How to Choose the Right Home Care Software for your Business

When you run a Home Care agency, keeping on top of paperwork is no mean feat! That’s why digital home care software solutions are becoming increasingly important.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are leading on the Digitising Social Care Programme, supported by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who aim to encourage 80% of registered home care providers to adopt person-centred digital adult social care records by March 2024.

Your busy carers could save 20 minutes of daily admin time to focus on improving the quality and safety of care for people in their own homes.

But with the dizzying range of domiciliary care software solutions out there, how do you choose the right home care software?

Here’s a guide on how to choose the best home care software for your particular agency, whether you’re just starting out or run an established homecare business.

1. Understanding Your Home Care Agency’s Needs

Home care agencies vary in size and the type of clients they serve. A solution that would work for a homecare startup will obviously not suit a large, well established homecare business.

Your chosen home care software provider should work with you to plan and develop a solution to suit your particular agency, specific clients and internal processes, mimicking the way your care teams like to work on a day-to-day basis.

There are common features in home care software to manage carer appointments, medical records, care plans, invoicing and payroll, but the software should have flexibility to grow with you, as you take on more clients with diverse and changing needs.

2. Evaluating Homecare Software Features

• Is the software user friendly? Is the dashboard intuitive and easy to navigate? An intuitive system will have a massive impact on the carer’s user experience. Your care team are more likely to adopt a system that is user friendly and quick to pick up. The layout should be clear and uncluttered so that information can be found quickly when needed. This will significantly reduce training time and increase the likelihood of the system being used by your carers, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced errors when entering and recording information.
• Is the system compliant with UK GDPR and CQC standards? Your carers handle sensitive patient information all the time and this data needs to be protected under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A digital software system can limit access to specific carers of the patient and is more secure than keeping paper records which could get mislaid or end up in the wrong hands. Look for industry standard certifications such as Information Security Management (ISO 27001) and Cyber Essentials that demonstrate your homecare software provider follows best practices and principles when it comes to data handling and management.

3. Supporting Caregiver Needs

• Can your care teams access the software on their mobiles? This is really important for caregivers as they are constantly in the field, working directly in people’s homes. Your carers should easily be able to update patient information in real-time as it happens.
• Does the home care solution provider offer ongoing training and support? Solid and reliable customer service and training is essential. Are you able to contact the provider in different ways - via phone, email or online chat? Initial training should be provided for new staff and ongoing refresher training for existing staff. Reliable ongoing support and training means a reduced learning curve for your care team, increasing efficiency and improving user confidence and competence.

4. Financial Considerations

What is the software provider’s pricing structure? Do they charge a monthly subscription? Are there any one-off fees or hidden costs? Some homecare software providers will charge extra for ongoing training and support. Make sure you do the maths and fully understand what you’re getting. Longer term, how will you measure how cost-effective the software is? Are you getting a return on your investment (ROI)? You’re running a business after all, so this is important to consider. At the end of the day, is the software saving you time, money and resources?

The right home care software solution should have the potential to improve the efficiency of your carers and reduce overall costs of your homecare business.

5. Future-proofing Your Choice

What is the provider’s policy on software updates and upgrades? Will they automatically add new features to keep up to date with changes in the homecare industry? When choosing a home care software solution, you want to know that the system will be flexible and adapt to changes easily as your home care agency grows and adapts. Do your research into the homecare software provider’s track record and industry reputation. How long have they been in business? Can you rely on them to continue providing ongoing support long term?

6. Getting Feedback and Conducting Trials

Seek valuable feedback and opinions from your peers in the homecare sector. Find out what home care software they’re using and ask if they would recommend it. Check online comparison websites that allow you to pit different home care software providers against each other. Look for reviews that discuss how user friendly and flexible the software is. Take advantage of trial periods and demos offered by the provider. There’s nothing like getting hands-on experience before making your final decision. Involve your care team in this trial process as they’ll be the ones who need to be comfortable using the system.

If you’re starting a new homecare business in 2024 or you already run a home care agency, consider user friendliness, flexibility, cost, support, training and recommendations to help you choose the right homecare software for your business.

As a leading provider of home care software since 2000, Tagtronics Care have supported hundreds of homecare businesses to successfully integrate user friendly and flexible person-centred home care software into their day to day work.

If you need help choosing the right home care software solution for your home care agency, please call us on 01254 819205.