CareLineLive Implements Home Care Management Software To Enhance Care Efficiency At A Northern Ireland HSC Trust

Home care management software company, CareLineLive, is providing a Northern Ireland HSC Trust with resources to improve workplace efficiency

Horsham (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Leading home care management software provider, CareLineLive, is working with South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland to maximise resources and improve workplace efficiency.

The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust shoulders the responsibility of delivering health and social care services to approximately 354,000 individuals, with an annual budget of around £600 million. Among its various services, the Trust manages over 30,000 domiciliary care visits per week, facilitated by a dedicated team of 600+ carers and additional office-based staff.

Recognising the potential benefits of digitalisation in enhancing performance and efficiency, the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust collaborated with CareLineLive to introduce an all-in-one digital system. The comprehensive solution covers rostering and real-time capacity management, person-centred care planning (including e-mar and digital visit records), carer information, home care compliance documentation, stakeholder and carer communications, and more.

The partnership has borne fruit, with remarkable improvements observed in various aspects of the home care service. Over an eight-month period, an additional 3,919 hours of capacity were created, translating to an estimated value of £73,000. The most impressive aspect of this achievement is that no additional recruitment or agency staff hires were required. Rota management administration time experienced a notable reduction, from 17 to 12 hours per week, which also resulted in a remarkable 30% capacity gain. The positive impact on service delivery has been evident, with an impressive 87% of service users reporting an enhanced level of care.

Before integrating CareLineLive into its operations, the Trust relied on traditional tools such as spreadsheets and paper-based rotas delivered by post to manage its home care service. However, this approach posed several challenges, including the untimely dissemination of information, leading to instances where patients were discharged from the hospital without a scheduled carer visit due to delays in receiving the rota. Allocating carers to service users in an efficient manner proved difficult, and care staff often had to deal with rostering and vital client care information outside of their regular work hours.

Alistair Fitzsimons, Senior Manager of Community Social Care, shared his insights into the partnership's outcomes, stating, "Not only have we seen phenomenal improvements to our capacity and efficiency, but the standard of care has increased. We are now better able to tailor the care services people need and deliver them at a suitable time for each individual. If someone requires more time, we can easily flex the system to accommodate those needs without the need for cascading changes in what was previously a complex paper-based system."

Josh Hough, Founder and Managing Director at CareLineLive, expressed his delight in how the software has empowered carers, enabling them to dedicate more time to caring for their clients. He emphasised the transformational impact of technology on the home care management sector and expressed a strong commitment to supporting the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust's digital transformation journey, with keen anticipation of even more positive results to come.

The successful implementation of CareLineLive required a significant cultural shift within the organisation, not just among the carers, who were traditionally less technologically inclined, but also among office-based staff. However, surveys conducted after the initial pilot study revealed that concerns of resistance were largely misplaced. Carers were equipped with iPads installed with CareLineLive's Carer Companion app, which streamlined their workflows and enhanced their efficiency.

The positive feedback from staff, carers, and service users has been overwhelming. After the pilot study, 100% of office staff voted in favour of adopting CareLineLive as the permanent solution across the Trust. One staff member candidly admitted, "I was completely against it at the start and was unwilling to embrace it. Now I feel silly because it has all worked out for the best."

Carers lauded the system, noting that it "makes things a lot easier as we have the info before we go into someone's home" and that it's "so much easier to see where you are working and updates made on my run." Family members of service users have also noticed significant improvements. One family member shared, "My father has Dementia and rings to say he has seen no one. I can now diffuse the situation quicker as I can reassure him on that first phone call. It used to take forever to get through to the office who would pass the message to the team, then someone would go check with the carer and ring me to say carers had been. It makes life much easier for my dad and me."

Aside from the evident benefits in care delivery, the adoption of CareLineLive has yielded substantial financial and efficiency improvements. The Trust has saved £35,000 per year on postage costs alone, an amount more than sufficient to cover the costs of using CareLineLive. Additional savings have been made on paper and printing costs.

The successful partnership with CareLineLive has transformed the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust's approach to home care service provision. The integration of digital solutions has empowered carers, streamlined workflows, and enhanced service delivery, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for service users. As they continue to leverage technology to enhance care efficiency, the Trust remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering excellent care and embracing the advantages of a modern, streamlined approach to home care management.

Read more about CareLineLive: CareLineLive Explains Why Care Tech Is Critical to Meet Growing Demand for Professional Home Care

About CareLineLive:
CareLineLive is an award-winning, all-in-one home care management software system for domiciliary care agencies. The company was set up by Josh Hough after being frustrated at the lack of access to his grandfather's care. Working closely with a number of home care agencies, CareLineLive has used the latest technology to develop for agency owners and managers an innovative, easy to use, cloud-based homecare management system. Its award-winning platform leads to increased efficiency, capacity and compliance through digitising workflows, automating procedures, increasing revenue opportunities and decreasing overheads. CareLineLive completes the ‘circle of care’ and gives agencies and carers ‘more time to care’ and is operating throughout the UK, Ireland, Jersey and now Australia.