Understanding the power of data in transforming social care
A blog by Kate Colborne-Baber, Programme Director – Care Management, at Person Centred Software
Millions of interactions between service users, care staff and service providers take place every day. Add to this, interactions between service users and their network of loved ones as well as healthcare professionals. Over the years, the industry has become much more mature in the way it records these interactions and turns them into structured, actionable data.
This started in 2013, when Person Centred Software created one of the first mobile digital social care record systems, giving carers and care organisations the ability to record care in real time at point of care, as opposed to doing this at designated time slots at the end of a shift.
Today when around 80% of care providers have adopted a digital care records system, Person Centred Software store data from more than 11 million care interactions per day in a stringent format, in addition to data about medications administrations, activities and interactions with family, healthcare professionals and others.
What are other opportunities to further transform social care with data?
Harnessing the potential of data in research
Using resident data to guide research is crucial for crafting policies that meet the care industry’s needs and improve resident outcomes. This can result in better understanding of patterns in care outcomes, service demands, quality of life factors, and provides the opportunity to give policymakers a clear picture of current trends and needs in the sector.
Data-driven research can also help policymakers craft prevention-focused guidelines, such as recommendations for routine health assessments and mental health support, by identifying common health risks and factors that affect residents’ wellbeing. This will result in better population health management.
Using predictive insights for prevention and better efficiency
Leveraging data analytics and AI can help care providers in anticipating potential health issues before they arise and tailoring interventions that improve the overall quality of life for individuals in their care.
For example, a predictive model can be used to analyse historical and real-time data from various sources to identify which residents are at the highest risk of falling, prompting staff to take preventive actions. AI insights can also support appropriate resource and staff allocation, for example by accurately calculating the correct number of staff needed on duty, helping improve overall staff efficiency.
Standards as drivers of the digital transformation
The widespread adoption of PRSB’s standards, particularly the About Me and Personalised Care and Support Plan Standards, has supported the sector in its move to embrace digital technologies and the drive to raise the overall quality and standardisation of data captured about those whom we support. Here at Person Centred Software, we are proud to be conformant with those standards and play our role in this digital transformation.
To give a sense of scale, across Person Centred Software’s customer base alone, we now have over 170,000 care receivers being supported using our Care Management software which incorporates the PRSB’s About Me and Personalised Care and Support Plan Standards. This means that people’s needs, preferences and wishes can be seamlessly recorded and shared with professionals caring for them, ensuring that they can be provided with quality, personalised care experience. Equally, it empowers providers to deliver best care possible, as being able to access and share their residents’ data in a timely fashion supports them in making well-informed decisions, resulting in better outcomes for people.
What are Person Centred Software currently doing in relation to data?
We understand that when used right, data can tell us a lot about possibilities to improve outcomes for service users, as well as highlight potential for increased efficiencies and improved revenue streams for care providers.
Person Centred Software are now developing a new data analysis tool for the social care sector, focusing on care sector benchmarking. The tool is being tested and scheduled for market release around February 2025. It will enable care homes to compare trends within their communities against aggregated data from similar care environments, providing a clear view of performance relative to industry standards. This approach will allow care providers to make informed, data-driven decisions, ultimately enhancing care quality, transparency, and accountability across the sector. Watch this space!