How to decide on the right care management system for your organisation

Like plenty of other industries, health and social care organisations are looking to the future and embracing new technology. Therefore, the use of paper is slowly being replaced by digital care planning, revolutionising the way care is delivered. With this important transition taking place, there are now many companies offering care management software. However, as this type of change will require investment in both time and money, organisations need to ensure they choose wisely. Pick the wrong system and you could be stuck with some software that doesn't meet your organisational needs. This could be a costly error!

The question is, what do you base your decision on?

It is impossible to answer that question with a standard response, as only you know what your organisation requires. However, we can give you a few ideas to consider, which will hopefully help you narrow your decision-making process.

So, here are a few considerations to get you thinking:

How effective is the reporting process?

One of the major selling points of a digital care management system is the opportunity to access data easily.  However, the data you extract from a software system is only as good as the data that is entered. Therefore, the system you choose must allow data to be entered easily and accurately. This ensures that any report which you extract is completely reliable. There absolutely no point in the system being able to hold large quantities of data if you then can’t do anything with it. That is a false economy. So, when you are shopping around ask about what type of reports the software can generate. This is crucial to be able to analyse and report effectively.

What if you have multiple locations?

If you’re managing one location or multiple locations, you’ll need an overview of what is happening across all sites. This is a huge benefit of having a care software system, as you can see what is happening everywhere. This includes such areas as staffing, where you can see at a glance all rotas, shift patterns and staffing levels, in live time. This allows an immediate and proactive response to potential staffing shortages. It will also provide an overview from a financial perspective, of budgets and financial planning.

How adaptable is it?

Make sure that the software you choose is adaptable and can be tailored to your particular service. Do not choose a 'one size fits all' system as you'll inevitably be making numerous calls to the development team for changes. Therefore, at the outset ensure you have an understanding of the flexibility of development options. Also, seek assurances that you can arrange a review at a future point, to ensure you are happy and request any potential changes.

What's the customer support like?

You are inevitably going to have to call their helpline at some point. All software systems, even the best ones, will pick up bugs and issues occasionally. With healthcare, you will need a fast response to any problems as it could mean you are unable to update time-sensitive records. Therefore, it is crucial that you choose a software provider who takes their customer service seriously. Look at their website and social media feeds and see how quickly they respond to requests for help. Look at online reviews and find out their customer satisfaction rate.

With all this in mind, it's worth giving CareSoft 365 Management Software a call. We will discuss all your needs, evaluate your individual requirements and see if we are the best fit for your service.