People drive social care. The people who provide care, those who utilise care, our families and our wider communities. When you want to know about the reality of social care you need to speak to these people directly. So that’s what we did! Starting off at the Care England Conference.

Care England are a force for empowerment and growth in the social care sector. Their recent conference ‘Championing Change’ reflected this focus. The day was filled with engaging discussions and shared insights as a who’s who of positive change in social care shared their stories and perspectives. There remains a lot of work to do in social care to achieve the future we want. But there was also plenty to be proud of on the day, and several attendees took some time to share their experiences with us. 

Sarah Jennings, Majesticare 
“The people that we look after make me happy. Making them happy makes me happy.” 
 
Prof Martin Green, Care England 
“I think it’s the impact we have on the people we support and I see lots of people who tell me that their lives have been transformed. 

For example, I was with somebody the other day and she told me that she’d been living in her own home, she was really frightened, her husband had died, and then she came into a care home and she said it was a new lease of life.” 
 
Raina Summerson, Agincare 
“My happiest moments in social care are when we’re taking over the transfer of services that have not been invested in or at risk of closure and you go in and you breathe that new life into someone’s home or someone’s service delivery. You work with them and you work with the workforce, you turn it around and you just have that positive buzz of making a difference in people’s lives.” 
 
Vic Fitzwalter, Jewish Care 
To increase staff involvement, we introduced a board in the office when a member of staff does something exceptional. They come in, use a different colour pen and write on the board. 
Then we speak about it and give them a clap. The board is full of exceptional stuff. It helps staff morale.  
 
A lot of times the care team, they’re doing a great job, but they’re not recognised, so this is awesome. 
 
Emmanuel Ali, Care Managers Ltd  
The technology that we brought into play has really helped us, technologies like Alexa were quite useful because [the people utilising our service] don’t need to wait for anyone of us to do anything for them. They can just talk and get what they like, [such as] people who like music, they just play it without waiting for anyone to come around to help them. It’s about enablement, you know, which they are very happy with. 
 
Tony Seagroatt, HR Fit for Purpose 
I think of my mum’s experience with social care. To me, what was good about the care home was that, from the manager down, the communication was good with all the staff. Mum’s personal needs were taken care of brilliantly. She also had things that were important to her, like having her hair done. That was done every week. They involved her in all the activities. She was a very social person, she loved being with all the other people in the home. They were very welcoming when we went too. Whenever we wanted to go and visit her in the home. I think it was just a very positive experience for her.” 

Anita Goyal, Goyal Foundation 
My passion and interest is really encouraging young people from schools and colleges to come in and learn about social care so that they can plan and design their career pathway. There’s a great space for careers in social care. And we have our second annual National Care Careers Conference. Which will be held on the 19th of November at the amazing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Where we’re just going to give young people an insight and education around the social care sector. It’s a really positive experience. We’re going to have some amazing exhibitors and workshops that will teach and educate young people about various things like dementia. 
 
I think that there’s much work to be done around that. Especially with educating young people so that they can grow up as being the citizens of the future. Where they can support help and understand how they can contribute to this area of work. Especially with research, with discoveries, also supporting on social care side as well. 
 
Jodie Allen Cawley, Lifeways Care 
We have an initiative called Quality Checkers, and we have a hundred Quality Checkers in the organisation. They are people with lived at experience, who we support, who tell us about their experiences of the kind of support we provide, and what good looks like. 
We have some quality checkers that go on tour and give us this whole raft of feedback [across our services]. We have 11,000 staff who support almost 5000 people. So we harness all that feedback and then we come together once a year in our national workshop and we work through it all together.  
 
What people have told us is working about the support we provide and what isn’t working about support provide. Then we co -produce solutions around how we can improve what’s not working and we would celebrate the stuff that is working and we’re doing that in a really interactive way. 

There is so much to celebrate, so much to enjoy, and so much to champion in social care. It is our pleasure to work with so many amazing people, and our privilege to be a part of a community committed to driving positive change.

Digital care record systems have gone from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘need to have’ in social care. Most providers have moved to a digital system or are in the process of implementing one. With widespread digital uptake the question has changed from; ‘are you using a digital system?’ to ‘are you using the right digital system for your service?’

Just under two years ago the government launched its ‘Digitising Social Care’ campaign, delivering the three year £150 million investment for digitally transforming adult social care, as was set out in the 2021 white paper, People at the Heart of Care.

This campaign built on a decade of digitisation in Social Care. Driven in part by the pandemic. That saw care providers take on a variety of different digital systems to help them deliver outstanding care.

The driving force of the ‘Digitising Social Care’ campaign has focussed on ensuring 80% of providers, and at least 80% of people in receipt of care, have a Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) that is compliant with their standards in place by March 2024. While it fell slightly shy of this target. There has still been a significant uptake in digital social care records. From the 40% of providers using them at the start of the campaign. The uptake reflects the benefits of digital systems in care, and the necessity of compliance with the established DSCR standards. These positive results have led to the government extending funding for the campaign until March 2026.

Nourish Care was the first system to join the NHS England Assured Solutions List back in 2021. Since then, the list has grown significantly, so how do you choose the right one?

Incompatibility between systems and services is a rising source of operational frustration for providers. ‘All-in-one’ systems can be limited by the applicability and lack the resources to support more complex or person-centred care, while specialised systems can be disconnected, leaving your team to fill in the gaps between them manually.

Routine system evaluations are a great way to uncover and address these frustrations. This process involves identifying the issues with the platform you are using and evaluating the impact of this issue on your organisation. It takes time and effort to establish the best criteria sets for your service. We have included a guide which you can use to help you get started.

Digitisation has impacted everyone involved in care, so it is best practice to include your entire organisation in the evaluation process. Any frustrations caused by your digital system will be felt by carers and coordinators alike.

Your organisation has multiple roles and responsibilities, and it is important to involve them in your evaluation process through interviews and surveys. An example of some common roles are:

If possible, you should also involve the people who utilise your service in this process, such as when evaluating the effectiveness of integrations with other systems like PainChek or GP Connect as well as circle of care functionality like a family portal.

The more experiences you can account for when evaluating your system, the more complete your picture of its impact will be.

Digitisation in Social Care happened at such a rapid pace since COVID that, understandably, some people have been left behind. When evaluating the impact of your system it is important to consider not just the functionality, but also the user experience.

Do your team feel confident not only with the system, but with the support they have around it? Are there resources and training available to help your team improve their understanding of the system? Is there a customer support team they can reach out to for guidance and support?

Many issues with digital systems come from their misapplication. When evaluating your current digital platform, it is vital to consider your team’s comfort with the system. It might be a matter of reviewing and reworking the way you are implementing the system, as opposed to changing your system all together.

To provide outstanding care, you must constantly be reviewing and improving upon your processes in a responsive and caring way. It is natural to expect the same of your system, as you both adapt to the always evolving reality of care provision.

Digital skills develop over time. With that time it is common to look for more ways to apply your skills to support your care. Such as through data reporting and analysis. By routinely reviewing the capabilities of yourself and your system. You can make sure you are maximising the benefits of your digitisation journey.

The new DSCR standards must be fully met by everybody on the ASL. They represent the next step of Social Care’s digitisation journey. An evolving emphasis on data, security and interoperability that reflects the success and potential of digital software in care. 

The new compliance regulations were announced last year and Nourish has been busy ensuring that it meets each of the 14 standards. This level of screening will mean that only software suppliers who meet stringent standards will be able to remain on the NHS Assured Solutions List.

With so many options available to care providers for digital systems, it is the perfect time to review the needs of your service and community. There is a wealth of suppliers eager to explain their system and its capabilities to you. By knowing what you have and what you want from a digital platform. You will be well-equipped to get what you need.

At Nourish we are well versed in helping people to transition from underperforming digital care record systems to ours. We have resources, guides and team members who would be delighted to talk to you about the process further. If you would like to learn more contact us.

The Home Care Association Conference is a special event for home care providers. It brings together Association members from across the UK to share the experiences and insights. This makes it a unique opportunity to meet with a wide range of providers, suppliers and key decision makers in home care. We have been eagerly awaiting this opportunity to connect directly with the home care sector and show everyone why we’re so enthusiastic about Nourish Community.

The theme of this conference was ‘The Future of Homecare’, something we at Nourish Care are very excited to be a part of. The day certainly lived up to its billing. Politics, commissioning, and workforce development were just some of the topics we covered, and thanks to the openness and understanding of the attendees there was plenty of positivity to take back home with us. 

The Home Care Association is the premier organisation for home care providers in the UK. Its members include providers of all sizes and locations, and their conferences bring these members together to great effect. Home care can at times feel like the ‘little brother’ of the ‘little brother’ in social care, overlooked and underappreciated. 

We know the reality is far from the truth, as demand for home care continues to grow year on year in the UK. People want to be able to live long, fulfilling lives, in their own homes and communities. We relished the chance to speak to so many amazing providers about exactly how they can help the people who utilise their services achieve this ambition. These discussions are crucial to both our understanding of the realities of providing home care, and the future developments we prioritise for our own system.

The big attraction for events like ‘The Future of Homecare’ are the talks. The headline acts if you will, ready to light up the stage with their passion and perspective. We kicked things off with a bang this year as the HomeCare Association’s CEO Dr Jane Townson OBE was joined by Strategy Governance and Policy Consultant Dr Anna Dixon MBE. Dr Dixon recently chaired a Church of England Commission on ‘Reimagining Care’, drawing upon her wealth of experience which includes being the Chief Executive of Ageing Better and Director of Strategy and Chief Analyst at the Department of Health to name just a few of her previous roles. The talk highlighted the deficit of awareness around social care and the fact that we still lack enough ‘political salience’ to bring about much needed reforms. Work is being undertaken to try and address this issue, especially by fantastic organisations like Social Care Future but a lot of effort remains ahead of us. 

The other talks followed a similar trend of practical insight and experience being combined with actionable results. ‘Commissioning for Better Outcomes’ was a fascinating panel delving into the challenges of commissioning. Thea Stein, CEO of Nuffield Trust revealing a long held suspicion for many in the room that ‘The NHS does not understand Social Care…we are working through it but it is very slow’. Tim Ryley, Accountable Officer for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board shared some tips on connecting with your local ICB as a care provider, finding the right contact and the benefits of going through the Place Committee where possible.

The talks on the future of caring and workforce were similarly dappled with actionable advice. A particular point of interest for us was when George MacGinnis, Healthy Ageing Challenge Director for UK Research and Innovation pointed out that; “Tech can be complicated and designed at care providers rather than with them.” An important lesson for all suppliers and one that speaks to the mission statement at the heart of Nourish Care. 

The Home Care Association Conference is not just about coming and listening, but about taking part so you can be sure to take something back home with you. The morning and afternoon workshops covered a wide range of topics and offered something for everyone. Perhaps too much at times as it was difficult to settle on which workshop to attend!

Business growth, financial management, technology applications, recruitment, retention and PR were all up for discussion. These talks were led by people who had an in-depth understanding of the topic, but driven by the participants. The interactive sessions further reinforcing the engagement and community that makes being a part of the Home Care Association so worthwhile.

Our team feels energised by our time at The Kia Oval and ready to embrace what the future holds for home care. We could spend thousands of words going through all of the great insights, conversations and people from the conference. (Not to mention the food, quite a spread) However some things you have to experience yourself to truly appreciate and ‘The Future of Homecare’ was certainly one of them. So make sure you don’t miss out on next year, because we can’t wait to go back!

We get it, you’re sick of hearing ‘we get it’. Social care is defined by the uniqueness of care providers and the communities they support. At Nourish Care we are defined by the lessons we’ve learned from working with care providers and creating digital solutions alongside them. That’s what sets us apart from other digital systems for home care. From joining our platform, to helping extend it to the families of the people utilising your service. We are a community effort, and we have the functionality and flexibility to work with yours. 

Customisability is essential in digital care software. In order for your service to fit a system, above all you need flexibility to shape a system to your service. Because our functionality is rooted in best practice and is supported with our comprehensive assessment and interaction libraries. Libraries our clinical team developed alongside our users. Each Nourish user has a dedicated Customer Success Manager to work with them. Making sure you get everything you need from our system.

Your dedicated Customer Success Manager will be a key part of your digital transformation with us. They guide you through your onboarding, learning about your service throughout the process. We know that a good start is half the battle. This approach helps us focus our functionality and match it to the needs of your team and community. Helping your team to build their digital confidence throughout the process. Alongside our thorough initial training and set up we also provide a wealth of supporting resources. And an expert support team who are only a phone call away if you need extra help.

Care impacts every aspect of a person’s life, vibrating out along the connections we spend our lives building. It is only natural that these connections will want to know more about the care their loved ones receive. Our ‘Circle of Care’ feature enables you to open up your service to trusted individuals securely. You retain control over the level of access they have, allowing you to share the outstanding care your team provides with the community of the person you are supporting. ‘Wrap around’ and ‘person centred care’ can mean different things to different people. With Nourish you are well equipped for every iteration.

Social care providers are entrusted with a significant amount of private information on behalf of the people they are supporting. This means you need a system you can trust to stay secure against cyber threats. Accordingly, digital systems for home care need to have the highest standards of information security to protect the data they store. We protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your data with our cloud-based system and permanent record keeping. We also have multiple security accreditations: ISO 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials Plus, DPST Toolkit, and membership of the NHS Assured Solution List.

Integrity is crucial in digital security and social action. We stand proudly by the standard we set for honesty. If we feel we are not the right fit for your service we will tell you. Rather than trying to lock you into a long contract with promises of tomorrow. With our best in class functionality, collaborative approach and award winning support, joining Nourish is like any other community, but no other system, find out more.

Domiciliary care is rooted in our communities. It takes place in our living rooms, our gardens, and on the streets where we grew up. It is by design and ambition people-driven and person-centred. Nourish Community is the exact same. Our system is built alongside care providers, with functionality that brings benefits for domiciliary care. Combining the potential of digital with the vitality of human experience in home care. Empowering providers to support their communities effectively and empathetically. Digital records, real-time appointment notes, a comprehensive carer app. And many more features make up the core of Nourish Community. But it is our focus on lived experience. And the ability to measure and review such experiences. That makes our system the best at supporting person-led care in people’s homes.

In this blog we’ll cover the host of benefits that come with embracing digital records. And workforce management for your domiciliary service with Nourish Community.

The most obvious benefit of going digital is the efficiency it can bring to a home care service. It is widely known how much time providers can save by digitising their processes. Nourish Community gives providers the tools to improve efficiency and crucially, increase their oversight into the workings of your service. By reporting people’s care digitally it is easier to review and improve upon it. Carers can share notes from their calls, coordinators can view trends over time and the people utilising the service can become involved in decision making. Knowledge is power, and with Nourish Community your team will have all the knowledge they need, in one place and on the go, to provide truly outstanding care. 

Digital functionality is powerful, but it can be misdirected. It is crucial that your system is shaped to your service. Accordingly supporting the unique way you provide care in your community. We provide all Nourish Community users with a dedicated point of contact. Above all to make sure you are getting everything you need from our system. With robust training and onboarding, your point of contact will learn about your service as you learn about our system. Concurrently building an understanding and teamwork that will guide you through your digital journey with Nourish Community. So you have a smooth implementation and sound system.

Through our hands-on approach, we come to understand the intricacies of your service as you learn how to best apply our system. With the end result being an effective, caring and responsive approach to person-led care for those you support. Additionally, the benefits for domiciliary care become quickly apparent in our functionality. We have a suite of features that can be tailored to the needs of your service. Our assessments ensure your care plans are comprehensive, and with our trends and reporting features you can simply review and adjust your ongoing care as desired. 

Nourish Community backs up its powerful point-of-care functionality with best-in-class admin features as well, giving you every tool you need to focus on providing outstanding care. Our scheduling and invoicing features simplify your administration and provide functionality for long term planning and consistently recurring schedules. Workforce management is supported with the ability to book training, time off and sickness, so you can create both ‘carer’ and ‘client’ profiles that are always developing (just like the people themselves).

The Nourish Community Mobile App gives your carers all the tools they need to support your community. We include imetables and travel destinations. Also along with appointment notes, electronic call monitoring, eMAR and more. So your carers get to the right place, at the right time, with the right information! The app even works when there is no internet because we all know those pesky black spots can crop up!

Data is a hot topic these days, abstract as the term can become. However, the benefits for domiciliary care are real. With Nourish Community we focus on making data tangible and applicable in real terms for home care providers. For example, our ‘recommend a carer’ feature draws upon information you have added into your system, and graded on a scale you can adjust, to find the best partnerships between carers and clients in your community. The data is all there, and we give you the tools to apply it effectively, using data points like travel time, carer skills or appointment history. Data is a powerful tool, one we have previously explored the benefits of. We are taking data and making it real for people who utilise care, people who provide care, and the communities shaped by it.

Home care, domiciliary care, community care, whichever name it takes, the purpose is always the same, freedom. People who utilise care in their own homes want to be empowered, elevated by their service so they can continue to live their lives to the fullest. Nourish Community combines a digital system with a comprehensive data infrastructure and an internationally recognised user experience under that one defining goal. Empowerment, from our living rooms, gardens and communities, to wherever it needs to be.

Find out more about how we can empower your community here.

Domiciliary care, also known as home care, is an incredibly personal and community driven business to start. Care lies at the heart of so many people’s lives and the decision to become a provider is as impactful on the lives of your clients as it will be for you. Many people become care providers because of personal experience, either with care themselves or with a loved one. Their drive born from their compassion, and a desire to help improve the services available in their community.  

Of course, it is also a substantial business decision. One that will require thorough forethought and constant attention to become successful. Domiciliary care software, preparing for the relevant care agency regulator, finding the right home care provider insurance, defining your statement of purpose, recruiting and retaining care workers and more are all important aspects to consider. 

Here are some top tips for anyone looking to start their own home care business based on what we have learned during our decade plus years of supporting domiciliary care providers in the UK and Ireland. 

A solid business plan is vital for any successful venture. Conduct extensive research on the local market and competition in the area to determine what services are in demand, what you can provide and what it is reasonable to charge. This will enable you to create a solid business plan and define a deliverable statement of purpose.

Work out your company’s structure, goals, and objectives by creating a business plan. Remember to consider the financial, legal, provider insurance, marketing, and management aspects of the organisation, including potential sources of funding and your target audience. For example, are you targeting a private client base or will you be competing for Local Authority contracts? 

The figures vary greatly when estimating how much it costs to set up a care agency. This is because the factors vary greatly too. You must account for everything from staff costs and equipment to home care provider insurance and software. If you are starting a small home care business in the UK, the consensus is generally between £3,000 to £15,000 to start a care agency. For those with larger ambitions it can increase to £35,000 up to £100,000. 

There’s always a lot of paperwork at the start! You’ll need to obtain home care provider’s insurance, establish policies and procedures, and register your care agency with the relevant regulator. More information can be found on the relevant regulator’s website. 

Based on your market research, create a comprehensive business plan that outlines your services, pricing, and operations. Determine the hours of operations, create job descriptions, and develop a recruitment plan for your employees. There are a number of apps and social media groups to help you with home care recruitment.  

Care provision is a deeply personal experience. People are welcoming you into their homes and asking for help at their most vulnerable. You will need an amazing team of people to help you grow a successful service. The CQC’s latest ‘State of Social Care’ report highlights successful providers’ focus on staff development and retention. How you recruit and retain care workers will have a huge impact on the quality of your care. We advise hiring for culture and compatibility. Providing care requires the right people with the right skills, and it is much easier to learn the latter than the former. 

You will also need to ensure you have the necessary leadership and qualifications. When starting a home care agency many owners are also the registered manager. Of course that begs the questions; what qualifications do I need to start a home care agency? 

The answer varies depending on where you are:

England

QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care (Management of Adult Services) 
 
The CQC still accepts the below qualifications, however they are no longer obtainable for those starting a home care agency. 

A Registered Manager’s Award (RMA for short) 

NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services 
While these qualifications are not mandatory, the CQC will expect you to demonstrate you have the relevant experience, qualifications and skills.

Scotland 

The Scottish Social Services Council accepts a range of qualifications which you can view here.

Wales and Northern Ireland 

The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care Services (Adults’ Management) 

It is important to note that recruitment and retention is one of the major challenges in social care currently. While there is a large amount of turnover in social care, many of the people who leave their roles, leave them for another role in care. This shows just how important it is for you to take care of your team. Burnout is a serious condition and a real possibility, and something you could very well face yourself when starting out. It’s important to extend understanding, dignity and purpose to everyone in your service, and not just your clients. An increasingly popular way to promote growth is by facilitating education for your workforce, such as the care certificate in England. 

If you are starting a home care business you will need clients. Community work and marketing are the cornerstones for developing a client base. Your ability to engage with your local community and raise awareness about the service you provide both at local events and online are crucial. Connect with local elderly groups, charities and associations. Utilise their events to spread the word about your service, such as exhibiting or conducting leaflet drops. Word of mouth is huge in social care, so the experience of your first few clients will shape the success of your business.  

There are also national organisations like the Home Care Association and Home and Community Care Ireland. These run many supportive and educational workshops for their members as well as representing their needs on a national stage. 

At the start it will feel like you have a thousand things to do every 20 minutes. Picking the right technology partner with the right home care software is vital. They can help you establish simple clear processes with rostering software and comprehensive record keeping, empowering you to focus on more of the many other things demanding your attention each day. Nourish has supported thousands of home care agencies in streamlining their service; we have more information for effectively implementing technology in home care and case studies of people using our system. 

Determine your payment model and the payment options available for your clients. A key question for everyone when starting a home care business is: will you be accepting Local Authority contracts? 
 

Depending on your area this could be a viable approach to gaining clients, however rates for LA contracts vary based on where you are. The Home Care Association have previously produced a comprehensive examination into the varying rates of commission for home care providers across the UK that can help you understand your context. Finding the right domiciliary care software such as Nourish can help alleviate your billing stresses. 

A quality control program can help you maintain the standard of care you offer, and continually improve your service provision. It is vital this includes feedback from both your clients and carers. Domiciliary care is community based, and you must listen to your whole community to ensure you understand what is going on. Your relevant care agency regulator will provide guidelines, but it is through community engagement you will find the best answers. Answers that will help you shape your statement of purpose as well. The right domiciliary care software can help you build a library of interactions and experiences to shape your quality control. There are also home care software platforms like our partners Altra which offer functionality to enhance your engagement.

Hopefully this article helps illustrate how to set up a home care agency. As you can see, starting a domiciliary care company can be challenging, but by following some of these top tips you could make the process smoother for yourself and your team. As a longstanding home care software supplier, we are here to help you every step of the way. Whether it is with specific functionality like rostering software, or more general advice like connecting you with other providers for guidance on best practice.

We’ve got over a decade of experience working with domiciliary care agencies – let us help your home care agency off the ground with sector-leading home care software.

In the UK, the Care Workers Charity (CWC) provides support to carers throughout the year. In challenging times, they are often the lifeline that keeps carers afloat. The CWC also challenges misconceptions and helps shine a light on wonderful relationships, as well as many of the challenges that exist when providing care to others.

Our partnership with the Care Workers’ Charity enables us to support their efforts. So we look forward to every year’s Professional Care Workers Week, where we are able to participate, learn, and celebrate the wonderful world of care and the staff that make it happen.

This year we enjoyed many fantastic talks and activities. Monday was spent learning about the realities of social care, how it affects those around us, and how we can drive change and have an impact. It was an empowering day filled with insights, followed on Tuesday by a roundtable on the future of the social care workforce. During the morning roundtable, prominent leaders led discussions, followed by a roundtable led by carers themselves in the afternoon.

Wednesday offered a chance for reflection and self care in the form of a wellbeing seminar led by the Voices of Care podcast host Suhail Mirza and the Care Workers’ Charity’s always inspirational Karolina Gerlich.

Thursday was the day we had been waiting for the most. While we enjoyed taking part in the charity run the previous year, we (our knees) decided it would be better to focus on more sitting based fundraising activities this time.

What better way to enjoy sitting than with a cup of tea and some friends?

A great time was had by all sharing stories and munching on homemade snacks. In order to participate, several people made the trip into the office. This allowed us to catch up with old friends and relax. All for a worthy cause!

We also took it as an opportunity to practise some of our games before The Care Show in October. With the games getting a little competitive it was a great chance to test the rules and make sure everything was working before our trip to the NEC.

The posts of people heading out on the South Downs Trek came through on Friday morning, reminding us of last year’s endeavours, and the people who this week celebrates annually. Professional Care Workers Week is a great time to raise money, but also to take time to appreciate the incredible effort and passion carers contribute to our communities every day.

The government has released a ‘What Good Looks Like’ (WGLL) guide for Local Authorities and care providers in England. This guide builds on the ‘People at the Heart of Care’ white paper from 2021. The guidance is aimed at individuals who have responsibility for digital transformation. In both local authorities and care provider organisations. It provides an aspirational framework to help them shape the future of digital solutions in social care.

The paper is focused on England. But it offers good practice and practical advice relevant to care providers across the UK and Ireland. We’ve summarised its key points in a series of blogs. To help Nourish users and others in social care learn from the White Paper.

The new WGLL framework comprises 7 success measures divided into three categories. The three sections are Digitise, Connect and Transform.

“Effective use of digital technology, data and processes can support the delivery of outstanding quality and personalised care and support at the right place and at the right time.”

Ultimately, digitisation is about improving care. The pursuit of this goal lies at the heart of every improvement that digitisation can bring. By saving time and money through digitisation, you can reinvest it in the care your team provides. Improving outcomes for the people who draw upon your service.

Digital care management platforms, such as Nourish Care, can help you to improve your application of the data you are already gathering every day. By examining this data and applying the information it gives you to the continual development of your care. Empowering you to be dynamic, responsive and collaborative in your approach to care provision.

This can be through studying trends that were previously more difficult to recognise. Building case studies over time on specific clients to better personalise their care. Or sharing experiences from different carers with the whole team in easily accessible documents sent directly to each person. There are a wide range of ways to use digital tools to improve the standards of your care.

This benefit is not dependent on spending a lot of money on new technology or hardware. As habits, successes, and even mistakes are all held in the same system, it becomes much easier to track them, learn from them, and adapt your approach.

Of course, it is vital to know where you are starting from. Make sure you record your current practice before making any changes, otherwise you won’t have a record of the improvements you are making!

If you would like to learn more about how Nourish can help you improve your services you can read our case studies on how Quality Home Care made significant savings or how Priory Group improved their focus on outcomes for over 2,300 residents.

“Having good data to understand and plan for the needs of the population (whether at a community level or individual level) means that we can reduce inequalities and improve outcomes for all people.” 

You can change the way you provide care by using data effectively. By monitoring your care, you can gain insights you wouldn’t otherwise get. To ensure effectiveness, it must be balanced with a human approach.

Data security is vital for ensuring the privacy of your team and the people who utilise your care. You must also keep in mind the ethics of data collection. The danger is that when people are reduced to numbers and data points, you start to see them that way.

Co-production offers an effective bulwark against these bad habits. By involving people in the process of shaping their care, and keeping them in control of their own data you empower both the people themselves, and the service they are a part of.

The same rings true for finding the right digital partner. When you work with a supplier who understands your goals, and works with you and your community, you can ensure that together you use data securely and ethically. We have previously discussed the importance of Safe Practise in the What Good Looks Like guide. When considering the health of people in social care both the security of the data and how you apply the information you have gathered are crucial to your success.

We have worked closely with both third party developers and County Councils to develop innovative applications of data in care through our Partnership Programme. The Nourish Partnership Programme (NPP) unites key best-in-class innovators like Camascope for eMAR, Radar for incident management and PainChek for pain management whilst keeping a finger on the pulse for emerging technologies that will have a big impact on the social care sector. 

If you’d like to learn more about the power of data and how we work with providers to help them harness the power at their fingertips you can read our case studies. See how Abney & Baker utilised our Application Programming Interface to improve their service. You can also read about how going digital helped transform Hampshire County Council 16 adult social care services.

The government has released a ‘What Good Looks Like’ (WGLL) guide for Local Authorities and care providers in England. This guide builds on the ‘People at the Heart of Care’ white paper from 2021. The guidance is aimed at individuals who have responsibility for digital transformation. In both local authorities and care provider organisations. It provides an aspirational framework to help them shape the future of digital solutions in social care.

The paper is focused on England. But it offers good practice and practical advice relevant to care providers across the UK and Ireland. We’ve summarised its key points in a series of blogs. To help Nourish users and others in social care learn from the White Paper.

The new WGLL framework comprises 7 success measures divided into three categories. The three sections are Digitise, Connect and Transform.

This guidance builds on the NHS What Good Looks Like framework and can be applied alongside the What Good Looks Like guidance for nursing. The DHSC page also contains a range best practice guides for digital working, and further supportive resources here.

In our second blog we are focussing on the ‘Connect’ category.

“Supporting your workforce means developing a skilled, capable workforce who can confidently identify, recommend and use appropriate technology safely and effectively for people drawing on social care.”

When it comes to supporting your workforce, it’s about trusting them and empowering them to use the digital tools available to them and to those who use your services.

When supporting your workforce it is important to keep in mind that digital literacy is commonplace in today’s society. Almost everyone utilises some form of digital technology each day from Facebook, to Whatsapp, Fitbits, alarms and even banking. We live in a world of digital technology, to the extent we often overlook just how skilled we are with digital tools.

Care Roadshows invited us to take part in a series of panels on Balancing Technology and Human Connection. In Glasgow, Quality Compliance Systems Head of Social Care Content Lindsay Rees discussed the importance of understanding ‘Why’, and how the purpose of digitisation must be understood by all in your organisation.

In spring of last year, in response to Sajid Javid’s comments on digitisation in social care, we examined digital literacy in social care. Our analysis of the Ipsos Mori Polling revealed there is far greater understanding and use of digital tools in social care than was being openly discussed, especially in domiciliary care settings.

Time and again we have seen that the social care workforce is highly capable and adaptable to change. With support to learn new skills and clarity on the benefits of doing so, carers will excel in utilising digital tools in their provision of care.

You can read about the experience so many of our own team have working in care here. Experience that shapes the way we approach digital social care every day.

“A person-centred approach to the design and use of digital technologies can improve people’s quality of life and wellbeing and support independence.”

We believe that the Local Government Association said it best when they defined empowerment as ‘treating people as equal citizens’.

True empowerment comes from partnership, not dictation. Where people, services and systems work together to realise the ambitions we all share for better care. Our ability to understand each other and the challenges we face is much greater when we work together.

Care is based in community, and digitisation should be approached in the same way, as a communal undertaking. This means co-producing care with both the people who will be providing the care, and those who will be utilising it and co-producing your digitisation with partner who works alongside your team to build the most effective solution.

We specialise in working with care providers to create the best digital solution for your service, if you would like to learn more about this process you can see our case study with: Encompass Care or Winserve Care, or reach out to us directly.

The government has released a ‘What Good Looks Like’ (WGLL) guide for Local Authorities and care providers in England. This guide builds on the ‘People at the Heart of Care’ white paper from 2021. The guidance is aimed at individuals who have responsibility for digital transformation. In both local authorities and care provider organisations. It provides an aspirational framework to help them shape the future of digital solutions in social care.

The paper is focused on England. But it offers good practice and practical advice relevant to care providers across the UK and Ireland. We’ve summarised its key points in a series of blogs. To help Nourish users and others in social care learn from the White Paper.

The new WGLL framework comprises 7 success measures divided into three categories. The three sections are Digitise, Connect and Transform.

This guidance builds on the NHS What Good Looks Like framework. It can be applied alongside the What Good Looks Like guidance for nursing. The DHSC page also contains a range best practice guides for digital working, and further supportive resources here.

Our first blog focuses on the three measures contained in the ‘Digitise’ category.

“Your organisation’s leaders fully understand the benefits of digital technology and have the confidence and capability to drive forward digital transformation, sharing and learning from best practice.”

Digitisation is a long journey that starts with a simple decision. The decision to take a step forward into the unfamiliar in pursuit of improving the quality of care you provide and the quality of life for your teams that provide it.

In an ideal world, we would fully understand everything we do before we do it. But that’s not how the world works. Ambition and empathy are the essential starting blocks. The ambition to take on the process of digitisation and the empathy to ensure it is always rooted in the human experiences of the people providing and receiving care. Thereafter, it’s time to find the right digital partner for your organisation.

Our goal is to match our expertise with yours. So that we can produce the best results for your service and the people involved. We know each care provider is as unique as the community they support. Our team is here to ensure your unique community benefits from digitisation.

‘Digital Transformation’ is not a term we are wholly comfortable with at Nourish. We prefer to think of it as digital support, or digital augmentation. We’re here to help improve your service. By working with you to match our expertise in technology with your expertise in providing care. So, we can apply best practices from both perspectives. Producing effective digital solutions while always keeping the human connections at the heart of care.

To learn more about how we work with care providers you can read these case studies: Westmorland Care, Smart Care Homes & Care 4 U 2 Day.

“Your organisation has modern and secure digital infrastructure, and staff have reliable access to comprehensive and up-to-date digital records.”

A good start is half the journey in life, and ‘ensuring smart foundations’ is all about putting your business in a position to succeed from the get go. This means finding a digital partner that understands and appreciates the context of your care. There are a huge variety of factors to consider; geography, infrastructure, digital literacy and many more. Before offering solutions, a good digital partner will work with you to ensure they also understand these factors.

You may begin digitising with a robust knowledge of best security practise, and the reliability of local internet connections. You may not. It is important to work with your team and digital partner to understand what you want to accomplish, and how you plan to get there.

We are happy to talk to prospecting care providers about their experience and concerns regarding digitisation. In case you need more information about security, cloud based storage, or any other aspect of this process, we are happy to help. (Even if you don’t join us in the end)

If you’d like to learn more about digitising with Nourish and our onboarding process you can read these case studies: Leicestershire County Care Ltd, Your Care and Support & Nexus Care Services

“Good data and cyber security means organisations can safely use and share information which can improve care and support for people.”

There is always going to be a risk when centralising information. As data becomes more commonly used across social care the opportunity for it to be mishandled or even abused naturally increases as well.

Education, empathy and proactivity are crucial to ensure your team is confident enough in the system they are using to maintain safe practice as well as being confident enough in their team and leadership to share any breaches they think might have occurred.

When choosing a digital partner, make sure you ask about their approach to data protection and cyber security. An expert digital platform should be able to explain how their system fits into your service simply and securely. The less you know, the more questions you need to ask.

There are also some fantastic resources online like the DSPT toolkit from Digital Care Hub, which WGLL points to directly on their outline.

If you’d like to know more about the importance of cyber security and our approach at Nourish you can read here.

Or if you are new to digital security feel free to contact us for a chat about the buzzwords, the meaning behind them and how they relate to care provision.