Call for greater transparency of care through tech

An aged care technology vendor is calling on the royal commission to recommend funding for computerised care plan systems to improve the quality of care and life of residents.

An aged care technology vendor  is calling on the royal commission to recommend funding for computerised care plan systems to improve the quality of care and life of residents.

In its submission to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, care plan platform Person Centred Software outlined  issues related to the delivery of resident care and its contribution to poor resident  outcomes.

It has asked  the aged care royal commission to recommend the Federal Government provide one-off funding to residential aged care providers for digital care planning software.

According to the submission, the computerised care plan must allowed for more direct care time for residents, and have the capacity to:

  • monitor adverse events
  • monitor missed daily living care tasks
  • provide family and residents access to care plans and notes.

The plan must also record care tasks in real time, escalate unmet care needs and integrate with other platforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resident care, the submission said.

This recommendation provides a mechanism for increasing direct care time, monitoring real-time missed care and providing residents and families with direct access to resident care notes, the submission said.

Person Centred Software CEO Tammy Sherwood said it was important for aged care providers to have access to technology that can help them deliver care and transparency.

Tammy Sherwood

“The sector is responding to increasing demand from consumers and family members and technology can assist in capturing data in real time to promote greater transparency for all involved” Ms Sherwood told Australian Ageing Agenda.

“It’s important to take into consideration who the end user of the technology will be so there is maximum uptake of programs offered,” she said.

Provider rollout shows improved outcomes

The submission includes a case study on aged care provider Southern Cross Care SA, NT & Vic, rolled out Person Centred Software to 40 sites over 18 months.

The submission includes data gathered from eight aged care homes over nine months to demonstrate the improvements in clinical outcomes the provider has achieved.

Across the eight homes, critical incidents fell from 309 to 237, falls reduced from 118 to 54 and stage 3, 4 and unstageable pressure injuries decreased from 24 to 11, the submission said.

Ms Sherwood said the platform allowed carers to focus on caring rather than taking notes.

“Person Centred Software allows carers to provide evidence-based care at the point of delivery giving them more time with residents while managers can monitor care in real time allowing them to make decisions based on data collected,” Ms Sherwood said.

Southern Cross Care SA, NT & Vic executive of services Jo Boylan said they have also improved transparency and engagement through the Relatives Gateway, which allows family members to access information about their loved one.

“The Relatives Gateway is an amazing tool to enable families, residents and staff to engage and capture the great moments that happen day to day in life living in our homes,” Ms Boylan said in a statement.

This includes care details, photos, stories and other important information, she said.

“The Relative Gateway has been critical during the COVID-19 outbreak and is forcing us to embrace technology,” she said.

View the full submission here.

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Tags: aged-care-royal-commission, jo-boylan, Person Centred Software, royal commission into aged care quality and safety, Southern cross care SA & NT & Vic, southern-cross-care, tammy shwerood,

2 thoughts on “Call for greater transparency of care through tech

  1. More transparency means more recording, means more hours need to be given to staff so they can comply. Makes sense?

  2. Collect data and publish, so we have comparative data. Benchmark against other countries. That leads to transparency, too.

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