Every care home is focused on finding an integrated solution for effective communication, documentation, and task management. These crucial processes need to run smoothly.
Unfortunately, a lot of software is not designed for communication. This means that care homes are being run on WhatsApp, telephones, emails, paper and even walkie-talkies. These tools not only complicate care delivery and documentation, but they also waste time, pose significant data privacy and security risks, and contribute to employee absences and sick leave.
Finally, care homes have access to an easy-to-use solution that brings everything they need together, making daily care easier, better, and safer.
The integration between nooa and Person Centred Softwareenables much more than seamless communication. It introduces structure, transparency, and control across all organizational processes, including staff meetings, policies & procedures, shift & rota planning, incident & complaint management, as well as care documentation & handovers.
Instead of relying on various tools for communication, documentation and task management, care homes manage all information directly using their familiar PCS platform. The benefits from using such an integrated solution directly reduce unnecessary admin and measurably improve the quality of care:
Time and cost savings: using PCS eliminates the need to introduce a new system or train staff. Implementing and using nooa is quick and simple.
Complete documentation: information is automatically documented in PCS, without losing anything in WhatsApp, on paper, or on the phone, making it possible to corroborate conversations and incidents, especially during inspections.
No unnecessary duplication: with nooa, posts and comments are automatically synchronized with PCS in real-time. Carers no longer need to write down or enter information twice, saving time and ensuring data accuracy.
Seamless communication: information is sent directly to PCS using nooa - anytime, from any device. Staff can be confident that their notes, messages, pictures, and documents are sent, received, and read by the right people.
Privacy and security: nooa ensures the secure exchange of sensitive information and protects the confidentiality of data in accordance with applicable data privacy and security policies.
The following examples show how the integration between nooa and Person Centred Software allows care homes to bring their entire communication and documentation into a single platform.
This results in significantly less admin and bureaucracy, giving staff more time to focus on residents, reducing or eliminating the use of tools such as paper, phone, walkie-talkies, and WhatsApp.
What this looks like in practice:
Without the integration
Minutes are taken by hand, then typed up and sent to everyone by email, often to private accounts. A copy is also printed and pinned to the bulletin board. This copy is later archived in a binder “Meeting minutes”. Staff that miss the meeting have to sign their name on a separate list to confirm review. During inspections, archived minutes and signature lists are pulled together from a number of different binders. Relevant information is not always at hand or time-consuming to dig up.
With the integration
Minutes are directly typed in nooa, using # to mention residents and @ to mention individuals and teams. Integrated read receipts and full searchability mean everyone is effortlessly kept up to date, information is shared with the right people and found with a single click.
Without the integration
The quality assurance manager announces a new fall prevention guideline. This is printed and laid out in the break room, along with a signature list. After two weeks, the QA manager follows up with everyone who has not signed off their name. The guidelines are archived in the “Quality assurance” binder. When staff want to review the guidelines, they need to find the QA manager and ask to see a copy. Alternatively, they can ask for a copy via email, which is often sent to a private address. When the guideline is updated, the QA manager needs to edit the word document, re-announce and re-print it. Staff is confused since two versions are now circulating and repeatedly approach the QA manager for clarification.
With the integration
The QA manager announces a new fall prevention guideline and posts it, making it accessible to the respective teams. Integrated read receipts guarantee compliance, combined with individual mentions to reach the right person or team using @. Changes are automatically updated, with the guideline fully searchable and easy to find on any device.
Without the integration
The latest shift plan is posted in the shift planning app. Additionally, it is printed and handed out to every member of staff. A carer notices that shifts have been planned during her approved time off and talks to the shift planner. After review, the shift plan is updated, posted and printed again, with everyone receiving a new copy.
With the integration
The latest shift is posted to nooa. Missed time off is simply commented, with the shift planner mentioned with @. The old shift plan is updated, affected staff members notified, and business continues as usual, with all shifts plans fully searchable and accessible from any device.
Without the integration
Mr. Brown’s son notices that his father’s toothbrush has gone missing since his last visit a week ago. This needs to be remedied immediately. He calls the general phone line and lodges a complaint. The receptionist records all the details on a form, then places it on the care manager's desk. A week later, Mr. Brown calls and angrily expresses his outrage to the care manager that the situation has still not been resolved. The care manager never saw the complaint and did not know about the issue until now. Too late - Mr. Brown’s son is resolved to lodge a formal complaint with management as well as the CQC.
With the integration
The receptionist lodges the complaint and mentions the care manager with @, who promptly assigns a task to a staff member to bring Mr. Brown a new toothbrush.
Without the integration
A carer is unsure if the dosage of the medication has been increased for Mrs. Jones since the doctor’s last visit. She tries to get a hold of the care manager, but only reaches her answering machine. Later that evening, the care manager sends her a short reply via WhatsApp, “Yes, dosage increased to 4 units”. The next day, the carer increases the dosage and documents it. When Mrs. Jones' son visits, he notices his mother is unwell and asks why the dosage has suddenly increased. The carer is unsure and has trouble pointing to a late-night WhatsApp message as proof. The son decides to escalate the issue to the CQC, citing grave concern for his mother’s well-being.
With the integration
Following the doctor’s visit, the care manager posts a short message for the carers with the increased dosage and the doctor’s note as proof, mentioning Mrs. Jones with #. Once carers pick up their shift, they immediately see the note and act accordingly.
The ability to communicate and send information directly through PCS brings a new dimension of efficiency and user-friendliness to care homes.
In particular, the integration ensures the automatic exchange of information between nooa and PCS, saving time and money. It:
Provides a single solution for care homes, bringing everything together in one place.
Eliminates the need to use WhatsApp, phone, email, or paper, saving time and money that can be reinvested in staff, buildings and equipment.
Eliminates unnecessary duplication, automatically synchronizing information and enabling communication from anywhere and on any device, resulting in less admin and more time for high-quality care.
This saves a significant amount of time and effort, especially when:
Documenting and sharing important information
Managing queries and appointments
Coordinating tasks and responsibilities
Ensuring quality standards and compliance
Communicating with staff and relatives
For the first time, care homes have a truly integrated solution that directly increases efficiency, improves patient outcomes, and boosts the quality of care, as measured by the CQC.
By bringing everything together in one place, the days of having to use separate solutions such as WhatsApp and other messengers, phone calls, email, and paper, are finally over.
Want to find out more about the integration? Schedule a short demo here: schedule demo with nooa
Already a Person Centred Software customer? Find out more or get started here: A single solution - Person Centred Software and nooa