Objective

121 Care Ltd, which opened in 2010, expressed a desire to move away from a laborious paper based record system and adopt a digital, live Care Plan Management system. Implementing a digital care record would allow 121 Care Ltd to access their clients care plans and care notes remotely and within the community. They wanted to have real time access to care notes allowing full transparency of the organization at any given time, alerting the manager to events as they occur with clients.

Background

Initially when the company was starting out, they were using “paper based client records bound together in a file that seemed to fall apart as soon as it was picked up, increasing a greater chance of human error, not to mention the loss of critical client profile and medication data.” Charts would sometimes be missing or be replaced out of chronological order. Paper based charts were laborious and often inaccurate and illegible.

It was clear that as their company grew, their time management needed to be streamlined to become more cost effective. Care notes needed to be updated regularly, and this could only be done in the clients home, translating into considerable time being wasted travelling to clients homes. Time was being spent inefficiently and managers were getting caught up in tedious reviews, rather than effectively managing their business.

121 Care Ltd put in a considerable amount of research into client electronic management systems, and trialed a number of systems before deciding to sign up to Zuri®. Zuri® appeared to “offer the most comprehensive care planning management system of all of the software that was trialed.” Zuri® was developed by a nurse for nurses, making it easy to understand, the layout was simple to follow, with relevant evidence based care plans, making compliance easier, ensuring they meet their regulatory requirements. “The Zuri® team was keen to configure Zuri® to meet their organizational requirements, rather than the organization fitting into the software”, which was a welcomed approach to the implementation.

Zuri® provided to be quick, with easy access their individual client held profiles, care plans and clinical assessments and charts. There was added reassurance that all the data held within Zuri® is data protected by using the latest encryption software, meeting all of the current data protection requirements, so their client’s data is safe and secure.

Zuri® was easy to use for management and care staff, as both could access data remotely using mobile devises such as tablets and smart phones. Client’s data could be “updated remotely by managers, giving instant access to carer’s in the community the latest information on their clients, and their care needs.” An additional benefit of Zuri® allowed clients and or family members access to their relatives personal notes, which provided up to date current relevant information in real time. GP’s and other Health Professionals could also access Zuri®, meaning they could monitor progress of a client’s health, blood pressure, wounds etc. Photographs could be uploaded with the client’s permission to aid the care that was being provided, like a photo of a sling. Operating instructions for equipment could have photo’s attached, and wounds could be photographed to monitor their progress. This added considerable value to the care that they were able to provide to their clients.

The information held within Zuri® is “permission based for access, so staff can only see what is relevant to the care that they need to provide.” Reports and referrals are secure for management staff only, meaning that sensitive data is not shared with those that are not required to have access to it. Management can have access to all clients that were held within their organisation, their care plans, communications, file notes, risk reports, risk assessments and much more, enabling them to facilitate and provide a more efficient and effective service for their clients. Their staff had access to an internal messaging service allowing them to send relevant updates, notes and messages to each other, including management.

Zuri® released a new and “exciting update to their software in April 2017” which gave 121 Care Ltd access to their latest version, the electronic medical administration record (eMar). For their registered manager, this was “really exciting, as it would potentially minimise the risks associated with health care assistant’s omitting to prompt medication for clients, and clients not getting the medication they need.” Zuri® sends automatic warnings or alerts direct to their office and management staff informing them that a medication has not been given or has been omitted. This would enable them to rectify the problem or omission almost immediately.

The “idea of being able to log in from anywhere in order to be able to update and check client information and data as a manger, was an excellent way of monitoring their staff and it greatly improved the accessibility to client’s current data.” This allows them to co-ordinate appropriate multi-professional referrals leading to improved client care and their preventative health.

The icing on the cake for them was the fact that their “time management was greatly improved, as it reduced the amount of time they spent on the road updating care plans and checking that carer’s are where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there.” They could monitor their staff’s movements and could accurately see how long they are at a scheduled visit. The reassurance of knowing that their staff were on time meant that their clients could rely on someone being there when we say they would be. This allowed them to plan visits more effectively and efficiently.

Outcomes

With the implementation of a digital based care planning management system, Zuri®, into their organization, 121 Care Ltd, they were able to have “full visibility of everything that was happening within their organization at any given time.” They knew “when care was being delivered, to who the care was being delivered, what care was being delivered and by whom.” They were alerted via the automatic alert system if there had been an accident in the home, or if a medication had been missed, which sent a communication in real time to the manager, the family members, district nurses and GP’s. This allowed them to concentrate on improving services that were being delivered to their clients with the reassurance that they know what is happening with each and every client at any given time or the day or night.

With Zuri®, their service delivery to their clients improved. Their compliance improved, and their inspection reports were positive. They were saving time and money through increased efficiencies, and investing in both their clients and staff’s future by maintaining and providing safe and effective service delivery.