The Company
Husband and wife team, Phil and Helen Charlesworth started their domiciliary care service in 2012. They now have 60 clients based in Nottinghamshire, with 30 staff members providing 700 hours of care each week. CarePlanner has been instrumental in their growth, but they previously encountered issues with a rival software package.
The Problem
“The mobile app on the previous system was dependent on constant internet access, so whenever carers visited clients in the sticks – where they couldn’t get signal – they couldn’t log on," says Phil. "This meant we were unable to accurately track where staff were and how long visits were taking, which had a knock-on effect to wages.
“We even had instances where carers would have to go back to their car, drive down the road so they got signal, look up what they needed to know, and drive back to the client’s house.”
The old system had also been prone to unannounced updates, with little in the way of training to explain any changes. This led to a few panicked moments, which convinced Phil and Helen to look for an alternative software provider.
The Solution
“CarePlanner downloads certain information straight to the phone, so the app still works offline, recording information when you don’t have signal and automatically syncing when you do," Phil says.
“Staff log in and out as they walk to and from each client property, and I’ll receive an email alert if they haven’t done so within a certain time period; I can sit in the office assuming everything’s fine, but can immediately look into any issues as and when they arise.”
Based on the information recorded, CarePlanner calculates wages and accurate mileage, saving management a considerable amount of time. Different pay rates for time spent travelling and time providing care can also be set and automatically displayed.
The Results
“The software has taken us from being a third of the size to where we are now, and in all fairness we’re probably less busy than we used to be," Phil admits. "Sorting the wages used to take around 10 hours, but we’re now doing it in three. That’s a 70% reduction in time, which has allowed us to focus on developing the business.
“Another great feature is the ability to create a banner message at the top of the app, alerting staff to last minute rota changes or road closures, which again saves time.
“I’m an Android person, my wife’s an Apple person, and CarePlanner works well across all devices. We’ve always got something with us and regularly check in, but we’re safe in the knowledge that the software works and will keep ticking along. I’d have to rate it 9/10.”
