Technology initiated a sea change in social care. The rapid uptake of digital systems in social care saw the number of providers using digital social care records (DSCRs) double in the past four years. This impacts every aspect of the care community, from the processes we use each day, to the outcomes people using support experience. The benefits a provider can enjoy from ‘going digital’ are well documented. What is less well documented is the impact technology, and by recent extension AI, have on our perspective. Specifically, our perspective of ‘what good looks like’ in social care.

We sat down with Lewis Sheldrake, an expert with over 15 year’s experience working in local government and a legacy of innovative implementations of technology and training to discuss this topic. Lewis won the prestigious Local Government Challenge in 2023 with his novel AI Labs project. This project centred on ‘leveraging AI into all aspects of local government service delivery’. Crucially, in a way that supported emotional intelligence and promoted human interaction, two core tenants that ran through our conversation. We chatted about the changing perspectives on what good looks like in social care; moving from reactivity to proactivity, the relationship between data, AI and benchmarking in care and why we need to be open to new opportunities in technology.

Lewis Sheldrake spoke to us in a personal capacity and not on behalf of any local government or association.

“From a local authority point of view the absolute baseline of what good looks like in social care is not having any kind of substantial safeguarding risks. Not being in a position where you’re leaving your most vulnerable without care. Or not essentially fulfilling some of the statutory duties that are placed upon local authorities under the Care Act.

“You can probably already pick up the fact that a lot of what I’m talking about is the absence of certain things happening, as opposed to it being a positive. I think that, unfortunately, is part of the challenge that we face. Looking at this through the lens of local authorities, it’s mainly focussed on avoiding crises, rather than proactive, aspirational care.

“Whereas if you were to put it from the perspective of a person receiving care, it’s different. For them, it’s having that assurance that the care that they are receiving is safe and of a good quality. So they can live safely and independently in their own home for as long as possible

“This contrast in perspective is critical, and it’s exactly the point from which we must evolve. It creates the space for technology to bridge the gap and, crucially, help redefine what ‘good’ can and should look like in modern social care.”

“Firstly, I think it’s important to understand that by the time someone gets to their local authority they are at a certain level of need. Their needs are relatively acute and consequently are going to require a level of intervention. One that’s likely expensive at that stage. This is the reactive model we’ve become accustomed to.

“We often hear cases where a family member can no longer cope. They’ve been providing informal care to that loved one and they’re burned out. Under the Care Act 2014, the local authority has a statutory duty to assess those needs – and where they meet eligibility criteria, arrange appropriate support. By this stage, the intervention is often urgent, complex, and resource-intensive.

“This is happening at a time where councils are absolutely creaking with the volume and complexity of demand that is arriving at their front door. And I think invariably that so many of these cases could have been foreseen with the right technology and data in place.”

“Absolutely, with the right technology we could intervene earlier to help the person avoid requiring a care package for longer. Keeping them there, living well and independently for longer. Supporting their next of kin to be able to continue to provide that care but also have some respite for themselves. I think this is where technology really can fit in. There are two key components of this.

“The first is about being smart in our uses of data. There are some really good examples from my experience around using data. Such as a council utilising data from other interactions it had with people to help build greater levels of prediction. Initiatives to understand when somebody is deteriorating to such an extent that a proactive intervention would be valuable.

“I know during COVID a council were able to identify with 95% accuracy which of their residents would likely be on the shielding list. Through the use of data, they’re able to accurately predict those people and proactively support them. I also know of councils who utilised data to develop predictive falls models. Again, this significantly changes the effectiveness of care, as we can proactively reach out to at-risk people and offer them interventions. Interventions which, along with improving quality of life for citizens, save the local authorities money.

“The second part of this is through digital technology devices. For example, in the case of falls, a device that can detect when a person falls and activate an alarm in response to send for support. But beyond responding to incidents, there’s increasing potential to analyse the patterns and behaviours that often precede a fall. This allows us not just to react, but to intervene earlier or mitigate the risk before a fall occurs at all.”

“I think both of these aspects, if used coherently, will alleviate the amount of pressure arriving at the front door of local authorities. Both in volume and also in terms of acuity. Now, by the time someone is coming to you for a care package you already have a more rounded understanding of their circumstances. Who they are, the context they live in, and the support networks around them. . The volume of that home care they need is less than it otherwise might have been thanks to earlier, preventative interventions.

“In effect, it helps smooth the peaks in demand – reducing the levels of complexity and acuity of cases presenting at any one time. Which in turn lowers the cost to the council and the financial burden on the person receiving support.”

“It’s central. Broadly, there are two ways of using data to understand need and provide effective care.

“There’s the strategic, macro use of aggregated data across large population groups. This approach is highly effective at generating predictive models that assess risk and identify patterns. Providing valuable insights for both providers and commissioners. It enables more intelligent, data informed decisions about how services are designed and delivered, ensuring they are suitably tailored to meet the needs of their clients. We’ve seen examples of this approach applied with great success in other high-risk sectors, such as the aviation industry.

“The second way, and I think the more exciting side, is the micro, hyper personalised application. Where we can focus down on the individual to really understand their needs and ambitions. Again, we see impressive examples of this data application in other sectors. Such as the preference-driven algorithms behind Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify. As well as personalised customer journeys across digital platforms.

“If you were to think about how some of those principles that underlie their architecture. Albeit very different sectors with very different objectives. It raises an important question: what if that architecture were applied to a health and social care context? How helpful that would be to ensure people are getting exactly what they want and need, when they want and need it?

“One of the most powerful aspects of this shift from reactive to proactive care is the ability to anticipate. In social care, hospitals, and communities, we often hear the same phrases: ‘It was only a matter of time.’ ‘We could see this coming.’ These reflections highlight how predictable many crises are – with hindsight. With the right acquisition and application of data, we can change what good looks like in social care in a positive, person led way.”

“If we break down the core functions that exist in care, there are a number of different actors doing different tasks e.g. care planning, initial assessments, delivery of that care. I think there are really compelling applications for AI for each of those. Applications that can enhance the delivery of that function, while in turn delivering a higher level of quality and precision to the end user.

“We’re already seeing promising examples of AI reducing administrative burden with data entry. In terms of things like transcription and data input. I think it’s a good start, but there is significant untapped potential to expand AI’s role across the wider care ecosystem.

“For any care plan that’s pulled together, you think about how many other care plans have gone before that. Drawing upon the decades of experience and knowledge from the people that are inputting into those care plans. With AI this information can be readily triangulated to make the most precise care plan for any given set of circumstances. AI can prompt follow up actions or suggest referrals based on all the data your service has. These prompts support care decisions rather than automate them. Helping to standardise the service offer based on the individual needs of each client, by drawing upon the wealth of experiences and outcomes across your service to inform best practice. Ideally alleviating the variability of individual social workers, while enhancing the specificity of your care plans.

“The data gathered during this care provision is then fed back into the system. This creates a virtuous cycle of person led, community centred care. And that’s just one quick example. From high level strategy to direct care delivery in people’s homes there are applications for data and AI that improve service quality, operational efficiency and ultimately deliver the objectives that keep people living safely and independently in a place they call home for longer.”

“The most immediate answer is reducing administrative burden. There’s lots of opportunities for AI and care technology in general to afford people more time delivering what they got into the job to do. Face to face care, in a more personalised and informed way.

“Let me offer a counterpoint. There’s a common misconception that, more human care always equates to better care. But in some cases, that’s not true. Overprescription and unnecessarily invasive care can diminish a person’s independence and dignity. Take supported living settings for example. Imagine someone with learning disabilities who receives 24/7 care. There are people coming in, waking them up in the night to routinely check in on them. This is well-intentioned, but disruptive. In such cases, the use of technology there can help provide that person with a more respectful and person-centred alternative. Providing greater levels of privacy, independence and dignity. While still ensuring support is available when genuinely needed.

“My key point is about precision and that is certainly where I think AI can play a transformative role. Ensuring care is sufficiently proportionate to the needs of the individual. I don’t think that necessarily means more care is better. I think it’s about the quality, appropriateness and value of the ‘care’ being provided.

“Care in inverted commas mind you, because we’re using care as a kind of umbrella term for a whole number of things at the moment. A lot of responsibilities that are falling under the umbrella of care are not actual direct care. They are different forms of administrative tasks. We need to think about how to displace that through the use of AI and other digital tools to ensure that we are maximising our resources and delivering the best outcomes possible.”

“Absolutely, I think it has too. We have to be realistic. There are massive capacity challenges both in terms of the workforce, and also in terms of the budgets to support social care.

I personally think there are circumstances where technology could well replace some types of care which are not necessary to be delivered in person. With an ageing population and increasing levels of need and vulnerability, we have to use our finite resources wisely. Care capacity is not limitless, and technology offers a valuable opportunity to redeploy human effort where it’s needed most.”

“Understandably so, there are massive capacity challenges in social care, both in terms of workforce and budget. But rather than viewing these constraints purely as limitations. They invite us to re-examine our definition of ‘good’. They imagine how technology and AI can shape what good looks like in social care into a new vision. One that’s more sustainable, personalised, and outcomes focused.

“So much care provision is historically focussed on things like washing, bathing, food, medication. But if we consider this through the lens of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These are foundational; they sit at the base of the pyramid. Essential, yes, but not sufficient for a fulfilling life.”

“What it often fails to address, whether due to technical limitations or lack of resource, is anything related to the higher levels of that hierarchy. Support for self-esteem, companionship, and emotional fulfilment is frequently absent. Let alone opportunities for people to self-actualise!

“I really believe that there’s an opportunity to move away from the primary function of care provision being to give people the bare necessities and to basically keep them alive.

“An opportunity for us to move to a form of care that helps people have a greater level of self-esteem, belonging and purpose. Take social isolation for example. Everyone is aware of our social isolation problem and the significance of its health implications. But actual interventions to address this issue are sparse, largely due to cost.

“I think there is huge potential to augment existing models of care using technology and AI to alleviate some of these kinds of challenges.

“AI tools, even just the currently mainstream ones like ChatGPT offer fascinating potential in supporting social connection, stimulation, and engagement. For some people, these platforms provide opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations they might not otherwise have. Interactions that validate their experiences, challenge their thinking, and stimulate them intellectually. It’s obviously not care in the way that we understand and conceptualise care and certainly traditionally. But when you stop to think about it. If someone is able to enjoy an engaging conversation about a subject that’s meaningful to them, that validates their experience, challenges them and stimulates them intellectually, isn’t that a core tenant of ‘good’ care?

“I think there’s value in that. These possibilities have scope, and the potential to progress much further and I don’t think it should be ruled out. Absolutely, AI and technology can help drive more informed decisions, reduce administrative burden and promote coproduction.

“But if we just look to use technology to fulfil functions already fulfilled by traditional models of care. I think that would be a missed opportunity.”

A good start is half the battle on the right foot going downhill. Unlike that sentence, onboarding home care technology does not need to be confusing. Whether you are starting your digitisation journey or migrating from one system to another, success is set in the first steps you take. At Nourish Care we are with you every stride of the way, whatever way you want to go. Our training is tailored to each user, with a dedicated Account Manager working alongside your team, plus regular training sessions on a range of key features, a rich library of guides and an easy to reach support team with an in-depth knowledge of both care technology and care communities. We developed our process over the past decade, refining our approach to onboarding home care technology over time.

Our goal is to wrap our system around your service. We achieve this by working with our users to build long lasting partnerships and drive positive outcomes for everyone involved in your community. 

We like to hit the ground running at Nourish. Once you join us, we set you up with a dedicated Account Manager for your team. Many of our Account Managers previously worked in care roles, and they all share a passion for improving care outcomes with care technology and collaboration. Your Account Manager will contact you so they can begin to understand your approach to care. We know no two care providers are the same! That’s precisely why we start working with you to understand your processes straight away.  

Your Account Manager is your consistent point of contact. A resource to help you get started the right way and continue to grow in line with your plans. You see, an Account Manager isn’t just for onboarding, they’re for life. If you are looking to grow your business, adjust your processes, or simply review your options, your dedicated Account Manager will be hand to help guide you. In turn you will guide them through your business. So that together, we can build something that supports you, your team and your community.

In order to effectively shape our system to your service, you need to understand what tools are available. We developed our approach to training over the past decade, matching our approach to the realities of providing home care to maximise efficiency, integrity and availability.  

We offer a selection of routine, group training sessions covering topics that detail the specific aspects of our system. These training sessions give you the knowledge you need to start using Nourish for home care. Whether you are utilising Nourish Rostering or Nourish Community.  

We hold each session topic twice a month. To attend you simply book in for each session as desired. Crucially there is no limit to the number of sessions you can attend or the frequency with which you attend them. This grants providers flexibility when onboarding home care technology. The accessibility of these sessions also makes it easier for care providers to train new hires later on. Rather than taking time out of your coordinator’s day, or paying extra for further training, new hires can book into these sessions with us at your discretion.  

We also offer a library for resources to help you learn at your pace. Whether it is for a specific piece of functionality or a new feature release, our support portal, or ‘Supportal’, offers a wealth of information for our users.   

Our support portal is a ‘living document’. We routinely update the library to continue providing consistent information. Our guides are written to be simple to follow and address frequently asked questions from our users. When we speak of partnerships with our providers we mean it in every sense. Just as our training is shaped by over a decade of experience, our support portal is enriched with feedback, information and experiences drawn from the wide range of Nourish users. Creating a continuous feedback loop of best practice and insight for everyone to share.  

There is no start so strong that it can escape all missteps. That’s why pencils have rubbers and we boast a robust support structure. We have two teams ready to respond to any issues that occur. We appreciate the urgency of home care and our approach to support is underpinned by the tenets of speed, accuracy and accountability. This means we are here for you, when you need, with the answers you’re seeking, and a commitment to resolving your issue. 

Our experience in home care technology taught us the importance of having teams specialised in resolving different issues. These are our Customer and Technical Support Teams. 

Our Customer Support team is your main port of call for everyday enquires. Time is precious in care, and when you need an answer quickly the Customer Support team will be there for you. Whether you’re looking for an example, an export or an explanation, the Customer Support team can help. 

Our Technical Support team are there for the more complex issues. A dedicated team of experts with the time and ability to resolve more involving enquiries and provide comprehensive solutions.  

Together these two teams are positioned to resolve your inquiries efficiently and effectively. 

The onboarding process for any care technology sets the tone for the rest of your experience. From the first moment we are committed to developing a constructive partnership with each of our users. One that is led by you and your dedicated Account Manager. We pride ourselves on the resources and support we offer our users. However, we measure ourselves by the sincerity, understanding and effectiveness of the relationships we build along with way. Because whenever you walk in step with someone, you’re guaranteed to have two right feet! 

The future of social care in the UK is linked to the future of the NHS. One cannot progress without the other. So, when the NHS established the Assured Solutions List (ASL) to help shape the future of digital social care, every software supplier in the sector took notice. NHS Assurance is a clear badge of quality and ambition. Nourish Care was the first Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) to join the ASL. A statement of our commitment to both compliance and innovation in care technology.  

The purpose of the ASL is to encourage care providers to digitise. By establishing a trusted baseline of system requirements and providing funding to help providers get started. The requirements for membership of the ASL granted confidence to providers of the capabilities of the system they were using to digitise their processes. NHS Assurance guarantees safety, security and reliability for care providers when choosing their digital partner.  

Since Nourish joined the ASL, it continues to expand in membership and calibre. This year saw an expansion of standards with the introduction of 14 new standards. These standards built upon the baseline of requirements for assured solutions and indicated the coming ambitions for health and social care interoperability. They covered a range of important issues, including the use of data, information sharing, security and integrations.  

You can read about these standards and how Nourish complies with them here. 

It is crucial to use a system that complies with these standards to set yourself up for the future. Most suppliers are still yet to be approved on all 14 standards, you can see how far along they are here. Click on the supplier and navigate to their ‘Standards’ drop down. 

It is clear the NHS have further designs for the ASL and its members. Compliance with the existing standards indicates a supplier is aligned with the future direction of digital social care. When looking to your own future it is important to ask the suppliers you utilise about theirs.  

What connections do they have to the NHS?  
What is their approach to interoperability? 
How committed are they to maintaining their standards of compliance and information security? 

Ensuring alignment with your digital supplier is vital for building a future-proof and secure business. Ensuring your system and service are qualified with NHS assurance. If you are curious about switching your digital system to a new supplier, we have prepared a useful document detailing the process with us. You can view it here.  

If you would like to learn more about how Nourish works with our users to wrap our system around your service, you can read our case studies here. 

One of the clearest requirements of the new 14 standards for NHS Assurance is interoperability. The ability to record, store and share information securely. This is in direct response to the ‘sin of silos’ that plagued health and care providers for decades.  

Along with our adherence to these standards Nourish also champions interoperability through the Nourish Partnership Programme. This initiative reflects our commitment to building solutions across suppliers to best serve care providers and their communities. We are proud to develop social care led solutions alongside suppliers, providers and our wider communities. 

The NHS and social care move together. In September Wes Streeting announced ‘three key shifts’ for the NHS. With recent developments for the ASL, increased focus on compliance and a commitment to interoperability it is obvious this shift is coming to care as well. We previously explored the move from ‘Analogue to Digital’ here. The ability to deliver the other two key shifts, namely ‘sickness to prevention’ and ‘hospital to community’ will largely be defined by the ability of different health and care providers to share their information with each other. The ‘Data Use and Access Bill‘ highlights this focus from the UK government and points to the significance of membership to the ASL for digital social care records as a baseline.

It is clear digital systems will play a huge role in the future of health and care in the UK. Now is the time to make sure you have a partner you trust, understand and enjoy working with.  

Now is the time to talk to Nourish, because things are just getting started. 

Conversation is crucial in care. Our understanding is built on our ability to listen. Everyone who provides care is well aware of this dynamic. A lesson we learned over the past ten years by working with our users to improve processes, functionality and outcomes. We are creating our Care Voice Champions to ensure we continue to keep you close to our development process. 

Too often in technology, we have a ‘story in our back pocket’. An experience someone shared with us when we first started developing software solutions. This story is a great starting point, but it can become stale over time. As a result, developers find themselves working closely to the memory of a challenge, rather than the reality. 

Take care notes as an example. The original challenge was digitising a longstanding paper process. The story of carers filling bursting filing cabinets with lonely notebooks echoed in every developer’s ears. This led to several innovations, such as digitising the note-taking process, improving the quality of information available, and making notes easier to review. However, if we stopped talking at this point the innovations would stop too. Thanks to ongoing conversations we developed more specific functionality, like dictation to make recording notes easier, triggers to encourage note-taking at specific times and reporting suites to present the information gathered in more digestible and informative ways. 

We created our Care Voice Champions to keep the conversation going. 

At the start, we plan to communicate monthly. We will review the effectiveness of this approach and adjust the time frame as necessary. Crucially, it will be entirely up to members of the Care Voice Champions group to engage with a specific topic. We do not require or expect every member of the group to engage on every topic. We appreciate how limited care provider’s time is, and we will make sure this process is swift and simple. Starting out, engagement will primarily be conducted through surveys. 

There may be times when we want to have a direct conversation with certain members. These will be requested formally, and well in advance to ensure minimal disruption to your schedule. 

The ultimate goal is to build a continuous cycle of engagement and through that strong collaborative links with our Care Voice Champions. We want to make sure that everyone is involved in our journey as a product. We need to understand how you approach care, how our system supports your approach, and how we can work together to drive better outcomes for everyone involved. 

We know this will not be an easy process. Indeed, we anticipate a few stumbles along the way. That is why it is so important to us to involve you in the process. Stumbling is a natural part of moving forward, just as honest conversations are an essential part of growth. 

If you want to have a more direct hand in our growth, please, join Care Voice Champions. 

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When Wes Streeting announced his three key shifts for the National Health Service (NHS) at the Labour Party Conference at the end of September social care’s ears were burning. A move from analogue to digital, hospital to community and sickness to prevention is a move towards care. Clearly social care has a big part to play in the future of the NHS. And technology plays a crucial role in the future of social care. When applied correctly digital solutions empower us to improve both efficiency and outcomes. Which offers care technology a central role in the government’s ongoing attempts to stage a digital revolution in health and care. We all know the why, given social care’s enduring challenges. It is uncovering the precise, who, what, when, and how of the matter that remains something of a mystery.  

We recently headline sponsored the Home Care Association (HCA)’s Tech & Homecare conference. A day of insights, inquisition and understanding for leading home care providers and technology suppliers. On the day our CMO, Lee Gilbert, hosted a panel featuring a who’s who of digital rostering and AI suppliers discussing data, while The King’s Fund’s Pritesh Mistry joined HCA’s CEO Dr Jane Townson OBE to ask, ‘How can technology solutions help move care closer to home?’. The latter a conversation underpinned by the recently published, Nourish Care sponsored, study exploring ‘The reality of, and potential for, digitally enabled care in the community’. Reflecting the collaborative spirit of co-development that defines modern, outstanding care, these conversations detailed a variety of ongoing efforts to move social care from analogue to digital. Their success, their missteps, and the road still ahead. 

Chair: Lee Gilbert, CMO, Nourish 
Nuno Almeida, CEO, Nourish 
Steve Sawyer, Managing Director, Access Group 
Robin Batchelor, CEO, everyLife Technologies 
Matthew Bond, CEO, Borderless 
Abeed Mohammed, Co-founder, Birdie

There is already a wealth of positive examples of technology improving care quality. Providers applied digital solutions to a selection of the challenges they face. Both The King’s Fund research, and each of the panellists, presented their own positive instances. Pritesh detailed several different, key, areas that are already befitting from digital solutions, such as communication, care co-ordination and personalisation. Dr Townson added to this during their conversation, highlighting some Local Authority’s recent adoption of ‘magic notes’ as an example of technology changing people’s lives. 

The panel built upon these cases with a specific focus on utilising existing data in systems. Matt Bond shared how Borderless share and aggregate data to pass benefits to individual people by finding the gaps in your existing service. The other four panellists all pointed to the efficiency their respective rostering platforms bring to care providers. When Robin Batchelor brought attention to the current inflection point in care technology it resonated around the room. Nuno Almeida agreed, “We’ve spent 14 years building the foundations. It’s not rocket science; the rocket science lies in your ability to react to needs.” 

That is the crux of the matter, when we move from analogue to digital, we have to retain our focus on people’s needs. The ability to react to these needs is defined by our ability to engage with them. One of the biggest fears about moving from analogue to digital is based in the apprehension of losing the human touch that has always guided health and care in the UK. A fact reflected in two of the recommendations from the King’s Fund’s research. The need to ‘Shift culture to embrace the public’s digital capability’ and ‘Support staff to embed tech in their roles’. Neither of which are groundbreaking discoveries, but do require fresh ideas to address. Such as Scottish Care’s Care Technologist role. We know the potential of carers, their adaptability and commitment to any idea that can improve outcomes for their community.  

What we need to do is make engaging with, and championing, care technology a simpler process. Which is not something that can be done overnight. “Asking people what is important to them is the biggest gap in our data,” admitted Nuno during the panel. “But this is also a big opportunity for us, asking, ‘What will really make a difference?’” The more we can involve people in the design process, the more ‘frontline’ feedback we can apply to our development. This co-production keeps people at the heart of care technology, which is crucial as we move to put technology at the heart of care.

Dr Townson concisely summarised this issue during her talk with Pritesh. ‘Technology for technology’s sake is not progress’. Innovation cannot be disruption in care, the standard approach for technology entering a new sector. The responsibilities are too great. We have to understand the barriers and develop enablers for adoption in the workforce and communities they support. Any one software solution aiming to promote wrap around care and support needs to ask itself a simple question. ‘How will the care providers work alongside our tech?’ 

Pritesh highlighted the need for this focus in his research with The King’s Fund. One of the recommendations from this research underlines the need to ‘develop strategies for co-developing digitally enabled services’. Specifically raising the point that developing a strategy for co-development and patient-led service design will help to direct digital service development and strategy. While this suggestion calls for action from ICSs, ICPs, the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), it speaks to all digital suppliers and providers in social care. The move from analogue to digital in care must involve people at every step, or it is sure to get lost.

Nuno spoke about the need to ‘crawl, walk, then run, to get to data quality’. A process that rings true for all forms of digital technology. When The King’s Fund recommends ‘A national vision to guide local decisions’ it is not calling for a direct mandate. It is asking for a personalisable framework. ‘A guiding national vision, with local flexibility as to how it is achieved. One that will help to align the efforts of technology innovators, health and care providers, and leaders designing improved community-based services.’  

The HCA’s conference was an example of just that endeavour. A selection of leaders, creators and providers sharing experiences and ambitions to help shape the future of care as we move from analogue to digital. One based in the commitment to collaboration that makes care the beating heart of our communities. After all, if you’re going to solve a mystery machine, it’s best to do it with a gang. 

Growth is a winding road. In October 2023 Nourish Care acquired CarePlanner Home Care Software. The merger brought together two leading social care software solutions for care homes and home care respectively. More than this, it brought together two teams who already shared a philosophy for collaborative software development, and a passion for supporting care providers on their digital journey. Over the past year we combined experiences, shared perspectives and continued to develop best in class functionality for our users, alongside our users, to drive better outcomes for everyone involved. 

To celebrate an incredible 12 months, we caught up with some of the old guard from CarePlanner. We discussed the past year, what they’ve been up to, and why they’re excited for what’s still to come. 

Combining two companies is a large, but delicate process. One that requires balancing different teams, responsibilities and skills with new opportunities and ambitions. CarePlanner’s Operations Director, now Nourish’s Director of Operational Excellence, Mark Gutteridge was instrumental throughout this transition.  

“I oversaw the nuts and bolts side of bringing the two businesses together,” explained Mark. “Things like the processes, the way we work, the policies, making sure everything was aligned. That was the first six months. Since March of this year, my team are responsible for streamlining processes, putting in place new systems, and helping the business remain efficient as we continue to grow and onboard new customers. 

“It was a big undertaking, and our guiding philosophy throughout was making sure we always asked the question ‘Why?’. It was a key case of prioritizing what was important and what would make a difference to our users. We brought the two companies together so we would both be stronger. We really wanted to deliver on that potential. 

“There’s always a teething period with substantial changes like this. But once things settled down the benefits became obvious.  We used to say to ourselves that CarePlanner wanted to do a lot of things, but they didn’t always happen as swiftly as we’d like. When you look at how swiftly we’re launching new features like our eLearning solution now it’s inspiring. We’re able to respond much more quickly and effectively to our users and their experiences. I think that it’s been crucial in terms of making sure we continue to support our users and provide a market-leading product and service. Which is a really exciting place to be.” 

Understanding is central to building anything effectively. At Nourish and CarePlanner Home Care Software that understanding has always come from our users. Both companies boast team members with care experience. The combination of our Product teams, along with some experienced new leadership joining the fold, sharpened our focus, while at the same time unlocking whole new ideas to explore.   

“The new structure builds upon our established user led approach with a wealth of experience and clinical expertise,” explained Product Manager Robert Baker. “Their focus on the clinical safety and the clinical side of the product is invaluable. It empowers us to understand the best practice around our software so we can shape our functionality to best respond to our user’s needs. We always want to stay as close to the lived experience of care as possible. Because it helps us tailor Nourish to the specific needs and use cases, some of which we’d never discover on our own! 

“Fundamentally, the new structure keeps us focused on outcomes. Our attention is firmly on the problems we need to solve. Our teams have the resources and autonomy to respond to customer’s needs in a way that was previously unattainable. This means we can focus on developments for all sides of the Nourish platform, and any of the care types we support, with established care contacts and personal experience to guide us.” 

Product teams focused on how to capitalise on our future opportunities to improve outcomes for our users. However, there remained the sizable task of bringing together the functionality the two companies already built for their respective platforms. We spoke to Lead Developer Martin Joiner about how they addressed this undertaking, and the benefits of bringing fresh eyes and open minds to old challenges.  

“When we first joined together we were faced with two pieces of software with a lot of unique functionality,” explained Martin. CarePlanner’s home care software and Nourish’s residential. So, it was important to find the denominators. There are a lot of similarities between the systems as well. Features repeated across many platforms like: What does a profile look like? What information does it contain? How is an address formatted? General architecture like that. Lining these points up is a lot of work, but it is vital. We took small steps, one at a time to ensure we aligned the systems closely while still retaining the strengths of the previous structures. 

“Of course, just like in care, the real strength came from our people. With so many new people to talk to and work with there are so many opportunities to share best practice. We can ask ‘Why?’ whenever our curiosity is peaked and learn from each other. There are few things better for a problem than fresh eyes and informed opinions. We all value understanding why we are building something. And this close relationship with the purpose of our development process is reflected throughout Nourish’s tech teams. Another key denominator that has shaped our success over the past year. Leading to new developments like TARS, Time Off and eLearning for Nourish home care users.” 

Even on the technical level we find ourselves coming back to the importance of aligning on a human one. Personal connections define us all, especially when it comes to building productive, collaborative relationships in every aspect of our business. A maxim held true in both Nourish and CarePlanner. 

CarePlanner Home Care Software may have been the industry standard for rostering technology. However, its reputation was built on more than technology, it was built on relationships. Nourish shares that focus on personal connections. A prerequisite requirement for the merger, and a substantial relief to the customer-facing teams on both sides of the acquisition.  

“As Account Managers our first focus is always on the customers,” said Head of Account Managers Lauren Ware. “We build close connections with our customers because all Account Managers have dedicated accounts they work with. It delighted us to learn Nourish has the same approach. Thanks to the resources Nourish brings to bear on sector challenges our functionality and integrations have gone from strength to strength over the past year. This empowers Account Managers to unlock new opportunities for our users, and address long-standing challenges.  

“It’s one thing to be told your philosophy aligns with another company, it’s a different thing to see it for yourself. Care is a fundamentally human undertaking. For all the changes the sector and we experienced over the past few years, that remains the constant. In Nourish we found partners who share that focus, and the results speak for themselves.” 

The driving impetus of the acquisition was to make both solutions stronger. A combination of experience and insight to drive positive outcomes internally and externally for both businesses. One of the biggest changes this caused was for our support teams, whom we combined and specialised to best respond to our users in a timely and effective fashion. 

“Bringing together the best of both Nourish and CarePlanner Support teams has been an exciting journey,” detailed Head of Technical Support Cian Connolly. “One that has strengthened our focus on what matters most, our customers. Over time, as the dust of the merger settled, we came to understand the needs of users and the strengths of our colleagues. This inspired us to develop two teams, Customer Support and Technical Support. 

“With the move to dedicated Customer Support and Technical Support teams, we’re positioned to provide faster, more tailored solutions. Ensuring every interaction is both meaningful and effective. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s commitment and am excited for the future as we continue to raise the bar for customer experience in care technology!” 

CarePlanner Home Care Software belongs to the past. But the people, platform and purpose that shaped it for over a decade remain in place. Committed to the same goals, and the same communities to whom we have always owed allegiance. Nourish is now the largest supplier of social care software solutions in the UK. With over 400k people supported through Nourish and 350k carers driving positive outcomes for their communities every day. A responsibility we all take great pride and purpose in. 

The future remains an open horizon, and we have some fantastic company, and a stellar company, to join us on the journey. 

Why don’t you come too? 

Change is an uncertain thing by design. We grow and improve through change, but that does not mean we always know exactly how. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is in a transitional period. A period whose challenges reverberate across the social care sector and beyond, raising hopes, but also questions. We recently hosted a CQC webinar where Chris Day, CQC’s Director of Engagement, answered the most prominent questions submitted by Nourish Care users. As put to him by our Director of Customer Success, Ruth Norman.  

We learned of an organisation adapting to the needs of its community and building for the future. An organisation with enough self-awareness to recognise the mistakes it’s made, and the vision to correct them in the continuing pursuit of their person-centred, technology-enabled, ambitions.  

“The next steps of this journey for us is very much working with you so you and our colleagues who inspect have a really clear and collective understanding of what good looks like.” – Chris Day, Director of Engagement, CQC 

The CQC webinar was exclusively for Nourish users. We selected some of Chris Day’s most prominent insights below.  

If you are interested in joining Nourish and working with regulators, commissioners and communities to build the future of social care together, book a demo today. 

At the heart of the new inspection framework is a realisation. The CQC felt they were too focused on processes, not outcomes. The new approach focuses on outcomes, on the voice of the people and using the service and the staff supporting them. ‘I’ statements are designed to reflect what an individual expects from their service, and the ‘We’ statements illustrate how a service responds to those expectations. The CQC are eager to connect the dots between services with their new assessment framework. However, they acknowledge the work needed to refine how ratings translate across the 18 sectors they regulate and want to work with providers to address this. 

Chris highlighted the importance of re-establishing the link between providers and their local inspectors. He admitted the CQC overlooked the importance of these relationships when establishing the single assessment framework. The quality of these local relationships is crucial for building trust. They will launch a series of pilot programmes for local inspector hubs in October 2024 and will share further information for attendees through Nourish. The CQC want to give people the ability to talk to their inspectors without an inspection. To know and understand their inspectors through continued engagement. To build trust at a local level and share best practise.   

“A manifestation of care planning reality,” said Chris.  The biggest delineator of ratings comes down to the extent providers understand the issues they face. Including those outside their control, and crucially, what they are doing to address them. They want providers to show the relationship between the care planning, the training, the way observations are taken and the way support is given. It is important to give your team the confidence to connect data and information with people’s lived experiences. And the comprehension to explain those connections to inspectors. It’s not about providing a wealth of raw data. Care plans are more than a box-ticking exercise. How you tell the narrative story matters.  

Specifically, during our CQC webinar, Chris advised providers to use ‘edge’ or ‘outlier’ cases. Rather than a uniform overview of similar care plans. The new framework focuses on how a care plan reflects how you deliver care. How the person utilising support and their family experiences the care and how the specifics of your service’s context shape the care. Show the journey.  

First and foremost, it is important to understand the portal has several different functions. Chris spoke about the registration, notification and assessment functions during our CQC webinar. Fundamentally, the technology behind the portal isn’t working in the way they wanted. While notifications are functioning and will continue to do so, registration and factual accuracy checks are not. The CQC recognise how important it is to keep these services running, and so will be reverting to the pre-portal approach for both. Those who have completed or nearly completed their registration through the portal will not need to redo it in the old fashion, while those earlier in the process will be supported to switch methods. They are building out their registration team to expedite this process. Further information will be shared with Nourish users shortly.  

“I think we’ve let you down in terms of the time it takes to process registrations and take forward inspections,” said Chris. Addressing this swiftly is the key motivator for moving back to the older systems. They will be able to increase the number of registrations and inspections they conduct by returning to systems they are familiar with.  

The CQC looks to divide registrations between complex and ‘transactional’ needs, to help resolve simpler registration requests quickly. They will still use the quality statements for inspections, rather than key lines of enquiry, with the older process. “We know we had higher productivity pre covid with the inspection approach we took,” explained Chris. 

 The priority of inspections going forward for the CQC is ‘to form a view of the quality that someone who is going to use that service can expect’. They are currently undertaking modelling for inspection timelines and rates and are expecting to finish the modelling in November. Once the modelling is completed the CQC will share it with Nourish and providers. 

Naturally there was apprehension in our chat about the order of urgency of inspections. While the priority will be on addressing known harm, uninspected newly registered services and services ranked poorly who have had time to improve, Chris acknowledges the need to focus on inspections that show the positive changes providers have implemented. They are growing teams and their use of clinical experts to increase their inspection capacity. 

For those uncertain about how long this will take it is important to remember, when key lines of enquiry were first brought in, the CQC inspected every service in their charge over three years.  

Currently there are a range of experience and comfort levels with care technology in their workforce. A major part of inspector training is to ensure they understand the technology available to providers. Something they are eager to work with Nourish on developing.  Chris acknowledges the significant role technology can play in helping the CQC establish a ‘common view of quality in adult social care’.  

Data is a huge opportunity for care. Normally data is centred on the NHS. Access to real time information increases the understanding of care and service performance. Which in turn drives positive change. Bringing commonality to how data defines quality care is no easy feat, and there is a journey still to go on. However, Chris knows from previous work that data information is often at the heart of positive changes organisations have made and it has an important part to play in shaping the future of health and care. Including conversations about the long-term funding of health and care. 

As the hour drew to a close we posed a selection of questions from the session to Chris. Here is a brief overview of his responses. 

The CQC plans to review their inspection ratings in the near future. Their goal is always to triangulate data to get a full picture of the quality of a service. The primary goal being to establish these ratings as a more narrative description of the care you can inspect, rather than simply a ‘score’. 

The provider ‘handbook’ for inspections was recently approved. Over the next four to eight weeks the CQC will engage with providers to develop it. 

Understanding risk is crucial to justifying it. With specific regard to concerns over how the CQC will review potentially risky activities that increase quality of life for people drawing on support. This reiterates the need to rebuild trust between providers and inspectors Chris discussed earlier in the CQC webinar.  

Their ambition for Local Authority inspections to relate to provider inspections. The CQC are committed to providing further context for provider inspections by better understanding the worlds in which they operate.  

“That’s my ambition,” concluded Chris. “It’s not where we are at the moment, but I’d really like to do that. I’m happy to come back and talk about the Local Authority stuff moving forward.” 

The CQC are building for the future. But in order to do that they know they have to rebuild trust with the adult social care sector. There remains a great deal of work ahead of all of us to achieve the ambitions of the regulator and providers alike. Ultimately, we are all unified in our vision of better, more person-centred, care.  

Nourish are committed to working with everyone involved in the process, so we can change with confidence and drive better outcomes as a result. Join Nourish today to avail of future CQC webinars, integrated innovations and community led care technology.

At Nourish Care we’re committed to continuously improving the accessibility and inclusivity of our technology, working towards our goal of developing a solution which truly works for everyone. We spoke to our Head of Product Design, Kate Horn, to learn more about our approach to embedding accessibility and inclusivity at the heart of our product design process.

“Accessibility and inclusivity have accidentally become a bit buzzwordy in the design world recently,” explains Kate, “and most definitely in health tech design. Why? Finally, we are all talking about ensuring that anyone can access the products we are creating. At Nourish these are not just words, they form the basis of design values that go right to our core, we are person-centred. We believe in a better life for everyone. To achieve this, we need to make sure anyone and everyone can use Nourish.”

“Honestly? They mean quite a lot of different things! 

“It is a common misconception that when we talk about accessibility, we are only talking about how we apply colours to designs and how we can make it high contrast. This is a factor, but it barely scratches the surface of the work to be done to make a platform, or an app genuinely accessible to anyone who wishes to use it.  

“Hold on a moment though, we are talking here about using something that is in your hand already. We need to take a step back and think about the technology and very basic level of access first and how, as designers, we can get the app into your hand or onto your desktop in the first instance. Given that you are reading this digitally, this is clearly not a problem for you but consider this; in 2022, 13-19 million people in the UK over 16 lived in a state of digital poverty. That means they did not have the tech, skill, or resources to fund internet access on one or more occasions a week.  

We cannot just build for the latest and most shiny versions of everything. Accessibility means we need to think about making sure what we create is available to everyone. In a way which does not exclude people, starting at the point of access and empowering them to enjoy the full experience of the platform.

“Inclusive” needs to go even further and it is worthy of a blog post on its own. For now, I want to touch on the importance of ensuring that inclusivity extends to individuals feeling genuinely included, seen and represented within our platforms.

First of all, we aim for the highest possible standard. There is a framework for accessibility in digital design for us to follow called WCAG. Within this there are levels, the highest of which is standard 2.2. This is what we strive to achieve. Standard 2.2 covers everything from the use of text, audio, layout, contrast, colour, platform adaptations, use of imagery, operational considerations, inputs, consistency of design and ensuring the platform is robust. And that’s just to start!

It is a solid start, however, a framework does not go far enough for accessibility and it doesn’t answer the requirement for inclusivity. To achieve this, there are several other elements to consider, starting with words.

Words are a powerful way for us to be both engaging and human, when used correctly. They are also one of the quickest ways for us to disconnect people from Nourish. If we describe areas of the platform or tasks using inhuman or technical language you first have to understand what we really mean and then have to choose if you really want to do it. We’re to make things simpler for you, not more complicated! So, step one for us is to speak in common English and start to create a comfortable experience.

Next on that list is understanding who we are designing for. This requires us to become so embedded in the health and care sector that we are a part of the furniture. Great insight means we understand the everyday challenges the people who are using our platform experience. This ensures we craft experiences for our platforms that work to solve these problems in a way that is comfortable for everyone.  

Throughout this blog I have used the words “anyone” and “everyone”. These are crucial terms for defining our approach. Typically, designers aim to design for the bell curve, that is, the biggest group of users.  

We simply cannot do this in health and social care. We have to step back and design solutions that truly work for anyone. This “flattening” of the curve is really important. It goes to the core of what we work to achieve as a company and the heart of our values as a design team. We want to create technology to truly wrap around the user in a great experience.

As users of Nourish will know, we’re continuously improving the accessibility and inclusivity of the platform, these really aren’t just buzzwords to us. We are working towards our goal of creating a system which can be easily used by anyone. There’s always more that can be done but by keeping these principles and our users at the heart of our design processes we are able to keep our person centred goals firmly in sight. 

Book a demo to find out more about Nourish and how we can work with anyone, and everyone in your community. 

Social care is in a state of change. Care providers tasked with being the steady hand through this change have consistently risen to the challenge. Despite having little control over the changes as they happen. At Nourish Care we are embracing this change by working with our users to develop a social care future we are all proud of.  With increasing standards, new regulations and extended funding availability it is clear now why so many care providers are embracing change themselves and switching to Nourish.  

Care providers have a wealth of options when choosing a digital partner. Under the original standards for the NHS Assured Solutions List (ASL) there are 24 Digital Social Care Records (DSCRs) to choose from. That’s without mentioning the systems who don’t reach these standards. The ASL is enjoying notable success so far, as it continues to work towards its target of 80% of care providers on DSCRs. Digitisation is widespread through social care now. To the point that many care providers are shopping around for a better system to match their service. 

The ASL was always intended as a starting point for the digitisation of social care. The Department of Health and Social Care has announced the second step of this journey, with the recent release of the 14 new standards for DSCRs on the ASL. We are one of the few providers to have achieved all 14 of these standards. You can read about the specifics of the standards here. 

We are the largest software supplier to have achieved the new standards. As well as being one of the first to get listed on the ASL following its initial launch. Our legacy of forward thinking and innovation consistently aligns us with the future direction of the social care sector. We are proud to be working closely with key decision makers in health and social care.  

We support care in a huge variety of settings. Including older person’s care, nursing, home care, learning disabilities, dementia, supported living, assisted living, substance abuse, mental health, children and young people and more. Each care setting is unique, and each care setting requires specific understanding to support effectively. 

Our experienced and understanding customer success and support teams will work with you to make sure our system fits your service. Whatever your needs are, and whatever they may become in the future.  

Once you switch to Nourish, we are with you every step of your journey. Should your journey lead you to new business opportunities we are the best equipped software supplier in social care to support your expansion. Whether you are focussed on a single type of care or support a range of different needs. 

You can also scale your functionality as desired, thanks to our comprehensive partnership programme. The programme unites key best-in-class innovators like Camascope for eMAR, Radar for incident management and PainChek for pain management. All while keeping a finger on the pulse for emerging technologies that will substantially impact the social care sector. 

Additionally, we offer more in-depth data packages called ‘Insights’ and ‘Analytics’. These features provide a much richer insight into the data gathered across your service. Perfect for larger care providers who collect vast swathes of information every day, but have no clear way to transform this potential into insightful, actionable information. 

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) rollout of their new Single Assessment Framework (SAF) is enduring some understandable teething challenges. Initialisms aside the ambition of the project remains clear. The regulator wants to streamline processes and better respond to the needs of the people who draw upon care.  

We facilitate these new developments as effectively as possible. We work with organisations like the Care Software Providers Association (CASPA) to share our voice and insights on the development of digital social care with key decision makers in local and national government. Our work on alignment with #socialcarefuture helps to guide the future of our system as much as they guide the future of the wider care communities. Socialcarefuture are the co-authors of the ‘I/We Statements’ that define the SAF scoring.  

There is always something new to be considered, a fresh function to be explored or a new piece of legislation to be adhered to.  

We cannot know the future; all we can do is prepare for it. We have read the tea leaves, built our houses from stone and made hay while the sun shone. All so we can continue to lead the way in digital social care, through innovation, understanding and collaboration. 

Social Care is in a state of change, and with that ever-present uncertainty comes a great opportunity. Switch to Nourish today and take control of your change, with your team, your service and your community.  

Connection is at the heart of care. We are defined by the bonds that link us to our communities. Bonds that came under intense stress throughout covid. A stress that is slowly easing as we work to rebuild our connections. A new fundamental standard has been established protecting the rights of residents to visitors and accompaniment. The new amendment in question builds upon the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and is a seen as a positive development for the sector by many providers.  

However, it will raise challenges around safeguarding and record keeping for residential care providers. Visitors are fantastic, but all activity in a care home needs to be monitored to some extent, and a sudden influx of guests and requests can swamp any team. Fortunately, there is technology available that can help you manage, monitor and promote connections in your community. 

In effect, the new regulation ensures: 

Crucially, this right is now a fundamental standard for the Care Quality Commission. Which means that they can include it in their inspection framework. This is a welcome development for families and care rights activists. Indeed, the opportunity to promote connections is a welcome development for everyone in care. Though care providers need to ensure that this new regulation is implemented safely and securely. 

Care homes welcoming more visitors will increase the strength of connections in their communities. It will also increase the need for protections for their residents. Policies and procedures are essential to safeguarding the people who draw upon their support. These policies and procedures will need to be consented by and applied to all visitors. Providers ensure the safety of their residents by adhering to this process. 

These are challenges that are made more complex when using a paper-based registration system. Visitors sign in and out in one book, which raises privacy concerns by publicly displaying visitor’s personal information. A book that quickly becomes a litany of GDPR pitfalls and unutilised data.

e-Reception Book offers a safe, secure and simple solution to these challenges. The iPad based system logs all visitors and contractors. A digital login provides a secure and positive experience upon entry, one that guarantees alignment with the relevant regional and personal standards of your service. You can fully brand your login to provide a modern and welcoming first impression of your home to start all new relationships off on the right foot! 

Staff can also sign in through the system. Set up access control fobs or a smartphone applications so your team can easily check in and out of their shifts. This has the added benefit of giving your managers a fully up to date staff attendance record. One that can be easily evidenced to regulators as part of the new single assessment framework. 

The new regulation is widely welcomed by the social care community because it promotes more visitors to care homes. E-Reception Book not only supports and simplifies this process, but it can also be used to encourage it. With e-Reception Book it is possible to register guests in advance of them arriving at your care home. This allows for a more seamless and efficient check-in experience, as all their information will be prepopulated when they arrive.  

Additionally, you have the option to send pre-registered guests an invitation email in your branding, containing information on who they will be meeting, details on the time and date of the meeting, directions and a QR code for scanning upon arrival. You can even set up notifications so that your carers are made aware of when a visitor arrives at the home. 

Enhance your care by utilising the abundance of data at your fingertips. The e-Reception Book dashboard gives you a comprehensive overview of visitor and staff check-in history. It also provides an overview of your visitor history, fire list and site settings. It allows you to export detailed reports, based on your visitor categories. A useful tool for tracking, analysing and evidencing your visitor information. For multi home providers there is also a global dashboard that enables you manage a centralised staff check-in system while still allowing for customisation so you can set up site-specific requirements and visitor experiences as desired. 

The e-Reception Book contains a suite of further features for care homes. Up to date fire evacuation lists, document signing immediately saved to your database, a comprehensive staff companion app to keep them informed and feedback capture when checking out of the care home. All of which is manageable, recordable and evidencable from one simple platform. With roles and permissions to make sure that you only give access to this information to who you want, and not just anyone able to pick up the book. 

Digitisation makes things simpler by design. This is an easier bridge to build when dealing with technical processes. When dealing with something as fundamentally human as promoting personal connections between residents and visitors there is an understandable scepticism. With digitisation the gap between intention and application can be significant when improperly pursued. A gap we’ve seen appear with new social care regulations as well. Learn how you can bridge this gap and promote connections with e-Reception Book.