February 26th 2025
Innovating Care – Mariana’s Journey
When Registered Manager Mariana Philipova joined Bendigo Care Home in 2006, she set out to improve the home’s poor ratings. Embarking on a journey to modernise and digitise care processes while ensuring compliance, efficiency, and ultimately, better outcomes for residents.
Bendigo Nursing Home has undergone a steady transformation over the past ten years. Using proven systems and careful implementation of digital technologies, the home has been able to significantly improve the quality of care, assurance, and their CQC rating. Recently winning the Sussex Innovation in Care Award, Mariana has been committed to improving the quality of care through innovation.
Getting Started
With her background in business management and operations, Mariana took a strategic approach to transforming the home. She started by tackling the paper-based systems in place, developing structured risk assessments and care plans, including an oral health assessment. When the CQC suggested adding oral health evaluations, Mariana researched and found that the Australian model was the most effective. Twelve years ago, long before it became a UK requirement, she introduced this into the care planning. Her changes made a real difference, as social workers and NHS assessors could easily access information, making assessments smoother and improving care quality.
Delving Into the World of Digital
Back in the early 2000s, Mariana and her team saw the potential of digital care records and looked into creating their own system. However, technology wasn’t quite there yet, and custom software was too expensive. By 2008-2009, they began searching for existing digital solutions but struggled to find what they needed.
As the market evolved, they revisited the idea and found Care Vision. Their first step towards digitisation was upgrading their internet to ensure reliable real-time data access, especially since offline systems weren’t always reliable. With the UK moving from analogue to digital services, it was the perfect time for the upgrade. Once they switched to fibre-optic broadband, they were ready to roll out Care Vision. Mariana emphasised a collaborative approach, involving staff in decision-making and training, while Care Vision offered hands-on support to ensure a smooth transition.
Overcoming Challenges
When they first adopted Care Vision, there were some adjustments to make it work for the team, particularly around concerns about speed. But after working closely with Care Vision to make improvements, the home successfully integrated digital records and eMAR (electronic medication administration records). Mariana was pleased to see that Care Vision was able to grow with the home and continue adapting to meet their needs.
One challenge that came up was staff not fully understanding how to interpret the data. While Care Vision’s reports were useful, staff needed help analysing trends and being more proactive. Mariana looked into external training programmes, but costs were a barrier.
Transitioning to Quality Compliance System (QCS)
With the eMAR and DSCRs in place, Mariana turned her attention to improving the policy process, as updating policies and procedures was still very time-consuming. To streamline this, Bendigo adopted QCS in July 2024.
QCS made a big difference by providing regularly updated policies and procedures, which eased the administrative load on the team. Staff received real-time notifications about policy changes, keeping everyone in the loop. Mobile access meant staff could check policies anytime and mock audits and inspections improved compliance. The system also tracked which staff had read and acknowledged policies.
Improving Care Delivery
With Care Vision and QCS in place, Bendigo has seen great improvements in daily operations. It took a bit of time for staff to get used to the new systems, but they quickly adapted. Access to real-time data has been a game-changer, making a big impact on day-to-day care.
For example, better call logging helped identify a pattern of frequent evening calls from one resident, which pointed to discomfort. This led to targeted interventions that really improved their well-being.
Participation in GP Connect and Plexus Shared Care Records
Bendigo’s involvement in the GP Connect and Plexus shared care record initiative has made sharing information with healthcare professionals much easier. Previously, nurses spent a lot of time collecting medical histories and test results for new admissions. Now, with access to NHS records, decision-making is quicker, and continuity of care has improved.
Advice for Other Providers
Mariana stresses the importance of recording good quality data and making sure staff know how to interpret it. Her advice to other care providers is to focus on better care systems, data management, and staff training. By embracing digital tools and being proactive, care providers can improve both care quality and efficiency.
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