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With the government’s pledge to make funding of £150 million available to support the digitalisation of adult social care and ICSs (integrated care systems) already giving grants to increase the uptake of digital social care records, going digital is on the tip of everyone’s tongue. We’re taking a deep dive into digital social care records, what they are, who supplies them and the benefits of switching to a digital care management platform.
A digital social care record or digital care plan enables care providers to digitally record care information received by an individual at the point of delivery. These replace traditional paper records and allow data to be shared securely between care settings. The NHS Transformation Directorate has launched an assured supplier list to support adult social care providers in England to purchase a quality-assured DSCR solution.
Digital social care records are supplied by care management platforms. These systems typically help providers save time and money, deliver person-centred care and keep their data secure. To get onto the assured supplier list companies have to undergo rigorous selection criteria to meet functional requirements and standards that reflect the priorities and needs of care services. By selecting a platform from this list, you may be entitled to government funding to help cover the cost.
As well as the funding available for digital care records, digitalisation helps care providers:
Get time back
How much time does your team spend trawling through paper records, or writing up the care they’ve delivered? A care management platform can help you save lots of time – for each team member – every single shift. Day-in-day-out, that really adds up. Other features of a care management platform like easy-fill responses and templates can make recording care simpler and quicker too.
Save money and increase capacity
With the government funding currently available for care providers, switching to digital will save on paper, printing and storage facilities. You might be surprised by how much space you could gain by storing all your data online. Think about your current system for storing documentation – how many rooms does it take up? The space you save might even be enough room for additional members of staff or increase capacity for residents.
Deliver person-centred care
A care management platform puts the individual back into the heart of their care. Record consent, review care plans and help them make informed decisions about their care and treatment options, at the click of a button.
Has hard-to-read handwriting ever led to messy handovers, or even worse, medication errors? Having your care or support plans all in digital form means they can be found extremely quickly. This creates less stress for your team and a better experience for your service users.
Easily create reports
Friends and family members with loved ones in care, the CQC, CIW, RQIA and the Care Inspectorate all rely on you to evidence the care you're providing. A care management platform will allow you to easily report on the care your service has been delivering. It also aids evidence-based decision-making – by analysing the data your care service generates, you can make operational decisions that benefit your business and your residents.
Keep your data safe
Data protection is a safeguarding issue for care providers and paper systems are notoriously insecure. With GDPR (that dreaded term!) it’s more important than ever to ensure that all of your documents are stored securely.
When your data is stored on a secure care management platform, you can maintain complete control over who can use your system and what they can access.
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Ready to make the switch to a digital social care record? Our partner, Log my Care, is the only care management platform that offers a free Starter Plan, giving care providers everything they need to go paperless. And if you want to upgrade to a Pro Plan, get in touch and they’ll help you secure funding from your local ICS. Visit their website for more information.
