H E A L T H I N S I G H T S oversight so we know who is working on what and where a stoppage might have appeared .
“ It also shows where collaboration and connections are going to be needed and all the essential things you need to know so you can manage the project and deliver it on time .”
Another part of the Atlassian suite which CareLineLive uses is the workspace software Confluence . Hough says it is effectively an ‘ internal wiki ’, where the company ’ s policies , reports and documents are held and worked on .
“ The fact multiple people can collaborate live on the same document means the entire team is always up-to-date with any policies and procedures . It is also a place where they can find solutions for problems ,” Hough said .
As the business has grown more structured , communication has been put in place internally to keep teams on track and enable staff members to stay in the loop . Software such as Teams and Slack are staples of the company ’ s internal comms . Another essential tool is the company ’ s choice of customer relationship management software , Hubspot .
As its client base grows , CareLineLive ever more frequently uses the all-inone messaging platform , Intercom , which Hough says works well for after sales support . But Hough says it also provides vital information which can then be sent back to the product and development teams .
He said : “ Intercom ’ s prime function is to resolve customer queries . But it also logs requests which can be sent back to our product manager and development teams .
“ While some of our development pathway is dictated by compliance and the needs of major partners like the NHS , I think it is also really important to listen to customers for their requirements and ideas .”
The results : From paper-based systems into the 21st century
CareLineLive has made a tremendous difference to the homecare agencies that adopt it as well as the carers and the patients who receive the treatment . In many cases , it marks a move from services being delivered by traditional tools like spreadsheets , or even sheets of paper , and staff rotas delivered by post .
Hough said : “ The way a lot of care was being delivered just didn ’ t seem fit for the 21st century . Slow and untimely information flows meant patients were being discharged from hospital without a carer ready to see them at home .
“ Meanwhile , carers were being called up at home outside of work hours so they could be told client information or given rotas . Our introduction often leads to a big cultural shift in the agency .”
One of CareLineLive ’ s biggest projects was with the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland . The trust provides over 30,000 domiciliary care visits a week via a team of over 600 carers .
The trust had been using paper-based processes previously and initially started using CareLineLive as a pilot . However , despite the significant change in practice , a poll of office staff gave 100 % support to its full adoption . One staff member said : “ I was completely against it at the start and was unwilling to embrace it . Now I feel silly because it has all worked out for the best .”
The results of using CareLineLive revealed significant improvements across the board . Over a period of eight months , the app improved capacity by 3,919 hours , which was worth £ 73,000 to the trust .
Time spent managing rotas fell from 17 to 12 hours per week and 87 % of users reported an improvement in service . There has been a 96 % reduction in missed calls – from 287 to 11 in one year , and the trust saved £ 35,000 a year on postage alone – more than enough to cover the costs of using CareLineLive .
“ It ’ s projects like this that make me proud of my company and really believe we are helping people ,” said Hough . �
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