NHS funding to digitise care records increases quality of care for residents
An ongoing partnership between Kirklees Council and the Kirklees Care Association is supporting providers to digitise their care records which will improve the quality of care for residents in Kirklees.
What is happening?
Building on a successful £400,000 bid for national funding last year Kirklees Council have secured an additional £210,000 to support the local care sector to introduce digital care records. 60% of care providers in Kirklees are now using a digital record system and cabinet has today (11 July) given the go ahead for this important work to continue and hit the next target of 80% of the care sector using digital records by 2024.
Benefits of digital records
The move to digital records enables staff to spend more time providing quality care for their service users. It means less time spent on administrative tasks such as setting up or admitting new service users; updating and amending daily records and preparing records when service users enter hospital or other care settings. It is also an opportunity for staff to gain new skills and be more confident in using the new system.
Preventing falls in care homes
An additional £100,000 was also used to deploy specialist falls detection and prevention technology in 11 care homes that will help reduce the number of ambulance call outs and visits to A&E.
Councillor Musarrat Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care said:
“Digitising care records in Kirklees will have a huge impact on the quality of social care for our residents and Iv am really pleased to see the progress of this key initiative.
“The partnership work with the Kirklees Care Association was crucial in enabling good engagement with care providers who were supported to apply for grant funding and select a digital system that would work for them. At the end of the day it is our elderly and most vulnerable residents who will benefit the most from these changes as more time will be spent working with them to plan and implement the care they need to live well and independently.”
James Creegan, Chief Executive of Kirklees Care Association said:
“The success of this project reflects the positive partnership work between Kirklees Care Association and Kirklees Council. By working together in a collaborative and responsive manner we can better support the independent and VCSE sector in Kirklees and we can ensure that our people who need care and support get the best quality service they deserve, from a supported and funded sector. Our work supports the Kirklees ‘Living and Ageing Well’ strategies which encourages and enables the people of Kirklees to live fulfilled lives in their preferred place of residence”.