40 CARE HOME PROFESSIONAL | August 2019
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION PERSON CENTRED SOFTWARE
plus set up an attendance register and
plan a rota for the day. Training for staff
members is extremely important so
that they can see the full benefits of the
system for themselves.
Over the six years since Person
Centred Software launched its Mobile
Care Monitoring system, the company
has continually developed its processes
to further help care homes change to
digital reporting.
Kim explains: “Our training team
talk the home manager through the
structure of the implementation
process and the detail of the training
days, before booking in the training. We
provide an easy to follow guide of how
to import basic information to create
residents and staff profiles, which
only takes a short time to complete.
Then all mobile devices ordered by the
care home from us are configured and
delivered ahead of training.”
Step 3: The First Training Day
Kim adds: “Our philosophy is that
most people learn from doing, and
practicing, so we are very hands-on and
people centred. The system is designed
to be very simple to learn, with picture
icons that are easy for carers to use to
evidence care.”
The morning training session is for
the senior management team, where
we guide them through how the system
works and how to enter more detail
onto residents’ records to make them
person-centred. The afternoon training
is for anyone who provides care. Within
the first few minutes the staff will be
entering simple care notes. The staff will
then continue to learn to quickly record
different care interactions, including
handover notes. At the end of care staff
sessions, there is time to practice with
support from the trainer.Step 4: And they’re off!
“It’s very easy to have some training
and then do nothing,” warns Kim. “So,
we encourage care homes to start using
the system the very next day, while care
staff have the training fresh in their
minds and are enthusiastic.
“It may seem a bit scary to just ‘go
for it’ the next day, but our records
indicate that over 85% of care homes
successfully start using the system the
day after training.”
The management team don’t
need to do anything or enter further
information to enable care staff to
start evidencing care. As the staff and
resident profiles have already been
created before the training, the care
staff can just pick up the device, log in
and start recording care notes.
Normally during the first 24 hours, a
photo of each resident is taken using the
device which automatically uploads to
the management software. Now anyone,
including agency staff, can recognise the
resident on the device. Once staff can
use the device and record a care note,
there’s no need for additional training
for the devices. It’s that simple!“Care homes notice that the volume
of data collected increases by a huge
amount,” Kim adds. “People start
by evidencing what they historically
would document on any given day, such
as personal care. But because it’s so
easy to use, staff also start to note the
little things like cups of tea, chats and
activities. All this information builds
a clear picture of how each resident is
cared for.”Step 5: Progress to Care Planning
A few weeks after the home has been
using the devices, Person Centred
Software holds a second training day on
the topic of care planning. This enables
the care management team to bring
all the recorded information into an
electronic care plan. Managers can see
what the team has been recording but
also what they’re missing, since they
now have the tools within the system to
identify and act straight away.
Kim explains: “One of the reasons
the care planning training happens
after the initial training is to maximise
the use of the huge volume of care notes
that are generated every day, which
is then fed into the care plans. Care
homes usually review care plans every
28 days or so. This enables paper-based
care plans to be gradually phased to
electronic documents and ensures the
system is person-centred and more
valuable for care staff.”
Kim concludes: “We keep in touch
with home managers after training
to ensure all questions have been
answered and resolve any issues. We
also encourage our customers to set
up user groups to share best practice
with other care homes in their region
and to feedback on the development
of the system. After nearly six years of
training care homes and supporting
the move from paper to electronic
care planning, we continue to evolve
to ensure everyone has a positive
experience of leaping into the digital
world in care and ultimately continue
to drive outstanding care.”Contact Person Centred Software to book a demonstration of Mobile Care Monitoring:
Call: 01483 357657: [email protected]; http://www.personcentredsoftware.com