Technology in care homes

Available technology in our care homes

We use a variety of digital systems at Evendine House Care Home, which we’ve detailed below. 

Needless to say, our team is always on hand to help our residents and their families to use the technology in our care homes. 

Our systems include:

Used by residents and families:

• High bandwidth internet
• Wifi thoughout the home
• Voice over Internet phones, which means residents can make and receive calls anywhere within the home
• Zoom, Teams and virtually any online meeting including residents and relatives meetings and calls with GP/ third parties
• Family portal, which gives minute by minute updates on loved ones (see Nourish)
• Online visit booking application

Used to support our operations:

• Nourish digital care management system
• Omnicell – electronic medications administration
• Nexus nurse call – enables real time monitoring of nurse calls and response times
• Sophisticated monitoring, governance and quality control processes
• Proxy access – online medications ordering / admin
• GP connect – enables us to view resident’s health records
• Trusted Care enquiry management – used to support enquiries for admissions
• Asana – online purchasing and contractor management system
• Microsoft Dynamics Finance system and online payroll
• Judgement Index – ‘values’ based recruitment and staff development product
• Remote video meetings
• Online staff training

High bandwidth internet

With our fibre-based, high bandwidth internet we can ensure faster data transfer rates and greater connection speeds of over 50mbps in both directions. This enables us to leverage digital systems for increased connectivity for our residents, allowing them access to improved entertainment options without compromising on quality or speed. 

Wifi

At our care home, residents can enjoy Wifi access throughout all areas, including communal spaces and individual rooms. This technology enables them to access a variety of digital services, such as:

• Amazon Alexa
• On-demand TV and movies
• Voice over Internet Telephone (VoIP)
• Video calls with family and friends
• Internet browsing on their own devices

Moreover, our residents’ families can also access the same Wifi in our care homes while they visit. 

In addition, our staff benefit from phone access, IT systems, care monitoring, and advanced nurse call applications available throughout the care home.

VoIP phones

With the BT ISDN switch off in 2025 in mind, we have installed VoIP phones throughout our care home. This innovative communication technology ensures reliable voice calls over the internet.

GP/ third party online meetings

When possible, we conduct healthcare meetings online with GPs and social workers to provide timely care for our residents. This technology-based approach reduces travel time and enables healthcare professionals to focus on their patients.

Family Portal

Families can monitor the progress of their loved ones’ care in real-time through our care home’s Family Portal. With daily updates and access to care plans, this technology offers an enhanced level of communication and is a valuable addition to Nourish. 

Online visit booking application

Our online visitor booking system streamlines the visitation process for family members by eliminating the need to contact the home directly each time. By offering simple and efficient online booking, families can now spend more quality time with their loved ones without the stress of coordinating visits.

Nourish Digital Care Management System

The Nourish Digital Care Management System is an industry-leading cloud-based software application that we utilise to manage and coordinate resident care. Our team can create detailed personal care plans, record scored assessments and progress notes, and access resident information instantly. With Nourish, we can provide personalised care and make informed decisions based on real-time data.

We can record and track an extensive range of resident information using Nourish, including weight, nutrition, hydration, medications, incidents, skin condition, vital signs, mood, and much more. Staff members can update information using their smartphones, while managers can access live information through the dashboard to ensure that all necessary tasks are completed and to take proactive decisions that improve care.

Both Nourish and the dashboard issue alarms and alerts to a specified hierarchy of users (including the manager and CEO!) to inform if tasks have not been completed or serious incidents have occurred.

Omnicell

To ensure safe medication administration and recording, we rely on Omnicell, an advanced electronic system. This system automates the process of recording every prescribed medication and enables us to keep detailed stock control records to ensure adequate medication supply. With Omnicell, we can improve medication safety while boosting staff efficiency.

Nexus nurse call

We are proud to offer our residents the Nexus nurse call system, which interfaces with the existing nurse call system. This innovative technology allows our staff to receive ‘silent’ nurse call alerts on their smartphones, creating a peaceful and homely environment without disruptive bells. With this system, management can be alerted immediately to any missed calls and monitor response times from any location, thanks to the alerts being sent directly to their smartphones, even when off duty.

Sophisticated governance and quality control processes

Our digital management systems are at the forefront of sophisticated governance and quality control processes. We extract data from all our systems to produce regular reports and alerts, utilising our advanced Microsoft PowerBI system. Management and directors can be alerted in near real-time if an incident occurs and have access to a comprehensive live dashboard with critical information about each resident’s health and well-being.

Our reports are automatically disseminated to managers, deputies, and group management and directors on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. We carefully review this information to ensure that we are meeting all necessary requirements and, importantly, to identify proactive measures to enhance our residents’ quality of life.

Proxy access

At our care home, we are committed to ensuring the highest level of safety and efficiency for our residents’ medical needs. That’s why we have implemented the Proxy Access system, enabling our staff to raise prescriptions from the GP and track medication orders and deliveries online. This digital system eliminates manual processes, freeing up staff time and creating a safer environment for our residents. It also saves time for the GP practice, improving the overall efficiency of the medication management process.

GP Connect

At our care home, we value the importance of collaboration between healthcare professionals to improve the quality of care provided to our residents. That’s why we have implemented GP Connect, a service that allows care home staff to view a resident’s clinical records on their GP’s system, and enables GPs to access Nourish data. This not only helps to improve the efficiency of care but also facilitates better collaboration among healthcare professionals in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

Trusted Care enquiry management

We understand that keeping track of new enquiries is crucial in providing high-quality care to our residents. That’s why we have incorporated Trusted Care’s enquiry management system into our operations. The system allows us to monitor occupancy levels in our homes while keeping track of new enquiries, which go into the Trusted Care CRM. By doing so, we can efficiently manage our resources and provide the best possible care to our residents.

Asana

We take safety and efficiency seriously in our care homes, and that’s why we have integrated Asana into our operations. Asana is an online purchasing and task management platform that provides a centralised platform for our teams to collaborate more effectively, share ideas and resources, and track progress on key projects. With Asana, we can place orders for anything electronically and track when things have been delivered and contractors’ jobs completed. This ensures that our care homes run smoothly, and our residents receive the best possible care.

Microsoft Dynamics Finance system and online payroll

At our care home, we understand the importance of managing our finances efficiently to provide high-quality care to our residents. That’s why we have implemented the Microsoft Dynamics Finance system to keep track of our income and expenditure, as well as provide a way of managing budgets. The system is also used for our online payroll. By using this technology, we can ensure that our financial resources are allocated optimally to provide the best possible care to our residents.

Judgement Index

As an organisation that values core values, we employ the Judgement Index in our care home for recruitment, annual appraisals, and staff development. The tool measures an individual’s values in relation to those required by the care industry and our organisation, allowing us to identify how well-suited someone is to being a carer and our company culture. The Judgement Index is a valuable tool for ensuring that everyone who works here shares our core values, creating a positive and cohesive working environment that benefits both our staff and residents.

Remote video meetings

We recognise the importance of communication and collaboration between our directors, managers, and staff in providing high-quality care to our residents. That’s why we use Teams and Zoom meetings across our homes to provide support and guidance, share learning experiences and best practices, and conduct governance remotely when appropriate. We also facilitate meetings with relatives and many other people using the same technology, ensuring that our residents receive the best possible care.

Online staff training

At our care home, we believe that providing our staff with online training is crucial to enhancing their skills and expertise, and applying them to their work. Our mandatory training covers over 20 course subjects, and we expect all homes to have at least 90% of all required courses completed at any one time. We also monitor the attendance and completion of other courses through an online system. By providing our staff with the latest knowledge and skills, we can ensure that our residents receive the highest quality care.

Moving forward with technology

At our care homes, we are dedicated to providing exceptional care to our residents. The advanced use of technology has played a significant role in this commitment, positively impacting the lives of our residents and the way our staff delivers care.

Through the use of technology, we have witnessed firsthand the benefits of increased independence and empowerment for our residents. We have also been able to offer enhanced entertainment options, detect and intervene earlier in health concerns, and establish more effective communication channels between family members and caregivers. These benefits are truly immeasurable and we are constantly exploring new ways to integrate technology into our care services.

Technology coming soon

We are thrilled to share that we are introducing more and more technology into our care homes to continue improving the quality of life for our residents. We are currently exploring and implementing systems for falls detection and monitoring, pain detection and monitoring, and NHS remote monitoring applications. Moreover, we are collaborating with the NHS and other organisations on a national and regional level to introduce other innovative technologies, including shared care records.

We are committed to providing personalised and compassionate care to our residents and believe that technology can play an essential role in achieving this goal. We will continue to embrace new technologies and innovations to ensure that our residents receive the highest standard of care possible.