Top tips and reasons to be cheerful

We’ve been hearing from care providers in Staffordshire about how to make the leap to digital and why it will see care teams jumping for joy. 

Here’s ten top tips from care home managers and team leaders who have recently made the switch to Digital Health and Social Care Records (DSCR).  

1. Involve the team  

   Bring colleagues on the journey with you and ensure they have a say in the provider you choose. One of the care providers we spoke to said a manager did the research, initial meetings and shortlisting and whittled it down to two options, which were presented to staff. Colleagues voted unanimously for one provider. The manager said that staff having a say in the decision made a big difference both to buy-in, and to reducing nervousness, when it came to rolling out the new system.   

2. Prep time

   Give staff plenty of notice of the plan to move to digital. Not everyone will get involved to start with, but building a sense of excitement and positive change through regular communications and team check-ins, will help to raise awareness, manage concerns and offer reassurance.    

3. Play time 

   Let staff ‘have a play’ with the new platform and devices before you go live with the full system. This will help demystify the technology and the platform so that staff are familiar with it once it’s rolled out. Ideally this should include some ‘dummy records’ so that colleagues can really get to grips with the system and feel confident when it comes to updating details for people in their care.    

4. Stagger go live 

   If you’re a larger care home or provider, don’t go live all at once. Whether you stagger the switch to digital by team, setting or the people you support, not moving all at once will help ensure a smooth transition.  

   This isn’t just about ironing out technical issues. Going gradually increases the chance of a positive experience for staff and the people they support, which will help build confidence for the people who follow.  

   If all goes well, you can always speed up transition. One care home we spoke to planned to go digital one floor at a time each day, but found the first day ran so smoothly they were able to make the switch on all floors the following day.   

5. Support before go live  

   Offer advice and guidance in different formats for different learning styles. Some people prefer to read instructions, some like video tutorials and ‘how to’ guides (which can be informal recordings e.g. on smartphone or MS Teams) and others want to be talked through changes and systems with someone alongside them when they first try it out.  

   Make time to explore and get to grips with the platform yourself, before sitting down with colleagues to take them through it. If you are confident with the system, this will give reassurance to your teams. 

6. Support during go live 

   Check in with staff when you go live, reassure colleagues and iron out issues as quickly as possible. This applies to issues with the technology itself and the processes and ways it’s used by care staff and teams on the ground.  

7. Support after go live 

   Allow a period of 2 or 3 months where you continue to offer support and supervision, especially for people who aren’t in administrative or management jobs or can’t be online all the time. Check in with staff to find out how they are getting on and whether anything needs to be changed or improved.  

8. One step at a time 

   Don’t try to do everything all at once. Most DSCR platforms offer a wide range of functionality, but you don’t have to use it all straight away. Start with the basics, support staff to feel confident with those first steps, before bringing in wider functions such as connecting with GP records or offering wider access e.g. to families.  

9. Bring out the champions  

   Consider introducing Digital Champions in your organisation.  

   Anyone can be a digital champion. They need an interest and enthusiasm for digital solutions, but don’t need to be a technical expert. They can play a vital role in promoting, engaging and supporting their colleagues, and people and families who receive care, in the use of digital technology.  

10. Draw on and share experience across the sector 

    Talk to your local authorities about the feedback and experience of other providers – in everything from preferred platforms to technical support and ways to introduce new digital systems to your teams.  

    This will help you learn from, and share your own experience of, the successes and challenges of going digital.