How Love2Care sets the highest standard of Care Quality

Astute’s experienced Registered Manager - who worked in five other private nursing businesses before joining the fledgling organisation - agreed that Birdie was the best software she had used. She shared the example with Mitchell that with other platforms it had taken her 45 minutes to fill in a single MAR chart - and with Birdie that process had only taken 10 minutes. Since the average age of the Astute team is 49, they aren’t used to working with advanced technologies. “They’ve all said that Birdie is so much easier to use,” he says. “It’s just simpler on the eye, which makes it easier to record notes and less time is wasted figuring out how it works.”

“It really compresses the amount of time that is being wasted on a simple thing like adding a client’s medication where they have a UTI,” Mitchell says. “It is important because ultimately, where do you want your care professionals spending their time? Messing about with their phones trying to log notes? Or spending time with the clients? Ultimately, that’s how good quality care is delivered.”

In their most recent inspection, Love2Care earned an ‘outstanding’ rating from the CQC across several areas of Care Quality, as well as surpassing standards across several other common industry assessments.

Britannia's journey to bring Birdie onboard was marked by an overwhelming sense of community and mutual support. Lauren shares how they achieved a smooth transition onto Birdie:

“We decided the best way to do it was a phased roll out - so we could train staff specifically in one thing, and then say ‘OK, now this section is moving over’. So even though they were still logging into their previous system, the team had Birdie there so they were familiarising themselves with the system, and we could troubleshoot and learn that aspect properly before moving on. We had a notice we had to provide anyway to the previous software provider, so we just maximised that time to really learn the new platform!”

"We had people trialling Birdie before it went live, and giving us feedback... we just kept it all positive," agrees Sonny. Their approach to training and support was inclusive, ensuring everyone, regardless of their tech-savviness, felt comfortable and valued. “We had people that were a bit reluctant and a bit more mature who were more wary of tech, so we’d have one-to-ones to them until they were comfortable,” shares Lauren. “It was all about making sure we’re communicating and planning, and people getting the right support that’s at their level.”

The impact of Birdie on their services was immediate and profound. The platform enabled real-time responsiveness, dramatically enhancing care quality. Lauren's pride is evident;

“You know, we were talking the other day…we were like ‘Do you know anyone with a pressure sore at the moment?”. And I got my team in, asking ‘Is there anyone with a pressure sore?” - and there actually isn’t! As soon as someone’s skin is blanching, the alert comes up that they’ve raised, we’ve contacted the nurses - we are so much more responsive because of the communication. People are living better because of the communication.”

Sonny agrees, sharing how Birdie has ‘”revolutionised our company. It’s made us rethink the way we do everything, it’s reduced our office overheads,” he says. “We don’t need so many people to carry out processes that aren’t needed anymore. It allows us to focus our time and energy on stuff that actually is important, and provides more value to the people we’re supporting and the staff that we have. You could write a book on what we’ve achieved - without blowing our own trumpets!”

“Now we’re looking at the costs and cutting costs down, because Birdie has revolutionised our company and the way we operate. It’s just crazy!”

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After onboarding with Birdie, what have some of the key results been so far?

Firstly, the capacity of WSAH to take on hospital discharge cases has gone from one package a day to two. “Before we’d have to drive all the way to the client’s home, complete the plan, drive back to the office, print, arrange delivery…whereas now we can just go out and do it all on the tablet”, says Kerry. “There’s now no reason we couldn’t take up to 30 discharge packages a week, which is almost twice what we could do before.”

The ability to move faster has been further supported by receiving helpful reports through Birdie Analytics that help showcase where things are working well - and where they could do with additional focus. “The more we learn about the analytics and what reports we can run, and what we can see instantly when we need to, the better. We’re still learning, but it’s already better than the old way of doing things!” The Birdie team are providing ongoing support to get the whole team at WSAH get the most out of their data, helping them to reduce manual auditing and get results faster.

Finally, Kerry shared that her care team are feeling more supported than before. “The staff are often quite nervous going to new people”, she commented. “Before they would ring up and say “Can you tell me about XYZ, I’ve got them at 4…” - and they may still be on a previous visit! Whereas now they don’t need that reassurance anymore as they’ve got it all with them and on their phone.” Having quick and simple access to who’s coming up next, what the rota is and what tasks need to be done that day has helped the team feel confident to deliver their best care yet.

It’s not just the time the team has got back; the number of weekly alerts have dropped by 43% since implementing Birdie. The care team are now able to instantly alert the office team to any changes or alerts through the Birdie mobile app, which has helped everyone keep on top of what needs to be done and be much more responsive to the changing needs of clients. 

The team at Numada also found that rostering is much easier for them now, and the time taken to build, create and share rotas has been vastly reduced. It used to take the team 3 days in our previous software to do a one day rota; but Shelley was happy to share that it “now only takes 1 hour in Birdie!”. 

Finally, Shelley has been able to share some of the burden of responsibility with other office staff, which has helped her get the time back to focus on other areas of the business. “I can’t believe just how much quicker everything is now that everything is all in one place”, she told us. “This also means that the sole responsibility doesn’t just fall on me. Opening up access to the (Birdie) inbox to other office staff is great. They come in in the morning and the first thing we do is tackle that inbox and get it down to 0!"

Along with other Birdie partner businesses, Sara and her team at Newcross took part in the initial Birdie beta of the Message Centre. They were crucial partners to help the product teams test and iterate the feature so it was able to be the best it can be for all our partners. If you’re interested in become a beta tester agency for Birdie features, and you’re already a Birdie partner, then make sure to keep an eye on those ‘Here’s what’s coming’ emails.

Despite the feature still being relatively new, it’s been of instant value for Sara and her team. "I can see in a month or so, we won't be emailing staff”, says Sara. “We'll just be using the Message Centre. I already don't send anywhere near as many emails as I did, and I don't receive the same amount of emails because the information is always there for them."

During the Beta testing, Sara did have some feedback on how to improve the tool - including to iIncrease the character limit”. This has since been increased, and we’ll be taking other feedback into account as we always do. For more about the Birdie product building philosophy, check out this page here.

To help the whole team at Helping at Home maintain the level of quality communication that is so important to growing sustainably, Andy and the team spent a long time researching which technology would work best for their needs. "We knew we needed a really, really good care management system", says Andy. "Not just a system that everyone else tells you is 'good', but one that the entire team trusts." After exploring a number of different potential technology partners, tech-savvy Andy and his team of experienced care professionals came to the conclusion that a partnership with Birdie was the best suited to their quickly growing business.

How do the care team find using Birdie? "From a carer's point of view, it's tough work and it's long hours, but I know we're always being looked after,' says Senior Care Assistant Megan. "With the way that Birdie works, our Registered Manager can easily check and ensure we're all ok when we're out on the road. It's just that simple communication that's so important."

Andy also raised the way he and the team are able to use Birdie to support decisions on a business level. "The more trust we put in the information Birdie provides us, the better decisions we can make as a team. Given that the decisions we make impact real people, and the quality of care they receive, it's super important that we got that care management system right." Helping at Home has grown rapidly since it was first founded, going from none to over 60 clients in just one year - a testament to Andy, the team and the systems they have put in place to ensure success.

As Birdie technology gets into the hands of more Walfinch branches, franchisees such as Tiffany Meachim, Managing Director of Walfinch Mansfield, have been very happy for it's arrival.

"When we first started our branch we were with a different platform", says Tiffany. "We found it wasn't able to keep up with us. We trialled Birdie and it was like going into a different era! It was absolutely brilliant."

The team at Birdie are also very happy to hear this feedback, and to support more Walfinch franchisees as they keep their ambitions (and their standards) high!

The whole health and care sector embraces technology. It facilitates more people to care for themselves at home and enables the workforce to support customers/clients in the best possible way, delivering better outcomes. Chiefly, it doesn’t impact on the personal relationships and face-to-face contact that is so important in the care industry, but instead provides valuable insights that create more time for fostering those relationships.  In addition, all the requirements for data collection from the Department of Health and Social Care, and the monitoring needed by local authorities, necessitates a robust, simple way of storing and sharing evidence.

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The challenges of embracing technology in care

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Without a doubt, there were (and still are) challenges that need to be overcome, as we thread technology through our practice.

To my mind, the first is supporting the workforce to feel the benefit of technology in their everyday roles. Not everyone is comfortable using tech, and even switching from one system to another can cause frustration, as is the case with any and all major organisational shifts. So, to mitigate mobilisation issues, assisted by the birdie customer success team, we’re influencing a positive culture that brings everyone on the journey, and gets them seeing results faster.

The use of digital technology for care and support is widespread, but many providers are still missing out by only focusing on basic technology instead of adopting innovative care solutions. A recent review of the adoption and scalability of digital technology from adult social care on behalf of NHSX found that of all UK care providers:

• 91% had access to a desktop or PC
• 86% used video calling software
• 77% had access to tablets or smartphones
• 60% used digital care records or care planning software
• 53% used monitoring equipment or assistive tech

Significantly in this report, 85% of providers said the benefits from support and technology increase better quality of care. Eighty-three per cent said it improved health and well-being outcomes, and 74% said staff were spending more time delivering care. Read the full report here.

Aligning with this, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is also responding well to providers who embrace technology. A spokesman for the CQC stated: “The use of technology in health and care service is growing in importance. Digitally-enabled care can offer significant benefits to people who use services and those who run and deliver them.”

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What’s next for Reed’s Community Care specialism?

At Reed, our goals are to continually improve our service and reach more of the people who need us. I believe we can achieve this much faster by utilising the full functionality of the birdie technology. This has to happen by building confidence with our workforce first. We will achieve this through working closely with the birdie team and collaborating with their homecare partners to build personalised home health tech solutions.

With so many insightful resources available, it’s very difficult to find a reason not to invest in a system like birdie. This type of support can actively help your business grow as opposed to the limited benefits of a temporary quick fix.

At the end of last year, I asked our care team if using birdie had made a positive impact on service delivery, compliance and care management, and if the team felt more confident about taking on new services. The feedback was scored at an impressive four out of five – and this is in the very first year following implementation. Our registered managers believe this final star will come in time, as the team see more and more benefits from using the system. They also commented on how responsive the birdie team has been to our needs, providing a continually improving functionality.

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Led by Managing Director Harrison Fensome, the team at Caring Forever decided to book a free demo on Birdie. Immediately they noticed a difference in how simple the technology was compared to their previous provider.

Feeling reassured around the usability, and impressed with many of the features Birdie had to offer, the team went live with Birdie as their new technology partner. Since implementing the platform, they have noticed key improvements around not just time saved and audits delivered, but also around team moral. 

“One of my colleagues has dyslexia, and she is able to use the system so much easier than the previous system. Before, she was constantly calling me over and saying ‘Where do I find this, dammit I’ve made this error’...Birdie has given that person so much more confidence in their role because they feel they have a system that works with them and doesn’t work against them. I’ve seen a big, big boost from the team.”

As for medication management, Harrison is very impressed with the way he and other members of the team are now able to deliver. 

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“We’re already seeing a massive, massive impact on our day-to-day with using the Birdie medication management system. We’re picking up on errors, and our auditing has seen a massive, massive improvement.”

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CHD Care at Home onboarded Birdie’s digital software solution and moved away from a paper-based system entirely. Carers use Birdie Call Monitoring to check in and out of calls, so managers know instantly if a call is missed and can check on the carer and reallocate the visit if necessary.

Birdie’s eMAR system enables carers to record medicines administration during the call, and the office team gets updates in real-time. Managers are alerted about late or missed medications so they can act quickly to address any issues.

When it comes to auditing, Birde pulls together the data to create reports at the click of a mouse. CHD Care at Home had all the information to hand at their next CQC inspection, and the changes earned them a Good rating for every CQC KLOE.

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Through a partnership with Birdie, Christies Care were able to manage both onboarding all their carers successfully and co-develop certain software features that would make everyone's lives much easier. Working closely with the Christies Care team at a senior and care professional level has meant that the technology fits perfectly into their growing business - and is proving to be an intuitive, instant hit with care professionals at Christies Care.

Despite their nervousness over a potential 'exodus', Joe Glass, Head of IT and Administration commented "We actually lost zero carers - so that goes to show how comfortable they were with it!"

What a result!

Alina Homecare took the decision to partner with Birdie and implement their care management platform; and started to see the desired changes as the solution was rolled out across their branch network.

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Using Birdie’s care management app, carers were now able to record tasks and care logs digitally, saving them time and removing the need to transport paper logs to and from the branch. The branches also benefited from much greater visibility of each care visit, seeing the information in real-time, so they could take the relevant action as and when needed. 

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Alina Homecare adopted Birdie’s database of tasks to quickly create task lists, but with the ability to create unique client notes associated with each task, so carers knew exactly what to do for each client.

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The challenge of comparing the performance of branches across their large network was also an issue, but they were able to address this with Birdie’s ‘Q score’ - short for Quality Score. The Q score is designed to measure how an individual branch is performing, taking into account care planning, delivery, responsiveness, staff and medication, and is designed to help providers excel in the areas assessed by the CQC.

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For example, taking a carer who just works through their tasks and ticks them off and then making sure that they’re adding notes is not a direct correlation to reaching an ‘outstanding’ rating, but as Alina Homecare found, giving full, person-centred detail is what the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections are looking for. 

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As Alina Homecare Commercial Director Jo Dumville commented “the more relevant detail we have in our care plans and logs, the better for our clients, their families, and for us. It drives continuous development and improvement and reflects our ‘Outstanding’ and ‘Good CQC results.”

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Prioritising People’s Lives onboarded to Birdie’s all-in-one home care platform. Managers can now update care plans from the office, and carers can access client records via an app on their phones. No more stacks of paper to keep track of! 

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Even better - carers have a checklist of tasks for each client, so they know when they leave a home that they’ve completed everything for that care recipient. This feature alone takes away a lot of stress and worry for carers, and allows them to focus on providing excellent care. 

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As an additional benefit to Prioritising People’s Lives, using Birdie has also reduced mistakes and improved compliance.

CHD Care at Home partnered with Birdie to digitise their record-keeping and streamline processes. One of the standout features was Birdie’s Family App - a secure way to communicate with clients and their families via an easy-to-use phone app. 

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Not only did the Family App facilitate open communication, but it also freed up time to implement a brand new initiative: ‘Client of the Day’. 

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On a service user’s allocated day, staff thoroughly review their care and contact family members for feedback to create an in-depth picture of how that client is doing. If CHD Care at Home identifies things that need changing, they can often go into Birdie to action it instantly. They can also share outcomes with family members via the Family App, keeping everyone in the loop.

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Key 2 Care onboarded onto Birdie’s easy-to-use care planning technology. The team were soon creating, updating and resharing care plans in seconds. Real-time alerts helped office staff to keep track of care visits and changing client needs. Crucially, the instant access to MAR records meant the team impressed healthcare professionals with their speedy response times.

Key 2 Care onboarded onto Birdie’s insightful planning software. This came with the abilities to create person-centred care plans in the office, to share them with carers and to access visit logs instantly. Carers could also use the available digital assessments during their visits, ensuring that they kept a log of their clients changing needs and continued to deliver person-centred care.