Care home group answers Sajid Javid's call for digital care records

Health Secretary Sajid Javid’s demand for all providers to embrace digital records has been answered by Care South, which is rolling out electronic care plans for its care home residents.

The not-for-profit care group has invested in new technology to deliver electronic care plans to ensure "the team can spend less time completing paperwork and remain focused on spending time looking after valued residents”.

'Better overview of all care needs'

Nominated relatives of people living in care homes will be able to get direct access to their loved one’s care plans as part of a new ‘Family Gateway’.

This will give them access to real-time care information and two-way communication with teams.

Care staff will also be “fully informed” of each resident’s care at the click of a button and Angie l’Anson, group practice development lead at Care South admits: “Electronic Care Planning is a really exciting opportunity for us at Care South.

“Not only does it enable our carers to easily access and record notes at the point of care, but it also facilitates the management and auditing of care plans and notes from anywhere and at any time, giving a better overview of all care needs."

Talbot View care home, a 59-bed care home in Bournemouth, is one of many sites operated by Care South undergoing the digital transformation.

“So far, it has been a great success. Our team has embraced the changes and can really see the benefits to both residents’ and their own working days. They enjoy how interactive and easy the system has been to use, even for our employees who are not used to smart phones and computers.”

80% of care providers must go digital by 2024

Health secretary Sajid Javid has set a target to get 80 per cent of care providers (including care homes and home care providers) using digital care records by March 2024.

But around 40 per cent of care providers are “still grappling entirely with paper-based records”, Mr Javid has said.

The government has announced £150 million to help fund digitisation in social care and Mr Javid wants "all social care providers to adopt a digital record for social care.

“We will work with the sector to deliver this in the most effective way we can, and offer support to those who need it. I expect every health and social care setting to see this as part of their basic responsibilities in looking after those in need.”

The government’s Integration white paper aims to give people better care, through better integration of the NHS and social care system. This includes giving patients a single, digital care record for them to book appointments, order prescriptions, and communicate with their care providers on one platform.

The health secretary added: “Technology can do so much to help people to live independent lives and minimise the time they spend in clinical settings.”

Angie l’Anson, group practice development lead at Care South, which also delivers home care, agrees about the benefits of going digital.

She added: “Research suggests that it leads to improved care delivery…meeting both medical and social needs, which saves time and results in a higher quality of care."

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