Following on from the successful launch of their guide to Outstanding home care in 2020, technology experts Unique IQ have produced a refreshed version for 2021 featuring brand new insights and updated guidance for home care providers.
Tackling the latest draft policy from the Care Quality Commission as it transitions to a digital-first regulatory strategy, the guide delves into the role that care management software can play in achieving Outstanding CQC ratings during an inspection.
Aimed at helping home care providers understand how they can use technology to answer the CQC’s five key lines of enquiry, the guide explores the latest emerging topics like digital records, eMAR and culturally appropriate care.
And while technology cannot replace ‘care’, it is clear that the CQC strongly believe that technology will play a central role in the way people receive care and treatment.
“Technology is changing the way people provide care and treatment. The benefits can be huge – for people who use services, families, carers and providers. But it’s important technology and innovation never come at the expense of high-quality, person-centred care.” – CQC
Over five chapters, the guide explores the ways in which the CQC has indicated technology can support providers in answering the key lines of enquiry. This includes the use of established technologies like eMAR, call monitoring and electronic rostering.
And for those preparing for an inspection, each chapter features an in-depth look at the individual prompts of each key line of enquiry – with specific examples of how care management systems can help providers deliver and evidence quality care within their service.
In addition, case studies from providers such as Home Instead and Autism Together, along with excerpts from CQC inspection reports where technology is cited as contributing to high-quality care – showcase the real examples of how Unique IQ’s innovative software is changing home care for the better.
One such CQC report, from Outstanding-rated Home Instead East Shropshire, noted how “the provider had implemented electronic systems which provided staff with ‘real time’ information about people’s needs and prescribed medicines”, with the system generating “immediate alerts about any missed medicines or concerns about a person’s wellbeing”.
David Lynes, Managing Director of Unique IQ said, “encouraging innovation has been a strategic priority of the Care Quality Commission’s for some time now. Our hope for this guide is that it will help home care providers identify where they could use technology to enhance their services in the areas assessed by the CQC.
“We passionately believe in the application of technology to improve care quality and have poured through all of the draft guidance to explore even more ways that providers can leverage technology to evidence their performance during an inspection. But most importantly, this guide provides countless examples of how technology, along with the right culture can truly drive quality for everyone in the sector.”
He continued: “It’s a matter of pride that 90% of home care providers using Unique IQ’s care management software are rated as either ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission. Our aim in creating this guide is to share some of that learning, so that yet more domiciliary care organisations can harness the potential of technology to deliver high quality care.”
Winners of the 2020 Home Care Award for ‘Best Technology, Data or Software Product’, Unique IQ is a strong advocate for technology as a driver for improving outcomes, focusing not on the software itself, but on the care that it facilitates.
Unique IQ’s guide to Outstanding home care can be downloaded here.