is going on within the home, even without being physically present, and it’s really helpful for team leaders and shift leaders to monitor details such as the fluid intake, bowel movements and activities of our residents.

This is particularly helpful if a family member wants to know what a relative was doing on a particular day and at a particular time. We can easily and quickly find that out without having to go through extensive paperwork. Information can also be easily shared with the family, which has helped to strengthen relationships with relatives, especially during the pandemic when there has been an increased need for transparency between the home and family members that have been unable to visit.” Beata said.

The software has proven so beneficial to customers since the onset of the pandemic that it was recently awarded Best COVID-19 Software Solution in the Health Tech Digital Awards 2020. The software’s new functions, coupled with the practical design of the wipeable Ascom device that houses it and minimises unnecessary contact with paper and plastic, has been fundamental in helping care homes reduce the risk of spreading infection.

Speaking of The Chestnut’s milestone, Heidi Thomas, Head of Marketing of Person Centred Software says: “Our mission with Mobile Care Monitoring was to develop a software that enables carers to deliver outstanding levels of care to their residents, and we’re delighted to hear that we’ve been able to help The Chestnuts in successfully doing this. Time is valuable. To hear just how much of this has been saved through the use of our software, and how the home has been better able to use this time, is fantastic.

We look forward to continuing our work with them and other care homes across the world, helping to drive further efficiencies across the sector for the benefit of carers, residents and relatives alike.”