July 24th 2024
Smithmon Sasi from Devonshire Dementia Care was one of the first care homes to pilot the London Care Records and has been using it for over a year.
How it all started
Smithmon feels technology is key to running a successful care home. For example he developed an online ordering system for Devonshire Dementia Care. This meant that they could receive medications quicker and manage repeat prescriptions better. In 2021 they completed their first Data Security Protection Toolkit. (DSPT) and have since re published every year. Smith also prides himself on doing an in house cyber security audit every 6 months.
So when Smith had the opportunity to join the London Care Records he jumped at the chance.
London Care Records
The London Care Record is a read-only online document collating updates from the doctors, clinicians, ambulance information, etc. Doctors and nurses can consult it during ward rounds for updates, and this is what the Care Homes also see. The London Care Record has GP information plus more. The main difference being now care home staff can view information on the hospital side. One of the main drawcards for homes is access to the Discharge Summary. OneLondon are initially working with Person Centred Software (PCS) for this first phased rollout. A requirement of the London Care Records is to have the Data Security Protection Toolkit. (DSPT).
The London Care Records help the families collect all the data and have it in one place, helping build an overall picture of individual residents. Smith says one big life saver is,
“Receiving updates from hospitals is much quicker and families don’t always understand the update so they are able to quickly reassure and support them”
The team in the hospice feel the London Care Records are thorough and have everything in one place.
Lessons Learnt
Smith feels as one of the pilots with the new system he had less peer support. However, he felt Ryan Spencer, Senior Health and Social Care Integration Officer for Kingston and Richmond (SWL London Care Record Lead) and his team were always on hand to offer guidance and support. Since the initial role out to more organisations the peer support has been vital.
Moving to the new system has been a slight culture change for Devonshire Dementia Care and their team, but with Smith at their helm and digital at the heart of the organisation, key team managers are seeing the real value in the new system.
The system is improving all the time and data is now more consistent.
Next Steps
The plan is to roll out the London Care Records to the rest of the country and they will be called Shared Care Records.
“New digital systems exceeded expectations and truly transformed the way we operate, made our lives easier and provide care without any delay,” says Smithmon Sasi.
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