What Quality Care Looks Like | Digital Social Care Records

What is the importance of implementing digital social care records in your care home?

Sekoia, one of our esteemed Spectrum Care suppliers, is a leading provider of a digital social care record system, which helps homes reduce time spent on paperwork, enhancing the comprehensiveness of their care records.

There are many reasons why going digital is the right choice for a care home and, in this blog, Sekoia are exploring why — and how — you can make this important (and necessary) change:

Evidencing Quality Care

Good quality records reflect your service, showcasing that it’s run safely and with a compassionate mindset. They display effectiveness and high-quality care, and communicate to relevant individuals what’s needed and when — in a secure, accessible and intuitive manner.

The comparison to paper records is the reason there’s real momentum behind Digital Social Care Records (DSCR), both in terms of funding and focus.

Quality care: digital social care records

What a Digital Care Planning System Gets You

Care plans and recordings are the foundation for achieving good outcomes for the people you support, as well as evidencing it to the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Having it all on a digital platform ensures its a seamless and comprehensive system — with little room for error.

Once implemented, an excellent record system will:

Provide real-time information about the care and support people need and receive;
Guide care professionals delivering support, even when people’s needs change, so they can respond adequately;
Display and compare data to improve the safety and well-being of the people you support;
Share information quickly and correctly to support the provision of health and care services;
Minimise risks such as medication errors, dehydration, falls and other untoward events;
Assist vital health and care roles in your service with detailed information;
Simplify the access to any record for both professionals and the people you support;
Manage and support staff doing their job effectively and efficiently;
Eradicate the need for physical space to store documents, once this is cloud-based;
Optimise the use of personnel and other resources across your service.

The CQC said: “A good records system delivers good outcomes from the point of view of people who use services.”

The Importance of Maintaining Good Digital Social Care Records

Maintaining good digital records is an essential aspect of social care.

The CQC is responsible for ensuring that care homes and social care services comply with the necessary guidelines and regulations. Its main objective is to ensure that care services provide the best possible care to their residents — and a good quality digital social care records system is an integral part of achieving this.

So what are the benefits of digitising these records?

Unlike paper-based systems, digital systems are often more intuitive, comprehensive and encompassing, reducing the time care workers spend updating by up to 90 minutes per shift.

Digital Social Care Records: Understanding Compliance

When using digitised platforms, it’s essential to understand data protection and data security requirements and demonstrate compliance, and also have clear and robust policies about consent, privacy and equality, as these are critical aspects of digital records.

The purpose of any evidence is to illustrate compliance with the given frameworks. Care homes must focus on outcomes, and have an appropriate level of planning and governance in place to pilot and implement the new system. This includes migrating information carefully and accurately, reviewing the processes and making any changes needed, to maximise the benefits of the new system.

It’s also crucial to be confident about how the information is accessed and shared with others, including people using services, family members, and other health and social care professionals.

As a provider, you’ll need to be clear about how long you’ll keep the records, and how you’ll destroy them per relevant standards. In conclusion, creating and maintaining good digital social care records is vital for social care services. Digital records make it much easier to demonstrate compliance with the guidelines, and the record-keeping happens automatically.

The CQC has emphasised the importance of digital records, and complying with the guidelines and standards will benefit the organisation and the residents in the long run.

A representative said: “The CQC knows that good quality records underpin safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care. They ensure that the right information is available, to the right people, when they need it. They’re an essential part of achieving good outcomes for people.

“The CQC also knows that digital record systems far exceed the capabilities and benefits of paper-based records, and fully supports the adoption of Digital Social Care Records.”