Four leading technology providers have launched a campaign to help the care sector move towards a stronger future post-COVID by using state-of-the-art digital services to improve their businesses.
Ascom UK, Person Centred Software, ATLAS eMAR, and PainChek are partnering to help care home owners and staff go digital and to raise awareness of the benefits when technology is placed at the heart of care.
Digital services are proven to increase the cost-effectiveness of care, to improve outcomes, and to help with staff performance and retention.
Technology can also help care home owners to address urgent concerns about future business viability.
We need to ensure that our future focus and vision for care homes is to rapidly build bridges and support, which enable all care homes to have in place the core architecture that enables a state of digital readiness for whatever happens next
The new campaign launches at an exceptionally-challenging time for the sector – with high PPE costs, reduced occupancy levels, and increased barriers to the outside world.
The Care Home of the Future campaign is backed by Vic Rayner, executive director of the National Care Forum; and Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, who will be part of the launch event being held online today.
Rayner said: “COVID-19 has shown us that good digital infrastructure and tools are essential.
“Where they were already in place, the transition to remote monitoring, consultation and support was swift and, in many cases, very effective.
“But the digital divide has been laid bare, and we need to ensure that our future focus and vision for care homes – for people, providers and the Government – is to rapidly build bridges and support, which enable all care homes to have in place the core architecture that enables a state of digital readiness for whatever happens next.”
Green adds: “Technology offers the opportunity for the care sector to move into the 21st Century and to deliver better outcomes for the people that we support, as well as reducing the burden on staff and improving efficiency”
With 70% of care homes still reliant on paper systems, the campaign organisers believe integrated, best-in-class technology must be central to their future operation.
And they have identified three stages to becoming a Care Home of the Future: 1. The initial digitisation process by implementing a digital system; 2. Joining up care by integrating with best-in-field specialists to enable continuity of care across care settings from primary to secondary to residential and back; 3. Transforming care through data accessibility, incisive analysis and the ability to provide predictive and preventative care.
Quite simply, integrated digital systems are the only way we can achieve this with the necessary levels of transparency
Ernie Graham, owner of Graham Care Homes, will be part of today’s webinar panel and will explain how he is using technology to improve care for residents, and business performance.
He said: “We need to be more accountable than ever for the care we provide to our residents, not just in evidencing what we did yesterday, but also in developing personalised plans for each person to meet their particular needs today, based on an intimate knowledge of their situation.
“Quite simply, integrated digital systems are the only way we can achieve this with the necessary levels of transparency.”