Ongoing reforms in the aged care sector have also placed a renewed focus on client choice.
With the majority of Australians aspiring to remain living at home for as long as possible, many home care providers now find themselves scrambling to streamline workflow and ensure that client needs are being met.
Former home care manager and NDIS consultant, Karen Tansey, has a unique understanding of the role that care planning and documentation play in delivering care outcomes.
In her current role as aged care Subject Matter Expert (SME) for care management software providers, Lumary, Ms Tansey warns that the continued reliance on outdated record-keeping processes will see some care providers struggle to remain compliant.
“I think people would be surprised to know that a lot of home care providers still undertake these processes manually. Most paper-based records are now contained in some form of online system, but it’s still Excel spreadsheets and manual logging – there is no automation,” said Ms Tansey.
“A client’s needs can change quickly, and providers need a software solution that can convey these changes in real-time,” she continued.
Ms Tansey added, “There are just so many new reforms coming through over the next three to four years, aged care providers will be forced to adapt to remain compliant.”
Connected technology
As the chosen healthcare platform for over 200 Australian healthcare organisations, Lumary currently supports 25,000 care workers who care for more than 100,000 members of the community.
Lumary’s care management (Lumary CM) software is purpose-built and integrates with specialist applications to create one digital solution for Australian home care providers for managing care delivery.
Suitable for smaller organisations through to enterprise-level healthcare providers, Lumary CM utilises bespoke road-mapping and real-time automation to streamline business operations.
As Lumary’s aged care SME, Ms Tansey works closely with aged care industry leaders to ensure that Lumary CM remains up-to-date with current regulations and supports clients to remain compliant with funding bodies, including the NDIS and HCP.
“It starts with onboarding and assessments. Data entered auto-fills other areas within that client’s profile that need to be populated. Relevant information goes into the system and it’s readily available. There is a history of that person, which informs better decision making.”
“If someone has a severe allergy or they are triggered by certain things, you can create alerts that staff receive on their app. Previously, you would have to rely on other people involved in scheduling or rostering to put that information in,” she said.
Wellbeing through technology
Aged care staff are quick to point out that technology can never replace human interactions, but digitisation is paramount to creating efficiencies that create more time for personal care.
And while some providers are content to remain stagnant or update platforms that are obsolete in most other industries, those who have adopted automated care management software are yielding undeniable benefits.
Regal, an in-home healthcare and support service provider based in Sydney, has entrusted Lumary as its care management tech partner for over three years.
Throughout this period, Regal CEO, Micheal Hall has seen significant decreases in his organisation’s operating costs transform into tangible increases in care time for its clients.
The added pleasure placed upon aged care providers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a number of vulnerabilities in current-day workflow practices. Long-term success in 2021 hinges on a provider’s ability to adapt.
Through ongoing consultation with Regal, the team at Lumary was able to customise its care management platform to meet its client’s needs.
“Our fully integrated platform meant that when COVID-19 emerged, we were ready to move seamlessly to a remote environment,” shared Mr Hall.
“It’s clear that to provide quality, consistent care, the use of technology is essential. Innovation has been at the core of Regal for 55 years, and working with Lumary continues this tradition.”
To find out more about Lumary and how it can simplify care management, visit lumary.com or request a demo here.
