One of Sweden’s largest non-for-profit providers are Stora Sköndal. They are based in the capital in a northern lakeside valley with multiple services and homes side by side.
Like so many other services these were struggling to find time enough on their hands to handle both the care itself, and get their recordings done. Starting in 2016 at one of the homes, now all services are using Sekoia for their digital care planning. Both Learning Disability and Elderly.
To them, this has meant a higher degree of transparency, and a much closer link between the care that is delivered and that of their residents’ wishes, interests and needs. This is the conclusion made by managers and staff here.
No handover needed, all recordings are now in one place
At one of the homes the trend was evident almost from the starting point. Staff are evidencing much more of the fantastic care work carried out, as the tablets are always available, with updated resident information. Making it easy to both access and deliver your recordings.
“When showing up at work in the morning, we simply walk straight in, no handover needed, and have a look at what’s planned for today. We then have a look at the planned care, to see if all is good, and nothing needs changing according to how our residents are feeling today,” Registered Manager, Eva Norberg, explains.
“There is a clear time saving for each member of staff, having the care plans activated at the point of care. We no longer have to run back and forth to the offices or workstations, to sign off on paperwork and access information about the individual.”
Nursing without the massive paperwork burden
Not only the care workers have gone digital. All nurses are equally on the system, and this means quite a change for Sabina Carlsson and her nursing peers:
“Before we got Sekoia, we had to sign off medicine on a paper list. It was very time consuming for us nurses. We had to update the information on the computer and then print out new lists, whenever a change was made. It wasn’t always clear and legible, so we are happy now. It is very straightforward in Sekoia, and we are saving lots of time.”
One of the main reasons for implementing digital care planning was exactly freeing up the time that was previously spent doing paperwork. Now, that all services are up and running, the analysis has been confirmed. And replicated in two independent British studies.
Time-savings from Stratford-upon-Avon to Tunbridge Wells
Going digital isn’t only worthwhile in Scandinavia, two independent studies show. One from the Midlands and another one from Kent.
Recording information and observations just takes less time in the digital format and holds more accurate information about the service-user. This is probably the most important change for frontline staff members.
Kate Pascual who is the Deputy Manager at Quinton House Nursing Home, underlines their findings:
“From doing something which originally took us ten minutes: Two minutes and it’s done. And rather than being with paperwork, you’re with the residents”, she pinpoints.
For Kate and the rest of the staff at Quinton House going digital has helped overcome a massive paperwork burden, representing 1,5 hours per care worker per shift. This is now cleared during the day, alongside delivering care.
The exact same figure is what Tunbridge Wells’ based residential home, Birchwood House, has put forth in their first breakdown of the effects of digital care planning.
