Correct dosage, timely administration, and ensuring the care home always has a resident’s required medication are all crucial to avoid medication errors.

Some individuals also require frequent medication and often have to take multiple medications, which need to be administered at different times of the day and require meticulous attention and precision; getting it right and understanding the resident’s needs is vital to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.

Additionally, managing medication involves ordering, transporting, storing, and disposing of medications, which can all be quite time-consuming.

That’s why numerous care homes across the UK are automating their medication management and administration processes by adopting digital solutions to increase resident safety.  One such technology that has proven extremely helpful and becoming increasingly popular in care homes is the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) system, an alternative to paper-based MAR charts.

eMAR systems, such as ATLAS eMAR and Camascope, enable care homes to manage medication administration records digitally and assist care staff with scheduling, tracking and ordering resident medication, providing real-time information on medication orders, dosage, and administration schedules – this helps to keep residents’ medical records up to date, accurate and safe while also keeping staff informed of any allergies the residents may have.

Providing flexibility and choice for care organisations 

Person Centred Software, a leading care management software provider that has been streamlining and digitising the social care sector for the past decade with its wide selection of user-friendly products, has just integrated with Camascope’s eMAR system.

Already offering ATLAS eMAR and a number of other best-in-breed eMAR systems as a medication management solution, Person Centred Software now provides more flexibility and choice for care organisations across the UK.

Its cutting-edge Connected Care Platform, which has gained popularity among care providers as a top choice, covers the full spectrum of care management through integrated solutions, such as mCare, the UK’s most widely used digital care management system.

mCare, which now integrates with a variety of eMAR systems, stands out from other care management systems in the market as it offers care providers a complete ecosystem of care with an unrivalled selection of best-in-class partners, making it the only system of its kind.

Person Centred Software’s latest integration with Camascope, formerly VCare systems, integrates seamlessly with mCare, revolutionising medication processes, digitalising and enhancing medication management for care providers and leading pharmacy chains, including Boots, LloydsPharmacy and Well. As well as benefiting tens of thousands of residents across the UK, Camascope’s eMAR system offers a safe and highly efficient way to manage medicines.

Andrew Coles, Chief Product Officer at Person Centred Software commented, ”At Person Centred Software, we have always provided choices for our customers by allowing them to connect our digital care solution to other products they utilise to drive digital transformation and deliver better outcomes for the people they support. Working with like-minded providers like Camascope is another example of how an integrated ecosystem of care offers greater benefits by enabling the sharing of data to support better decision-making for health and care professionals.”

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I began working at Hunters Lodge Care Home in 2010 as a carer and progressed to senior team leader before becoming Head of Care last year. With more than a decade’s experience in the social care sector, my experiences have helped articulate where our focus needed to be on achieving our goals.

Indeed, recent events have accelerated the need for information to be accessed quickly, securely and efficiently by those who need it, ensuring a smooth transition for people in-between services.

However, as with today’s professions and daily necessities, care planning software has completely transformed the process when supporting people, alleviating pressures, and improving time management while adding a layer of protection to resident health, safety and well-being.

With the vast array of technology at our disposal, we wanted to ensure that we remained as accountable as possible to ensure that the transformation to a digital care management system was effortless and equally enjoyable for our staff and residents.

Hunters Lodge Care Home eMAR System

We started using ATLAS eMAR in 2016, as the system’s accountability and traceability were unparalleled, providing complete visibility throughout our operations and regulatory measures from when medications are dispensed to being administered. On top of this, there’s even barcode technology and unique features to ensure safe medicines administration.

In addition, by utilising software to document residents’ quality of care, it feels impossible to envisage a world where we’d go back to paper-based systems. However, maintaining accurate and legible medication records with paper-based MAR (medication administration record) charts can be a complex process, especially when carers are left to jot down notes; their handwriting can sometimes be illegible. On top of this, paper MAR charts are very time-consuming and error-prone, which can lead to incorrect or missed medication. For example, when medication such as paracetamol is given, there can be cases where carers might not log the time it was administered, which is a huge safeguarding issue. Whereas if you’re scanning a barcode using ATLAS eMAR, the device tells you whether the medicine can be administered or not.

Since the implementation began, our Atlas eMAR training sessions have been extremely helpful. The system was straightforward to implement, and my colleagues found the software easy to use. You can’t go wrong with it if you use the eMAR system correctly and undertake training in managing and administering medicines. Furthermore, it improves accuracy and simplifies the medication management process. Since implementing ATLAS eMAR, the medication round is much quicker, and everything is backed up too. Social care providers must maintain secure, accurate, and up-to-date medical records for each person receiving medicines support; it’s essential to meet safety regulations for CQC inspections. You can do all this and more with ATLAS eMAR at your disposal.

Moreover, we also recently started utilising Person Centred Software’s Digital Care System. We had previously adopted paper-based care plans for many years. However, the Digital Care System is much quicker than sitting down and writing notes, which was a no-brainer from a clinical manager’s perspective. It’s clear to see that the collection of data can be of great assistance to caregivers and empowers our staff to make responsible decisions that benefit everyone involved. I like how I can click into the system and get a quick overview of what’s been happening in the care home directly from my desk – there is so much information at hand, such as bowl charts, fluid charts, and the resident’s care history. You name it; the system has it. You could ask me anything about a resident, and I could log in to the system and get that information within seconds. Thanks to Person Centred Software, I can monitor the effectiveness of care and improve care delivery management quickly and effectively.

Ultimately, Person Centred software has, without a doubt, helped our home deliver outstanding care; it also gives us more time to spend with residents. There’s no doubt in my mind that I absolutely would recommend ATLAS eMAR and the Digital Care System to other groups and care homes; it helps to provide a higher standard of care.

Hunters Lodge Care Home, located in Fareham, Hampshire, is a 45 bedded residential care home specialising in looking after older people with varying degrees of dementia, behavioural problems, memory loss and Alzheimer’s. 

About the author

Jackie Farmer is Head of Care at Hunters Lodge Care Home  and a user of Person Centred Software’s eMAR (electronic medication administration record) and Digital Care System.

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