How well do you think you could map out how your care team spends their time? You probably know they’re overstretched, but it might surprise you just how much of the average day they have to spend at the mercy of IT systems.
Let us explain…
A Typical Day for Your Care Team
Sarah arrives at VirtualMeadows Care Home at 6:45 AM for her early shift with a clenched jaw and an uneasy stomach. She’s been a care assistant for eight years, and she knows what the next 12 hours will bring.
By 7:00 AM, Sarah is already feeling behind. She needs to check Mr Henderson’s medication chart, but it’s missing from the filing cabinet. After 15 minutes of searching through three different locations, she finds it – wedged behind another resident’s folder.
As she assists Mr Henderson with his morning routine, she notices he seems more confused than usual. She makes a mental note to mention this to the nurse, but by 9:00 AM, the morning medication round is starting. That observation gets pushed to the back of her mind.
More Morning Challenges: Lost Prescriptions and Family Calls
Come 10:30 AM, Sarah is preparing medications when she realises Mrs Peterson’s new prescription isn’t in the medication trolley. The GP prescribed it three days ago. The paper prescription must have got lost somewhere between the office and the pharmacy.
While she’s on hold with the GP surgery for 20 minutes, Mr Davies presses his call button. His family is visiting, and he can’t find his best shirt.
During her lunch break, Mrs Williams’ son calls about his mother’s care plan. He’s concerned that she seems more tired lately and wants to know if her medication has changed. Sarah doesn’t have Mrs Williams’ file with her, so she promises to call him back.
When she returns to the floor, she discovers Mrs Williams has had a small fall and is being assessed by a paramedic. Now she won’t be able to return the call until much later in the shift.
Afternoon Paperwork: The Incident Report Burden
Mrs Williams’ fall means paperwork – and lots of it. Sarah needs to complete an incident report, update care notes, contact next of kin, and possibly arrange a GP visit. The incident report form requires information from Mrs Williams’ main care file, her medication record, and her mobility assessment. These are, naturally, kept in three different locations.
By the time Sarah has gathered everything she needs, documented the incident, and filed the reports in the correct places, 45 minutes have passed. Mrs Williams, meanwhile, has been sitting in the lounge, feeling anxious about what happened, receiving care from other staff members who don’t have the full picture because Sarah has all the paperwork.
Sounding Familiar?
If Sarah’s day so far is reflecting what your team experiences, it might be time for a change. Explore our digital transformation solutions for care homes here.
End of Shift: The Handover Struggle
As Sarah’s shift nears its end, she prepares for handover. She needs to brief the evening staff about Mrs Williams’ fall, Mr Henderson’s increased confusion, the missing prescription for Mrs Peterson, and several other important updates. Her notes, though, are scattered across different pieces of paper and in various locations.
The evening team gathers around the nurses’ station as Sarah tries to remember everything important that happened during her shift. She mentions Mrs Williams’ fall and Mrs Peterson’s prescription issue but forgets to mention Mr Henderson’s confusion because his notes are still on her personal notepad.
This handover process takes 20 minutes, during which time residents’ call buttons are going unanswered and everyone stays late.
Clocking Off (and the Personal Cost)
Sarah clocks out 15 minutes late. Again. The kids will have to wait for dinner, and the guilt weighs on her as she drives home. She loves her job and genuinely cares about the residents, but she’s exhausted by how much time gets absorbed by inefficient systems rather than actual care.
With the right technology solutions, her day could have looked completely different. The medication chart would have been instantly accessible on a tablet. Mrs Peterson’s prescription would have been automatically processed. Mrs Williams’ son’s questions about his mother could have been answered through a family portal. The incident report would have taken five minutes instead of 45.
The Technology That Makes a Difference
Research from a UK national survey of healthcare workers shows that flourishing employees are not just satisfied with their jobs but are thriving in their roles. They’re more likely to be committed to their organisation because they perceive their job as meaningful, and in an industry with such profound retention issues, the importance of that really can’t be overstated.
When care workers spend less time fighting with paperwork and more time providing actual care, job satisfaction increases dramatically. The proper technology facilitates this:
For Mrs Peterson
Mobile care apps could prevent these scenarios entirely. When GPs prescribe medications through connected systems, the information flows directly to the care home’s medication management system. Medication errors decrease, and staff spend less time on administrative tasks.
For Mr Henderson and Mrs Williams
Integrated care systems eliminate this scattered approach. When an incident occurs, staff can document everything on a mobile device that automatically updates all relevant records, sends notifications to the right people, and creates the required reports.
Secure messaging systems and family communication portals can also transform interactions with relatives, reducing phone calls for routine updates and letting care staff focus on direct care when it’s needed most.
For Handovers
Digital scheduling and communication systems revolutionise shift handovers. All important information gets logged in real-time throughout the shift and is immediately available to incoming staff. Handovers become brief check-ins rather than lengthy information-gathering sessions.
Learn more about our digital transformation solutions for care homes.
The Human Impact
Technology in care homes isn’t about replacing the human touch that makes care work so meaningful. It’s about removing the barriers that prevent care workers like Sarah from spending their time on what they were trained to do: caring for people.
When administrative tasks become simpler and more efficient, care workers report feeling more professional, less stressed, and more able to provide the personalised attention that residents deserve. They go home on time more often, which improves their wellbeing and helps them bring their best selves to work the next day.
Let’s Create Care Homes Where Both Staff and Residents Thrive
Technology won’t solve every challenge in care work, but it can eliminate many of the frustrations that make good care workers leave the sector. For overworked managers and dedicated care staff who are juggling too many manual tasks, the right technology solutions offer a path to more meaningful, efficient, and satisfying work.
Need some help lightening the load for your care team? Let’s talk about your options.
