We spoke to Katharine Clark, owner of Clark Care Services about why they chose CareLineLive and the main benefits they have enjoyed since using CareLineLive.
Clark Care Services provide personal care to patients over 18 years old, they are 7 years old and work in their local area in Oxfordshire. The highest percentage of their patients are over 85 years old, and their team consists of 7 carers.
What system did you use before CareLineLive?
We used paper-based systems. We also used Microsoft Office – Excel for rostering, and Word for everything else, we printed everything and then had care plan folders in patients’ houses.
What were your reasons for choosing CareLineLive?
The onset of Covid and taking away paper-based care plans were our main reasons for choosing CareLineLive. We also wanted a system that ensured staff are where they are supposed to be, and patients are not missed.
What are the main benefits you have seen using CareLineLive?
Having everything in one place has been a benefit but the main advantage is knowing where our carers are. When we were paper-based, we had to do spot checks to understand where our carers were. Using CareLineLive, we are also kept informed in real-time about what is happening with patients.
Would you agree that your carers use the Carer Companion App to help deliver person-centred care?
Yes, if someone is with a patient, and then the district nurse calls me about said patient I can update them as I can easily read the notes on CareLineLive and tell them what has happened – it’s instantaneous.
Does CareLineLive facilitate compliance?
Yes, it’s a lot easier to click a few buttons to generate a report than to manually audit our services. We use the Carers Hours and Completed Visits reports a lot.
Has CareLineLive helped save you/your team time?
The rostering is very good – if there is a visit that needs changing quickly e.g., if a carer has a morning visit and it clashes with a personal appointment, it’s very easy to switch it over to another carer. The system updates the Carer Companion app instead of me having to manually change the roster and let them know, it’s easier for carers to be kept up to date.
We can also easily log tasks on the Carer Companion app. Previously carers had to look in the folder in the patient’s home to see the care plan. With the Carer Companion app, if it’s a new patient they can check the app before they go into the property to see what they have to do so they are more informed.
Would you recommend CareLineLive to other home care agencies?
Yes
