Care Planning Solutions

Everything you need to know about care planning and care plans

Person Centred Software is working hard to simplify and digitise the social care sector by creating a wide range of easy-to-use products for care providers.

Our Connected Care Platform covers the full spectrum of care management through integrated solutions that help drive outstanding care and improve the lives of those receiving care and those working in the sector. One of those innovative solutions is mCare.  

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How does mCare support care homes with care planning and delivering high-quality person-centred care? 

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Built for carers and loved by carers, the UK's most widely used digital social care record system, mCare, has been helping care providers deliver high-quality, person-centred care for the last decade. You can create, manage, monitor and evidence digital social care records effortlessly with mCare’s care planning tools.  

mCare's care planning tools, such as body maps, fluid and nutrition monitoring, oral hygiene, wound care, review cycles, and much more, are all integrated to provide comprehensive, detailed and up-to-date care plans. mCare combines all the essential information for carers, ensuring they have the information they need to deliver outstanding care. 

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What are the benefits of care planning with mCare? 

Supporting operational performance and the delivery of care 

The benefits of digital care planning have been widely discussed in the care sector due to the government's aim for all CQC-registered adult social care providers to have access to a Digital Social Care Record by 2024.   

mCare meets the government's target of digitised care records and gives care providers all the information they need for CQC inspections, helping to improve CQC scores. mCare also comes with the largest and most experienced support and implementation team to ensure success, an extensive network of integrated partners and multiple benefits, such as:  

  • Helps to create comprehensive person-centred care plans 

  • Allows care providers to get everything they need on a single device  

  • Improves care outcomes and the delivery of care  

  • Gives care teams more time to spend with residents doing the things they enjoy  

  • Enables care staff to evidence care as it happens, in real-time, making creating care notes more efficient and person-centred  
  • Provides secure digital access 

  • Improves people's journeys between health and care services, helping to enhance the coordination of care to facilitate quicker diagnosis and treatment  

  • Enhances operational performance  

  • Ensures a more personalised approach to care  

  • Helps to enhance the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of care staff and residents and much more!  

Everyone deserves the best possible care during vulnerable times, and we're working hard to create a brighter future for social care with our digital social care record system, mCare.  

What is care planning?

Care planning allows care providers to understand why a resident is receiving care, the resident's medical history, preferences and personal details. It also provides vital information to care staff to help them provide the best possible care, support and treatment, helping to improve residents' safety and quality of life.   

It is essential that care plans meet the social and medical needs of the people care staff support; one of our highest priorities at Person Centred Software is ensuring residents receive the best care possible. Creating comprehensive person-centred care plans through care planning system's, such as mCare, allows care providers to access residents' preferences and important information at the point of care when and where it's needed, as well as enables care staff to deliver high-quality, safe and personalised care more efficiently.  

carer doing home visit

How does care planning ensure consistency of care? 

A key function of creating and using care plans is to ensure there is consistency in the care that is provided, no matter who is caring for the person. If a good care plan is in place, then despite staff changeovers, rota changes, visits or schedule changes, the care provided will always be consistent and the quality of care will remain high. 

How does care planning help teams deliver care?

We are all unique, and therefore one approach for all does not work when caring for people. Care teams are the people providing the care each day and part of that is being aware and reactive to any changes such as changes in needs or preferences. Care plans can be updated which then helps care staff to deliver care in the best and most efficient way possible.   

carer comforting woman

What is a care plan in health and social care and why are care plans important?

Care plans are essential in order to provide outstanding quality care  

A care plan is a plan of how to care for someone; it is documented information that efficiently describes the following:   

  • The type of support the person being cared for requires  

  • The best way to provide the support  

  • What is important to the person being cared for  
  • Considerations on ensuring safety for the person being cared for  

  • Planning of actions such as 'what are we going to do' and 'who is responsible for which actions'

A care plan in health and social care is crucial in ensuring that the appropriate and right level of care is provided and that the resident's wishes and preferences are respected.  

Each individual is different, and everyone has different needs and wants, preferences, wishes, and abilities. Therefore, understanding the needs of each resident is essential for a truly person-centred approach. Care planning allows staff to provide person-centred care tailored to everyone's needs easily. 

Care plans are also essential for providing outstanding quality care; they help outline the level of care needed for each person and help direct care workers on the roles they need to undertake to provide good quality care. 

It's important to have a care plan for each individual due to the varying levels of support needed, requirements, and preferences. Here at Person Centred Software, we ensure that our digital social care record system, mCare, allows care providers to set up each resident's regular care requirements with its Plan Day Care feature, which also helps to forecast how many staff members will be required per shift. We also ensure that carers can provide person-centred interactions through various features such as 'who I am' even when clinical interventions are needed.  

For example, a person being cared for has low blood glucose levels, and it is noted that they love red jelly babies; knowing this means that you can easily and comfortably boost their blood glucose levels through a person-centred clinical intervention.  

The care plan aims to provide a better overall outcome for the resident; one major advantage of digitally created care plans is that they take significantly less time to create, meaning care teams can spend more time with residents.   

Carer delivering care to elderly resident
The benefits of digital care planning in health and social care
electronic care planning
Person-Centred Care Plans   


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Handsale Improves Staff Retention with Digital Care Plans

What does creating a care plan involve? 

Creating a care plan is often a collaborative process with the person being cared for, relatives and carers.   

In order to create a care plan, a full review of the person being cared for is undertaken so that areas of need can be considered.  It is important to set goals and plan actions around these goals with clear direction. 

Here are a few examples of the types of support that might be included in a care plan:  

  • What's important to you

  • What you can do yourself  

  • An assessment of your care needs  

  • Your wishes and preferences  
  • Adaptations or equipment to make your home more comfortable and safer  

  • A personal alarm that can be used in case of an emergency  

  • Records of care that have been provided   

  • Desired outcomes 

What's an example of a good care plan?

Generally, a good care plan will contain two key themes central to care planning within the MCA framework: involvement and keeping the resident's wishes at the centre of their care and support.   

The MCA (Mental Capacity Act) provides a framework for social care commissioners when commissioning services for people who may be unable, either permanently or temporarily, to make some or all decisions about their care. Involving individuals in decisions about their care is fundamental to the principles of the MCA and should be evident in all care and support plans. 

In order for a care plan to be good and effective, it should also possess the following characteristics: 

elderly man and carer looking at care plan
  • Detailed, well-structured and organised, clearly outlining exactly what care and support needs to be provided  

  • Kept up-to-date at all times 

  • Easily understood by the resident receiving the care and the professionals who provide it. 

  • Are 'owned' by the resident receiving care 

  • Maintains the independence of the person receiving care 

  • Continually reviewed and updated 

  • Adaptable to the individual's needs and preferences 

  • Includes details of how the resident's progress will be monitored and how outcomes will be achieved 

  • Allows flexibility to meet changing needs, circumstances, and preferences 

  • Safe and secure (as the care plan contains sensitive information) 

  • Easily accessible by health and care professionals involved in the resident's care 

When are care plans created?

Creating a care plan is a collaborative process involving the person receiving care, their family or advocates, and care professionals. Care plans are created once an assessment of the individual's needs has been completed; this helps determine the level and type of support required. The care plan outlines the objectives and potential outcomes to be achieved, ensuring that everyone involved is on the same page. 

Who writes a care plan?

Care plans are created by care professionals who support the individual receiving care to express their preferences for how they would like to receive care and support. The care professional responsible for writing the care plan will provide information about the services that can be offered. 

How often are care plans reviewed?

A care plan should be evaluated continuously by care professionals. After the individual has lived with the changes recommended in their care plan for the agreed period, the care plan must be assessed and revised. 

It's essential to have a flexible care plan; if the resident's care needs change, it should be reviewed and adjusted to ensure it meets their needs and preferences.  

elderly woman and carer looking at care plan

Why should residents be involved in their care plans? 

Involving residents in their care plan and decisions about their health and care leads to better health and wellbeing and improved quality of care. It also ensures that residents make use of available health and care resources.  

In order to provide better care and support services, it's important for care providers to shift their focus from asking 'What is the matter with you?' to 'What matters to you?' - this is where person-centred care comes in.  

A person-centred approach involves the individual in their own care instead of relying solely on health and care professionals to make decisions for them - it emphasises shared decision-making, where the individual is regarded as an equal partner in their care. 

Can care providers combine plans from different services into their care plan? 

Yes, this is where multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) come in. Health and care services are increasingly being delivered in more joined-up and integrated ways, which delivers care for residents more efficiently and effectively.   

Yes, this is where multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) come in. Health and care services are increasingly being delivered in more joined-up and integrated ways, which delivers care for residents more efficiently and effectively.  

Person Centred Software’s care planning system, mCare, is ahead of the market compared to other digital social care record systems, and the depth and quality of the data on the system are amazing; the system enables our care teams to deliver high-quality, safe and person-centred care

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Tara, Registered Manager at Mulberry House, is now confident she can produce excellent information through mCare, regardless of whether it's for a CQC inspector, a social worker or a family member.   

Download our free guide 

We have created this guide to give you a comprehensive but visual breakdown of Digital Care Planning; we have ensured to include everything you need to know, such as: 
  • What to consider when choosing a system
  • How they are used
  • Information on our features and benefits
  • Interoperability – what it is, how we do it and why its important!
  • ... and so much more!
Feel free to also share with your team!  
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