7 Myths About Home Care Software

Did you know that around 40% of UK home care agencies have yet to fully adopt home care management software?

Domiciliary care software mimics the way your busy carers like to work, helping them to save time, work more efficiently and improve the quality of care for your homecare clients.

But reluctance to adopt this new tech is often driven by myths that simply aren’t true.

In this blog, we’ll attempt to bust seven common myths about home care software and look at how this technology could transform and streamline your home care agency.

Myth 1: "Home Care Software Isn't Person-Centred"

Many carers believe that homecare software can't cater to the personal needs of the clients they support.

Reality: Modern home care software is designed with person-centred care at its core and can adapt to each client’s unique requirements, with features like personalised care plans, electronic medication administration records (eMar charts) and patient information updates in real time. To comply with the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) 5 fundamental standards, homecare software has to be well led and responsive to a patient’s needs.

Take the case of Cosgrove Care, where Rory tells us: “The system was tailor-made for the care sector. It’s family app is also really good. At Cosgrove, letting the people we support keep control of their lives is a key priority, and family involvement is a key part of that. The Tagtronics Care family and friends app enables people to be much more involved in their loved one’s care”.

Myth 2: "Home Care Software is Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks"

Cyber security threats of home care software are a major concern, especially data breaches of sensitive patient health data.

Reality: Home care software that is NHS Assured and CQC compliant employs top-tier robust security measures such as encryption (data is disguised with a secret code), two-factor authentication (two separate login steps), and regular audits to keep data safe and secure. The software also needs to meet stringent industry standards for data handling and data management to get recognised certification such as Cyber Essentials and ISO/IEC 27001.

Myth 3: "Care Planning is Too Complex for Software"

There’s a common misconception that care planning is too nuanced and complicated to be handled properly by home care software.

Reality: Care planning software can be used effectively in a home care setting, helping to simplify and enhance the process and making all aspects of care more consistent, efficient and thorough.

For example, homecare software can automate routine tasks such as administering the correct medication at the right time, track changes in a patient’s condition in real-time and generate comprehensive care planning reports.

Dave from Clarendon Homecare told us “We used to use a paper system, where carers would handwrite daily notes. This took up a huge amount of time and by the time reports were collected and reviewed, any problems identified could be a month out of date. A digital system gives us the ability to respond in much shorter timeframes. It’s allowed our senior carers to focus on other activities, such as responding to service user reviews and improving our overall quality of care”.

Myth 4: "There's No IT Support or Training Available"

Home care agencies worry they’ll be left to fend for themselves without IT support or training after the software has been purchased.

Reality: Most home care software providers offer comprehensive IT support and training options, including 24/7 helpdesk support, online resources, and in-person training sessions.

Tagtronics offer free unlimited homecare support and training and two purpose-built training modules for homecare agencies. Simon from All About You says, “The technical support offered is excellent. The team is always on hand”.

Myth 5: "Data Compliance is Impossible with Home Care Software"

It’s believed that home care software doesn’t comply with UK data regulations like GDPR.

Reality: The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out how personal data should be collected, processed, stored and transferred. Homecare software can actually help home care agencies stay on the right side of the law by automating data tracking, providing audit trails and keeping data stored securely.

Myth 6: "Employee Onboarding is More Challenging with Software"

New employees might struggle to adapt to using a digital system.

Reality: In fact, modern home care software is designed with user-friendly interfaces to streamline and ease the onboarding process. Software providers can work with your agency to provide hands-on training sessions, online software tutorials, and offer continuous support.

Fay from ProFad Care Agency says, “When we have new staff on board, we’re able to train them quickly – and with the additional support included from the Tagtronics Care team, new carers can pick up the system within a day or two”.

Myth 7: "You Need High Technical Knowledge to Use Home Care Software"

A common misconception about home care software is only tech-savvy carers can use it effectively.

Reality: Modern home care software is incredibly user-friendly and intuitive, designed for ease of use by all care staff, regardless of their technical ability. Home care software providers offer comprehensive training resources, including video tutorials, user manuals, and live support to help users at every level.

Lisa from Birchwood Homecaring Services says, “Tagtronics is really simple to use, easy to learn and extremely user friendly. It has everything we need and it’s all really easy to access and manage”.

There you have it. Hopefully, we’ve busted the 7 common homecare software myths about person-centred care, cyber security, care planning, IT support, data compliance, employee onboarding and technical knowledge.

Domiciliary care software allows your care clients to benefit from more choice, control and dignity in their lives. When tech is embedded seamlessly into home care services, it can be transformative helping people to live happy, fulfilled lives in the comfort of their own homes.

For over 20 years, Tagtronics Care have supported hundreds of homecare agencies to adopt home care management software. Contact one of our friendly team to see if we can help your agency.