Staff management
Covid lessons learned for care staff technology
Dr. Charles Armitage, chief executive and co-founder of care staff technology provider Florence, explains how the pandemic shows why social care must continue to embrace modern methods of workforce management
It is now more than a year since Covid-19 first thrust itself into every aspect of our work and private lives. The last year has seen some unprecedented systemic challenges for social care and thousands of individual tragedies. Alongside these tragedies and challenges, there are many examples of dedication and heroism that have defined the sector’s response to the pandemic. In addition, the pandemic has seen an acceleration in the uptake of digital technology across care with some providers experiencing years of innovation in a matter of weeks. Yet what are the lessons we can learn
from Covid-19 and how it has impacted our appetite for technological progress? What has worked well and where do the next stage of opportunities lie? How can we take some positives from this disaster and use it to build a social care system that is ready to take on the challenges of a post-pandemic world? There are many examples of care
providers solving their Covid-19 problems with well-designed solutions supported by technology. The first and
most pervasive change that we have all experienced is the massive global uptake of video conferencing. Whether it is Zoom, Teams or Google Hangouts, all of us will have noticed a remarkable increase in our usage of video conferencing tools. These tools became essential components of our personal and professional lives as travel and visiting were restricted. They have allowed us all to continue operating our businesses and lives through some very difficult times. In some cases, video conferencing has
given people more access to healthcare professionals than they have had before. There was a dramatic uptake of video consultations amongst GPs and hospital consultants in the first wave of the pandemic that improved efficiency
The pandemic has seen an acceleration in the uptake of digital technology across care with some providers experiencing years of innovation in a matter of weeks
August 2021 •
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
and often created a more patient centric service than previously. While video conferencing has
been a remarkable demonstration of how technology can solve a problem, however, it has not come without its own challenges. ‘Zoom fatigue’ has become a well-recognised phenomenon - a recent study by a team of researchers at Stanford University concluded that video meetings are significantly more emotionally draining for participants than face-to-face interactions. Of course, video conferencing
will never be an adequate substitute for in-person contact. So much of communication is lost when conducted by video; subtleties of body language or the warmth of touching hands cannot be replaced by Zoom. For months on end, video calls were
the only thing that connected friends and families together. While often necessary, it was heart-breaking to see care home residents separated from their families conducting stilted, worried conversations via video call. In some cases, even last goodbyes had to be done virtually.
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