What is Digital Healthcare and How Are Families Benefiting From Care Home Software?

Many care homes are moving away from traditional systems and towards modern innovations. Products like Found CRM have transformed the digital healthcare and care home software sectors, making it far easier for homes to manage care enquiries, staff training and a range of other aspects that go into the daily running of a care home.

Here, we’ve looked at what digital healthcare is, the different types of care home software being used today and the benefits of it - both for families and for the care homes themselves.

What is Digital Healthcare?

Digital healthcare refers to a range of digital services and technologies. They can be applied to just about every area of modern society, including helping care homes offer a better service - improving their processes while also providing bespoke person-centred care to every resident.

Through digital healthcare, care homes use computing platforms, connectivity, software and other forms of technology to improve their systems and the overall home experience.

Using digital healthcare in a care home makes it easier to manage care enquiries. In turn, this makes it easier for families to find care, as a home’s systems will be better set up, including:

• Knowing how many beds are free
• Having all enquiries in one place
• Being able to deal with these enquiries more efficiently and effectively

Every member of staff will be aware of the enquiries at their care home. This means you can speak to any member of the care team and they’ll know about your or your loved one’s specific enquiry and care journey.

What Care Home Software Is Being Used Today?

Below, we’ve listed various pieces of care home software which have entered the marketplace over the last few years. Each of these aims to make the process of operating, running and managing a care home easier and smoother.

Enquiry, occupancy and finance modules

Found CRM is the leading piece of care home software for managing occupancy and care enquiries.

You can also use Found CRM to:

• Assign and manage tasks and follow-ups
• Analyse key pieces of data through advanced reports
• Stay up to date using reminders and alerts
• Keep all data protected and secure
• Provide your staff with support and training

Digital care plans

Care plans clearly lay out the support a resident needs and how this support will be provided. They also include things such as hobbies, medical history, medication, goals and aspirations.

A digital care plan allows this invaluable information to be accessed on the go, such as through a mobile app or a different form of care home software. Aside from being highly accessible, digital care plans are also much easier to use and update (as they save carers from having to sift through mountains of notes).

Through a digital care plan, everything will be recorded in a clear and easy-to-understand format. They’re always accessible yet still secure, and can be changed or adapted as required.

Family portals

Family portals provide valuable insight into the day-to-day care of a loved one living in a care home. Family portals can be used to share photos and highlight some of the best experiences a family member has had in care, including care home activities.

Key pieces of history are often also recorded, allowing carers to provide a bespoke experience.

Using KareInn, families are given peace of mind that their loved one is receiving high-quality care and an overall fulfilling home experience, often through meaningful activities that can be shared using the portal.

Family members can also ask any questions they have directly to staff, while residents will be given greater control over other aspects of care such as their care plan, meal preferences and daily routine

Medication management

Through medication management, the medication every resident requires will be tracked, including dosages and schedules. Having this information makes it easier for staff to ensure the administration of medication runs like clockwork.

Automating the process of medication management is especially useful for care homes that have a large number of residents regularly taking multiple medicines. While care homes will already have their own systems in place, digital systems reduce administration and record information regarding medication taken by residents in real-time.

Omnicell allows care homes to track medication, including real-time stock and inventory. This information can also be presented during an inspection.

Staff management

Digital healthcare can be used in a home to effectively manage staff. This can include things like payroll, clocking in and out, DBS checks, sickness, holidays and filling open shifts.

Often, staff working in a home using this type of product will be given a tailored dashboard which includes all of the above information.

Care training

Care training ensures staff stay up to date with the latest training, including any mandatory courses, advanced courses or care certificates. They allow staff to access these training materials and modules in one easy-to-use place.

These pieces of care home software can also be used to identify any gaps within a home by looking at individual and team progress alike.

Wellness technology platforms

As the name suggests, wellness technology aims to boost emotional and physical health for care home residents.

Staff and residents alike benefit from these platforms. Through Oomph, homes are given access to wellbeing and activities training for staff, alongside a platform that offers inspiration for activities, bespoke content and more.

Often, these platforms use measurable outcomes which allow staff to actively track the wellbeing and overall happiness of residents.

How Are Families Benefiting From Care Home Software?

Here are some of the ways families and people in care will benefit from these types of care home software:

• It’s easier to keep track of residents’ records, including the medication they take and other care needs

• The care and support needs of every resident in a home can be quickly and easily re-assessed to see if they’ve changed at all

• Some forms of care home software make it easier for prospective residents to get a complete picture of a care home team, including carers, registered nurses and home managers. This comprehensive record allows you to put faces and names to the people that’ll be looking after your loved one

• It’s easier for staff to provide person-centred care tailored to the individual needs of residents

How Do Care Homes Benefit From These Digital Health Technologies?

Here are some of the ways care homes benefit from using the different forms of technology we’ve discussed in this article:

• Admin time is reduced. For example, you won’t have to enter numerous data points and pieces of information into multiple systems. Instead, it can all go into a single place

• There won’t be any inconsistencies between records as they’ll all be in the same place, so won’t need to be updated across multiple spreadsheets

• Data is secure and much less likely to be lost

• Day-to-day workload is lessened, particularly for managers who are often required to stay on top of numerous pieces of information across a large number of residents and staff

• Better reporting through tools that allow data to be measured, monitored and tracked. Managers can also identify priorities, along with which elements of care do or don’t need adjusting

• It’s easier to present relevant information to a care regulator such as the Care Quality Commission in England or the Care Inspectorate in Scotland when they inspect your home

• Auditing is also a much quicker process as all your information will be in one convenient place

Digital-First Care Homes

Found CRM is partnered with many forward-thinking, digital-first care home operators, and we also list some of their homes on Lottie. These include:

Fairmile Grange Care Home in Christchurch, Dorset

Oaktree Court Care Home in Wellington, Somerset

The Burlington Care Home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

Shinfield View Care Home in Reading, Berkshire

Ryefield Court Care Home in Harrow, Greater London

Baycroft Great Baddow Care Home in Chelmsford, Essex

Brampton Manor Care Home in Newmarket, Suffolk

Milton Ernest Care Home in Bedford, Bedfordshire

Burcot Grange Care Home in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

Leycester House Care Home in Warwick, Warwickshire

Cedar Mews Care Home in Leicester, Leicestershire