Managing Care Plans Effectively: How to Avoid the Paperwork Overwhelm

When you run a homecare business, paperwork piling up is an all-too common scenario, where many carer hours are being spent bogged down with admin instead of focusing on client care.

The challenge is being able to balance quality, person-centred care with administrative demands.

In this blog, we discuss the benefits for homecare agencies of using care planning software to effectively manage care plans and avoid getting overwhelmed with paperwork.

The Challenges of Paper-Based Care Plans

• Admin Overload: A traditional paper-based system can lead to time lost on repetitive admin tasks, delays to information being received and is prone to errors. Going digital could save 20 minutes a day of admin time for carers, streamlining their day-to-day processes.
• Compliance Stress: There’s added pressure on agencies to meet stringent Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements, especially around care plan accuracy, and that’s more of a struggle with outdated paper methods.
• Impact on Care Quality: Admin distractions can pull the focus away from clients, affecting quality of care, resulting in less time for client interaction and potential errors from manual processes.

How Digital Care Plans Ease the Admin Burden

Clarendon Homecare has been caring for elderly people in Surrey and West London since 1994.

Dave Vincent, general manager explains: “We needed to coordinate our daily care visits to ensure consistent care, and our vulnerable client base means it’s extremely important that carers don’t miss their visits.

We used to use a paper system, where carers would handwrite daily notes and these would be regularly collected, reviewed and audited to identify problems. This took up a huge amount of time, and by the time reports were collected and reviewed, any problems identified could be up to a month out of date.

We started using Tagtronics in 2008 for work rotas and care planning but continued to use paper for our daily care notes and MAR sheets. Recently we’ve moved even more of our system online.

A digital system gives us the ability to respond in much shorter timeframes – instead of being a month behind, you can see things in real-time. If there is an issue, we can pick this up immediately and talk to carers or service users about any problems.

It’s allowed our senior carers to focus on other activities, such as supervising carers, responding to service user reviews and improving our overall quality of care.”

Dave has highlighted benefits such as time saved, real-time updates, and improved quality of care. Let’s dig deeper into those:

• 1. Real-Time Updates & Accuracy: Digital solutions allow for instant updates and communication across all devices, reducing errors and enhancing coordination, improving efficiency and streamlining processes.
• 2. Simplified Compliance: Digital records streamline audits and make compliance much easier to handle, as everything is centrally stored and traceable.
• 3. Reduced Paperwork, More Client Time: Going digital reduces paperwork, cuts down on the admin grind and gives overstretched caregivers more time to focus on what matters – their care clients.
• 4. Analytics and Reporting for Better Decision-Making: Domiciliary care planning software has analytics built into it to help reveal trends, highlight specific needs and make proactive improvements to care delivery.
• 5. Improved Morale and Staff Retention: Happier, less overwhelmed carers are much more likely to stay with you, meaning lower staff turnover and continuity in quality of care.

Key Features to Look for in Care Planning Software

• Ease of Use: A simple, intuitive dashboard will encourage all team members to use the software, including those who are less tech-savvy.
• Customisable Care Plans: The ability to tailor care plans to each individual client’s needs is essential and doesn’t lock you into a rigid template.
• Secure and GDPR Compliant: Data security and GDPR compliance should be a top priority, especially when dealing with sensitive client information.
• Real-Time Communication Features: Mobile apps allow you to send instant messages or alerts in an emergency or quick updates.
• Integration with Other Tools: Look for systems that can integrate with other commonly used tools, such as payroll and accounting software.

We’ve pulled together some more advice in the following blogs: 5 Essential Features and How to Choose the Right Home Care Software.

5 Tips for Transitioning from Paper to Digital Care Plans

• 1. Involve the Team in the Process: Gather valuable feedback from your care staff, who’ll be using the system daily, to make sure it meets real needs and mirrors the way they like to work.
• 2. Start Small and Scale Up: Implement the software in stages, perhaps starting with a small client group to iron out any potential issues.
• 3. Train, Train, Train: Make use of the software provider’s training sessions to get your staff comfortable with the system, including any ongoing support as and when needed. Tagtronics offers free unlimited homecare software support and training for the lifetime of your membership.
• 4. Have a Clear Transition Timeline: Set a realistic timeline for the full switch to digital, allowing enough time to make necessary adjustments, but with clearly defined milestones along the way.
• 5. Offer Incentives for Early Adoption: Consider offering incentives to motivate carers to embrace the new digital system early on.

A Quick Checklist – Are You Ready to Go Digital?

• Do you spend more time on paperwork than client care?
• Are your compliance audits stressing you out?
• Have you ever lost or misfiled paperwork?
• Are your carers missing appointments or issuing incorrect medication?
• Are your care plans inconsistent and out of date?
• Are your carers taking more time off and feeling burnt out?

There you have it. Digital care plans can reduce admin, improve compliance, support better quality home care, and result in happier carers.

Adopting a digital solution means a more proactive agency approach to simplify and improve care plan management, meet future demands and keep both care clients and home carers satisfied.

Since 2000, Tagtronics have supported hundreds of homecare agencies to avoid paperwork overwhelm. Call 01254 819205 or email howcanwehelp@tagtronics.co.uk for a no-obligation demo of our digital care planning solution.