Feature: Introducing technology into the care sector can help reduce stress levels
Mike Williams, Managing Director of Tagtronics Care, an organisation devoted to helping the care sector by providing software management and apps, discusses how the sector can use a paperless system to reduce stress levels and errors.
As the demand for homecare is increasing – a report conducted by Skills for Care displayed in 2021 demand in the sector spiked with around 40,000 home care workers joining the workforce – there is a great opportunity for homecare firms to grow digitally. For team retention, productivity and long-term business success, it’s crucial to strike a balance between growth ambitions and controlling the increasing pressures that carers are under.
In a demanding industry, homecare professionals and carers workers work extremely hard, which can have a negative impact on people’s stress levels. Over time, this can lead to more errors.
Reducing stress in the care industry
According to a Care Quality Commission study (CQC), which was published in October 2022, hospital and homecare workers are particularly prone to stress and burnout as a result of the high-pressure environment they work in. The surroundings of carers can make working hard as they bear a lot of responsibilities.
Research undertaken by Tessian, an email security network, found 71% of UK workers are prone to making more mistakes when stressed. This statistic suggests it is essential to lessen your caregivers’ stress as much as possible to limit the number of errors they may make.
However, it’s far simpler to say this than to actually put it into action, especially when reducing the quantity of work that individuals perform isn’t an option. Errors that health workers make could be anything, like forgetting to administer a medication, missing a visit or inaccurately reporting something. Stress levels rise in direct proportion to errors, producing a vicious cycle that is challenging to overcome.
Reducing care workers stress levels is also not an easy task when demand for services is at an all-time hight.
Currently the demand for workers in care homes is extremely high as the cost-of-living crisis has caused some employees to leave the industry. CQC have completed an annual assessment of the quality of care over the last year and discovered that vacancy rates are ‘alarmingly high’ and that only two in five people are allowed to leave hospital when they are ready due to there not being enough social care support once they get out.
Minimising errors
It’s crucial to take your homecare business as a whole into account to reduce errors. To understand how you can reduce some strain, you should involve all of your staff, clients and systems. Consider:
- Enhancing your systems
As paper-based systems mainly rely on caregivers reading one another’s notes or handwriting, they can be prone to mistakes, which may lead to medication errors or missed appointments. Additionally, it can take some time to detect problems when they do occur, as paper logs are typically only collected and put into the central system on a weekly, or even monthly, basis. This delay in updates can make it harder for care managers to update service user care plans with critical information.
With the use of digital systems, you can centralise patient data, so your entire database is in one place. As head office staff are able to alter care plans in real time, this also alleviates some of the burden on caregivers and system users. The technology allows the caregivers to instantly log an issue, so the appropriate person, such as the care manager or registered manager, is alerted and prepared to respond.
- Putting in place continuity of care
Continuity of care is currently regarded by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a critical component to meet a service user’s unique needs, making it especially important for homecare.
Your service users will receive care from a consistent caregiver or care team thanks to continuity of care. This enables clients to connect with a team that’s familiar with their needs and preferences, allowing you to provide higher-quality care.
You can achieve continuity of care by using digital tools to keep track of prior visits, and these systems can also make suggestions for certain care teams depending on user preferences.
- Making sure training is up to date
The behaviours, attitudes, knowledge and skills necessary to deliver high-quality, safe, and person-centred care are best instilled through regular training, so they can be confident in how to respond in the event of a mistake.
Making sure that training is up-to-date is crucial for upholding high standards of care and safeguarding the individuals receiving and delivering care.
Digital care systems can track your caregiver records and notify you when they’re about to expire or need to be renewed. By doing so, it helps to reduce errors and stress, while ensuring your caregivers are more confident in the care they’re providing to your customers.
Helping you with your paperless journey
Even if your caregivers have been doing things a certain way for a while, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most efficient or best way.
If you’re switching to a digital system to minimise mistakes, it should be compatible with your current workflows, so caregivers won’t have to re-learn how to do their responsibilities. As you continue to improve the calibre of the service you deliver, it should simply create a new means for you to keep track of things in accordance with your current procedures.
Photo by engin akyurt and Clem Onojeghu