Ric Thompson, managing director of Advanced Health and Care, explains how new technology is set to revolutionise the delivery of residential care
The adoption of new technology by healthcare providers accelerated dramatically in the aftermath of the pandemic, with some commentators estimating that digital transformation leapt forward by seven years in the space of two. Innovative health tech emerged at an unprecedented speed and scale, encompassing new innovations in clinical equipment, online GP software, and NHS mobile phone apps.
Regrettably the same cannot be said for social care technology. The care industry has lagged far behind the healthcare industry when it comes to the development and uptake of software solutions. However, the UK care industry is on the cusp of a digital transformation with the emergence of revolutionary new tech solutions
What challenges are faced by social care providers in terms of digital technology?
New independent research commissioned by Advanced, based on a survey of around 500 UK care organisations, has revealed a range of technology challenges faced by care providers which are hindering progress.
1. Reliance on manual processes
According to the research, the vast majority of care providers are still dependent on manual processes to run their operations. Seventy-four per cent of respondents said they have had to develop their own manual processes to manage their operations
This will come as no surprise to senior managers working in care, who have traditionally had to rely on spreadsheets or even paper-based systems to run their dayto-day operation
2. Lack of visibility
The survey also reveals that many care leaders are struggling to manage their organisations, due to insufficient visibility of their business operations. This can be due to a lack of management information, or the result of not having a suitable care management software solution in place. For example, 57 per cent of CEOs stated that they had insufficient technology with which to run their organisation.
This finding highlights the pressing need for digital solutions to be adopted in social care in the same way that they have been within healthcare services
3.Too many systems and a lack of integration
The study also reveals the wide use of multiple, disparate systems, with neither system speaking to each other. This not only presents a problem at company level as it leads to duplicate work; it also poses practical issues at departmental level when it comes to the delivery of straightforward tasks like recruitment, staff training, rostering, and payroll.
More than half of all care leaders stated that they were unable to see the availability of team members for specific times in the week, making rostering challenging. And two thirds of large organisations said that coordinating staff training was complicated
Why has social care technology failed to keep up with health technology?
Given these problems, there is clearly a need for social care to enhance its adoption of digital technology. However, the sector has so far failed to keep pace with healthcare. There are several reasons why technological innovation in social care has not matched the scale seen in healthcare.
1. A constantly changing industry
The world of care and support is rapidly changing, with different models of care emerging and thousands of organisations delivering more than one care type across multiple locations. This presents a host of logistical and financial challenges which have made a single software solution challenging to design and build.
2. Lack of funding
The sector has been held back by being under-resourced for several years, in comparison to the increase in funding distributed in healthcare. Over a third of care providers in our survey said they would consider adopting technology but have no budget.
3. Lack of integrated technology
Until now, social care software has tended to be designed to solve a particular issue or address a particular function, such as rostering or payroll. This has led to the emergence of disparate specialised systems, which lead to confusion and data silos for those organisations running multiple systems. This represents a drain on care businesses with extra administration, duplicated entries, and an increased risk of human error. What care leaders need is a single source of truth for their organisation.
Introducing Advanced Care Cloud
Advanced Care Cloud is a true, single, integrated cloud-based system which removes labour intensive processes and ensures a smooth journey for both employees and the people you support, improving the experience for those who live and work in care
Advanced Care Cloud was developed from the ground up as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution and has been designed for all types and sizes of care and support organisations, including residential, domiciliary, and supported living providers.
Advanced Care Cloud’s live dashboards provide access to the business intelligence and insight that care owners and CEOs need to manage and grow their organisation.
Advanced Care Cloud Features
- Rostering, rotas, and time & attendance
- Fully mobile
- Applicant and people management
- Care plans, assessments, mobile forms
- Prospects, referrals, client onboarding
- Occupancy and care opportunities
- Invoicing, payroll, mileage, expenses
- Quality & compliance
- Dashboards and business insight
There is no doubt that the 2020s have brought their fair share of challenges, but there have been silver linings. The last three years have witnessed the rapid acceleration of global investment in health tech. The next stage in the journey is to ensure that there is an equally committed investment and innovation in social care technology
Advanced Care Cloud is a great example of how software can and will transform the management of UK care organisations of all sizes across a wide range of care settings
Based on insights gained from our survey, the systems out there currently are not delivering what is needed.
We have set out to fix that problem by building Advanced Care Cloud – a platform dedicated to focusing on the things that really matter: people.
Ric Thompson
Ric Thompson is the managing director of Advanced Health & Care, one of the UK’s largest software providers.
Advanced Health & Care supports thousands of health and social care organisations in the NHS, independent healthcare, and not-for-profit sectors, with a range of innovative solutions. Designed with clinical experts, Advanced Health & Care solutions provide health and care teams with the information they need to deliver outstanding care to millions of patients and service users in the UK.
Tel: 0333 220 5160
Email: hello@oneadvanced.com
www.oneadvanced.com
