What is Digital Healthcare and How Are Families Benefiting From Care Home Software?
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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.
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Found is the leading CRM and occupancy product for care homes.
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.
Found CRM is a perfect example of a product that utilises digital healthcare to provide care homes with a streamlined means of operating on a daily basis.
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
Found CRM can also easily integrate with several other systems such as Google Ads, WordPress or your own website. Using Found CRM, care homes can quickly fill their beds while tracking occupancy and care enquiries through a single, easy-to-use portal.
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.
There are a variety of digital care plan products available, including Person Centred Software and Nourish - and Found CRM is able to integrate with both of these.
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.
Found CRM provides free-of-charge intensive training to all its users. The Found team also regularly visit the homes they’re partnered with to offer in-person training for everyone.
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
