Recommended Providers of Digital Care Records Platforms

There is a big push by the Government’s Digitising Social Care Records Programme for domiciliary care companies to adopt a digital care records platform.

Care Management Matters talks about the government’s target to have 80% of all registered care providers adopting a digital care records platform by March 2024.  It emphasises the reasons for this including:

  1. Simplify access to clients’ care records for service providers.
  2. Enable instant access to up-to-date care information.
  3. Enhance clinical efficiency and patient care quality by promoting consistency, mitigating risks, and reducing hospital stay durations.
  4. Bridge the gap between health and social care services, ensuring timely and appropriate care delivery through improved integration.
  5. Streamline care for individuals with multiple conditions by eliminating the need for repetitive explanations to various healthcare providers.
  6. Enable care providers to promptly respond to changing patient needs through real-time updates.
  7. Optimise staff performance and efficiency through improved management and support systems.
  8. Facilitate data-driven improvements in patient care through comparative analysis.
  9. Help improve CQC reporting, when providing key data.
  10. Minimise physical storage requirements by digitising care notes.
  11. Help provide a digital audit trail.
  12. Expedite secure information sharing among healthcare professionals.
  13. Optimise resource allocation and utilisation across the health and care system.

According to the CQC, a good digital social care records system should include the following:

  1. Person-centred Records: Records should reflect the person’s unique needs, preferences, and choices, emphasising what matters most to them.
  2. User-Friendly Access: Information should be easily accessible and understandable to the individual and relevant health and care professionals, in their preferred format.
  3. Clear Readability: All recorded information should be clearly written and easily comprehensible for those involved in the individual’s care.
  4. Data Accuracy: Records must contain correct information without errors.
  5. Comprehensive Information: All relevant and essential details about the individual should be included, with no critical omissions.
  6. Timely Updates: Records should consistently contain the most current and pertinent information about the individual.
  7. Constant Availability: Authorised personnel should have access to records whenever necessary.
  8. Robust Security: Privacy and confidentiality must be safeguarded, with access restricted to authorized individuals only, in compliance with Data Protection legislation, including UK GDPR requirements.
  9. Effective Quality Assurance: The system should facilitate risk assessment, monitoring, and minimisation for the individual’s health, safety, and well-being, while supporting continuous improvement in care delivery.

So, where are you in your journey of going digital?

To help here’s a link to a list of assured digital providers – you might already be using one already – https://beta.digitisingsocialcare.co.uk/assured-solutions

Funding Options

If you need funding to set up your digital care records platform contact your local Integrated Care System using this link – https://beta.digitisingsocialcare.co.uk/find-funding-digital-projects/contact-your-ics