Digitisation
regulatory compliance when an inspection does come.
What are the benefits of digitising risk management? So, with a focused programme for digitising social care, are providers thinking about how they can better manage their risks? Well, according to the response from our Care Trends Report 2024, many are. Thirty-nine per cent of care providers
told us they are considering adopting risk management software. But if we circle back to the fact that so many care home providers told us their current IT systems could be putting their residents at risk, it is clear that while effectively managing risk is vital and manual processes are insufficient, organisations simply cannot afford to introduce practices that could just add fuel to the fire. So, let us understand exactly what benefits digitising your risk management can bring.
1. Consistency
It is important to remember that managing risk is the responsibility of every single member of your organisation, each playing a crucial role in your services’ ability to provide safe and effective care. A consistent approach to risk management is a key benefit of moving from spreadsheets to risk management software. Having one system with a single source of truth – rather than inconsistent or siloed processes – can help guide every team member towards accurately recording and managing risks, no matter where they are based or how long they have been with your service.
2. Accountability and data integrity Unlike spreadsheets or manual processes, risk management software can notify risk owners when reviews and actions are due or overdue, helping promote that vital culture of accountability that is absolutely necessary for effectively managing your organisations risks. And because each team and location manage their risks using one solution, you gain complete and accurate oversight of how risks are being managed right across the entire organisation. This could be a key asset when sharing your risk management progress with wider board members and stakeholders, as well as for evidencing during an inspection.
3. Proactive risk management One of the key challenges of siloed, manual
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Digitising your risk management makes the process more structured and strategic
risk management processes is the sheer lack of visibility you have of your organisation – leaving you playing catch up whenever risk rears its head. Having a single platform to manage risks across each of your residences or teams helps to ensure every single person in your service is working towards achieving the same goals. Having complete oversight of an effective risk management strategy means you can monitor and predict highly impactful risks so you can put an action in place to prevent them from happening.
4. Cultural change Digitising your risk management makes the process more structured and strategic but can also have a real positive impact on staff behaviour. Since the risks are visible in real- time from any device and to multiple users, it can lead to changes in attitude towards something that can sometimes be seen as a box ticking exercise. A digital solution that can be accessed 24/7 places risk management at the forefront of the minds for both management your workforce – whereas risk registers that are updated on a spreadsheet or on paper every quarter will simply get filed away and forgotten.
5. Compliance and auditability How many emails are sent each week, or phone calls made across your service to ask risk owners for updates? Probably far too many to count. Instead of chasing updates or compiling reports from multiple spreadsheets, a single risk management solution can give you complete and up- to-date information of risks across all locations. This way, every part of the process can be auditable with alerts and tailored reporting with just a few clicks – something that can be easily accessed for an inspection.
How can care home providers better protect their service? Well, managing risk is a core responsibility of every single care provider, and it is clear just how vital risk management is for care home providers to remain compliant, to protect staff, and to deliver high-quality care. To keep up with the ever-growing demands of 21st century care, where requests for support continues to grow and
the sector is frequently being put under a lens and scrutinised, providers should consider how they can adopt a robust risk management strategy to help protect their business and their service users from harm. This means moving away from the inadequate manual processes that we know many residential care providers have come to rely on.
Doing so will likely lead organisations to introduce risk management software. Dedicated risk management solutions are a tool to help providers identify, map, and manage risks across multiple teams and locations for complete oversight and reporting. Along with thorough practices, service wide accountability, and the right support, risk management software can help providers make safer care decisions. n
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The OneAdvanced Care Trends Report 2024 can be accessed here:
https://www.oneadvanced.com/ campaign/new/health-and-care/care- trends-report-2024/
Fran Kirke
Fran Kirke is OneAdvanced’s VP of Care and has worked in the health and care sector for 10 years. OneAdvanced provides sector-focused software that powers the world of work, with over 100,000 care professionals having used – and millions of service users having been supported by – OneAdvanced’s solutions.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com July 2024
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