The benefits of digital care planning in health and social care

The use of digital care planning in health and social care provides an easy, quick and convenient way to record care notes and access resident care plans when on the go 

CQC (the Care Quality Commission) want to see careproviders plan, manage and monitor careusing digital care planning software. Aside from that, they want to see careplans that are person-centred, accessible, legible and accurate, which is an impossible task with paper careplans.  

Moving to a new way of working can be daunting when changing how you record and evidence care, especially when shifting from paper-based documentation to digital care planning. However, there are many benefits for the careindustry when it comes to digital care planning.  

Advantages of digital care planning in health and social care 

The care industry is facing change; the Digitising Social Care Records Programme aims for all CQC-registered adult social care providers to access a Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) that can interoperate with a Local Shared Care Record by 2024. 

Replacing traditional paper records with digital ones allows care providers to record care information digitally and brings tremendous advances for care providers across England.  

How does digital care planning in health and social care help care providers?  

Switching to digital has many benefits:

• Saves care providers an hour a day 
• Helps to minimise risks such as medication errors, dehydration or missed visits
• Records real-time information about the care that is being provided  
• Makes it easier for care providers who use services to access their resident’s care records
• Helps providers and carers to be aware when people’s needs change, enabling a quick response
• Helps to manage and support staff to do their job effectively and efficiently
• Offers the ability to use and compare data to improve people’s care
• Enables care notes to be easily stored, requiring less physical space
• Helps information to be shared quickly, accurately and safely
• Supports better use of resources across the health and care system. 

How does digital care planning help staff? 

• Allows care providers instant access to a person’s information and preferences, enabling them to provide responsive and person-centred care  
• Reduces time spent on phone calls and writing reports to focus on spending time with residents and providing the best care environment  
• Care providers can instantly share information with hospitals and external professionals via the eRedBag (electronic hospital pack) to give people the best quality of care at every stage of their health and social care journey  
• If the resident’s family member has power of attorney for care, they can sign their loved one’s care plan digitally without having a face-to-face meeting every month. 

How does digital care planning help residents?

Digital care planning will dramatically improve the standard of care by:  

• Improved safety in clinical care - providing a documented record that is always available to authorised carers 
• Improved CQC reports 

• Reduced hospital admissions - health and care professionals have more information about the individual when making their professional decisions  
• Improved data security and digital audit trail 
• Access to residents’ information is available at any time, meaning care providers are better informed to deliver quality care  
• Increased care home uptake by completing the Data Security Protection Toolkit (DSPT) (enables care providers to integrate a variety of digital tools)  
• As a result of this DSPT prerequisite, there is an increase in onboarding and usage of the NHSmail, improving relationships and secure communications across health and adult social care. 
• Reduced phone calls and manual requests for resident’s information 

Because our Digital Care Planning Software helps to improve CQC scores and compliance with the regulator, gives carers more time to spend with residents doing the things they enjoy, as well as has an efficient and person-centred way of creating care notes with its icon-driven interface, users of the system have said its the best digital care planning software in the UK!  

Discover more about person-centred care plans here.