Technology can change inputs, outcomes and overall understanding. When an organisation changes its technology, the impact ripples out across their connections. In the deeply intertwined world of social care, these ripples can quickly become waves, such as with the increasing adoption of Total Mobile by commissioning bodies in the UK impacting providers positions on their framework, and by extension funding rates and contract allocation.  

Over the last few years Total Mobile has been implemented in six Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCP) in Scotland, including Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Fife. As well as several councils in England and Wales such as Nottinghamshire and Worcestershire.   

The impact of this adoption is felt in several areas. In some regions, such as Inverclyde, providers need an integration between Total Mobile and their digital care record. This is particularly pronounced in Scotland, where an integration with Total Mobile is necessary to be considered as providing Self Directed Support (SDS) Option 3. And as such receive the appropriate funding for providing a ‘monitored’ service. 

We spoke to providers effected by this integration to understand the full picture. 

Evergreen Home Support have been operating in Greenock for 25 years, the past 18 of which as a charitable organisation. We spoke to their Compliance Manager, Janis Delaney, to learn more about the need for this integration. 

“Our local HSCP implemented the Total Mobile electronic care monitoring system last year. That contract included the requirement for external providers to link their information to Total Mobile. The HSCP have sent recent correspondence  advising us when we had to be compliant with the contract. They advised that if the service didn’t have this link, our payments would be reduced. This is because we would then be classed as being a ‘non-monitored’ service, as the HSCP had no visibility of the visit  information they require.  

“Approximately 95% of the services Evergreen provide are funded by the council. The funding difference between providing them as ‘monitored’ Option 3 and ‘non-monitored’ Option 2 services would have a huge financial impact on our ability to support our community.”  

“The software supplier we were with for rostering and call monitoring didn’t have an integration with Total Mobile,” explained Janis. “After a few months of not seeing any development from them on that front we started to look for other options. That led us to Nourish. A provider local to us, Cottage Care, already used Nourish so we asked could we visit them and see it in action. 

“They were kind enough to let me do a site visit with them and I was very impressed by the Nourish system. After seeing it in a live environment, we decided to go with Nourish because I was impressed by the system. I was impressed by the demos and I didn’t get the hard sell, which I really appreciated. I got basic facts, anything that I questioned, I got an answer for it. And I felt confident that I was going to get the system and that the integration with Total Mobile was going to be there.”

“In the end we met the HSCP’s deadline and didn’t receive any financial penalties, which was our main goal. At the end of the day, from a financial point of view, the difference between being classified as providing ‘monitored’ and ‘unmonitored’ support is important to any business.  

“But even from a person with support point of view and a family point of view, the monitoring allows us to evidence that that service has taken place. We can show somebody has been in, the duration of the call and that they have logged out. This is also great for keeping our lone working staff safe. The tracking lets us know where staff are, and what their next planned location will be.

“Obviously as a business the financial side of it is vital. You don’t want to be paid at a reduced rate for providing the same service. But there’s other advantages as well. It’s not all just about the money. It also helps us improve our support for lone workers and family engagement. It builds confidence throughout the service, because we can clearly see so much of what’s happening.

“All of us at Evergreen are very happy with the pre-sale and the after-sale support from Nourish. It has been exceptionally good. You’ve been very patient with us and helped us through things. All the feedback so far from our office staff and the carers has been excellent. Nobody’s had any negatives about the Empower system, which is very good.”

We also spoke to Karen Gallagher, Registered Manager for Cottage Care. Another home health service that works with Inverclyde council. 

“The bulk of our work comes from the framework at Inverclyde Council,” said Karen. “If we were in breach of the contract, we would lose that work and we would have been in breach of the contract if we didn’t have our system up and running with theirs. 

“Now that the integration is place, going forward our staff will only have to sign into calls with the Nourish system. Previously we would have to sign in with two separate systems.” 

Social Care is digitising at an unprecedented rate. Solutions erupted across our sector following Covid, with funding and functionality helping drive adoption. When the sector reached 80% adoption of digital social care records, it showed an aptitude and appetite for digital solutions to support improved outcomes and more efficient services. Now, that same impetus is driving the development of integrations in social care, a direction we are fully committed to at Nourish. 

Our integration with Total Mobile reflects our commitment to building connections across digital systems, services and institutions.  

We’re all taught that oral health is essential to keep our teeth healthy but what does this really mean? Poor oral health can lead to malnutrition, pneumonia and a weakened immune system which can make it harder to recover from common illnesses. Studies are being conducted to see whether dental hygiene has any links to dementia. So how can we encourage better dental hygiene?

Getting people you support to the dentist is no easy feat. Dental practices aren’t always accessible, medical settings can be quite distressing and getting there requires accessible transport and extra staff. Instead of taking the people you support to the dentist, why not bring the dentist to you? Domiciliary dental services provide dental care right at home.

Some local NHS trusts offer training on dental health for a few members of staff, appointing these staff members as Oral Health Champions. These Champions undertake the training and the responsibility of training existing and new staff.  Ensuring your service is working to the NICE guidelines and the Oral Health policy could also become part of the Champions’ role.

Activities are a simple and fun way to encourage conversations about good oral health. Brushing your teeth may not seem fun but, depending on the people you supports abilities, it can be! If you have any keen knitters, download knitting patterns for knitting teeth, tooth fairies or tooth fairy pouches for grandchildren, young relatives and friends’ children. Arty people could have a go at crafting teeth and toothbrushes out of leftover cardboard and painting them. If you have any connections to a local school or nursery, invite them over (Covid-19 permitting) for a lesson on mouthcare. You could even have a sensory afternoon of science experiments, making elephant toothpaste, growing plaque with yeast and sugar and, egg brushing.

The Nourish platform allows dental hygiene to be logged, tracked and managed and provides an Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) for new admissions. In Nourish, you are able to plan, manage and evidence dental appointments and visits and use the OHAT for regular reviews on the oral health of those you support. The Alerts and Warnings function can ensure appointments and reviews are not missed. Because dental health can have a significant impact on the general health of the people you support, the ability to monitor means early intervention is possible.