Just recently I was conversing with a manager of a care home and when asked whether she is using a care management software she replied, “I am not at the moment, but I guess I should as that looks like where it’s going for the future!” If you are reading this and you manage a care home and you think you need to venture out onto the path of digitization, but you feel so lost as to which one to choose then keep reading.
I have covered 8 factors below that you need to consider when choosing the best care management software for you.
This one may seem a bit dubious to you, but it is important to get a software application that covers all aspects of the care home management process — be it staff management to detailed service user management. It might be easier to just think “aren’t they all the same”? I can assure that they are not! Each is unique in its own way and not all are created in the same fashion. You need to check whether they offer features such as assessments from body mapping charts to even supervision and training matrixes. Checking all of this beforehand will help you save a lot of time and money!
Adhering to the Data Protection Act and GDPR is mandatory and considering care homes handle such sensitive, personal data it is important to make sure whichever software you choose, it meets all the security and privacy measures. Do they take enough effort to protect data strictly with access control, encryption etc? You should be able to find these things generally from the privacy and features part of the care management software’s website.
Everyone knows running a care home is not your usual 9–5. It is vital to have something that is available 24/7 from anywhere and everywhere with sensible security control measures included. In such instances, it is always better to go for the cloud-based option. This will provide you with greater flexibility and complete mobility for your care management system with no old-fashioned downloads as such.
Just like no care management software is built the same way, no care home is built the same way! You need to ask whether they offer customizable templates that can be tailored to your care home’s needs than the other way around. Adopting a care management software is supposed to streamline your processes and make your jobs easier. Therefore, any software you choose should allow you to tailor, edit, use as it suits your care home and to accommodate your care home’s growth.
As most care homes do not use software to manage their day-to-day needs, it can be a bit daunting for the staff to suddenly learn a new process of working. Change is difficult to manage in itself. You shouldn’t make it even harder for your staff by using a software that is not user-friendly! The software you use should be easy to use and with automated features so that most things can be done within a click of a button.
As with most products and services, customer service is very important and can sometimes make or break any sort of business relationship. It’s all good to have a fancy care management software but at the end of the day, if they don’t pick up your call when things go wrong — which often it may from time to time — it can be rather frustrating! You need to choose someone who is not only polite and helpful but also offers the best technical support to you and your staff when they need it.
Do they offer a free trial? It is important to use the software first to get a feel for it and to see if it works for you. Do they offer training sessions for your staff to help with the on-boarding of staff and provide guidance and assistance throughout the process?
During this important time, you can really test out how flexible and scalable the application is and whether the customer service is up to the mark. I would highly recommend using a free trial before venturing onto signing a contract.
Price is last on this list though I am aware not all care homes have the funds to fork out tonnes of money for new software. However, it is important to ensure you are getting value for your money. Will they tie you to a contract and is it possible to exit the contract without having to pay the remaining months’ payments? Do they offer training sessions for your staff to help with the on-boarding of staff and provide guidance and assistance throughout the process? Remember that the cheapest option might not always be the best and going towards the higher end also doesn’t mean you will get the “best”.
The points above are meant to be simply guidelines to assist you when choosing the best care home management software. Find one that works perfectly for you and can adapt to your care home’s needs with ease and little difficulty.
If you are looking for a care management software that offers and meets all 8 of the expectations above, then why not look at Unieke Software? Sign up for a free trial or request a demo. We will send a developer to your care home so they can show you the software face-to-face and answer any questions you may have.