Newspage
August 2010
Three months since our last news’ update, and it feels like only last week since it was written…which is what happens when life is busy! As the year turns and we begin to head back towards Christmas (hard to believe, but true nonetheless!) the team here is continuing work on Version 3 of the CareDocs system and is on course for the intended release at the November Care Show at the NEC. We’re continuing to add new ideas and features and we’ve also been able to incorporate a number of the suggestions made by subscribers, so keep those comments coming!
We mentioned the leading new feature in the May news’ page, calling it the “Forms” section. So much more has gone into this new section that we’ve decided that “Forms” only tells half the story, so we’re now referring to it as the “Documents” section. This will be the place where all the different forms, policies and procedures you use every day in your Home can be stored, produced and accessed, helping you to keep all your records in one place.
This new section will work in a number of ways:
- It will be a resource centre where updated versions of all policies and procedures can be accessed by all staff at any time.
- It will hold templates for all standard forms, automatically producing these when triggered by the addition of a relevant event report or daily occurrence to the system, and automatically filling in whatever details are known by the system.
- It will automatically update existing reports, taking inputted information and automatically adjusting reports to keep them up to date.
And that’s just one new feature! We’re also adding a Mental Health area to the Assessments and several others.
The Future
2011 will see the release of CareDocs Cloud, our new web-based system. In essence this will be of specific interest to owners of two or more Homes because it will enable you to access one Home’s CareDocs system from any other of your Homes, and any of your Homes’ Home Status pages from any Internet connected computer anywhere! CareDocs HQ will in addition enable you to undertake detailed statistical analyses from any combination of your Homes.
Exciting? We think so!
Questions?
Remember that you can and should ring us on 0845 500 5115 with any questions or problems you have, and there’s no need to spend hours trying to work things out for yourself, just pick up the phone and give us a call. What does help, however, is if you’re connected to the Internet. That way we can access your system and you can see what we’re talking about on your own screen.
And Another Thing...
Are you backing up regularly? It’s vital that you do so every day! We now have wonderful back-up sticks with a tasteful CareDocs logo on them! Only £5 each for 2GB.
We can also supply the same 20 or 40 page folders we use to demonstrate our Care Plans, £3.25 each for the 20 pocket and £3.75 for the 40 page.
Lastly, to protect your laptop from going walkabout, our laptop security cables at £20 each... all prices plus VAT.
May 2010
What do you do when your laptop supplier begins to find it hard to keep up with your demand?
Well, grit your teeth and keep pushing delivery dates is one answer, but another is to stop and reflect on how CareDocs has been growing recently. We celebrated the installation of our 200th system in early June, and fully expect to be at 250 before the summer slowdown... great news for us, but, more importantly, great news for our customers.
Why?
It may not be obvious at first glance, but CareDocs' growth is allowing us to grow organisationally too. We're busy recruiting office type people to help support our existing team, extending our telephone help line into evenings and weekends, and freeing up our programmers to spend more quality time doing what they do best... programming! An opportunity for someone to take some of our office strain is on our Careers page
What we can confirm is that we'll be moving from the development of Version 3 to the test phase in August....and launching at the CareShow in November. And, yes, Version 3 will do everything we mentioned in our January update, but it will do a lot more too.
New 'FORMS' feature
There'll be a new Forms area for a start; at first this will allow us to put copies of all your forms onto your systems in such a way that not only will forms pop up automatically when required, but you'll be able to update them on screen and then either print or email directly. We've also created a really simple program to enable homes to create their own forms, and we'll be introducing this in the New Year.
How will this help?
Imagine you have five homes, or 50 homes, and you want to standardise or update your Health and Safety policy document. Easy, you'll be able to sit in your office and update the forms at all your Homes with one click. Or send all members of staff a message, or move the complete records of a resident from one Home to another... or add to or change different records centrally.
March 2010
How time flies. Only 24 months ago we were busy planning the CareDocs launch which we’d decided would be at the Bournemouth Care Show at the end of the month.
We knew we had a unique, ground-breaking product, we had every hope that Care Homes owners and managers would love the system, we were completely overwhelmed with the response CareDocs received at the show!
Now, with over 150 Care Homes using CareDocs, we’re looking forward to a bumper Bournemouth 2010.
We have a number of new features to demonstrate, a new Mental Health area, revised staff security, new assessment questions and a number of smaller tweaks to make life easier for subscribers.
See you there!
January 2010
As we start looking beyond the New Year and into 2010, it’s a good time to thank all our subscribers for their continued good wishes, and the support, kindness and good humour we’ve enjoyed from and with you during 2009. ‘Thank You’ all!
2009 at Caredocs
We hope had as exciting a year as we did! We more than doubled the number of subscribers using CareDocs, but more importantly we released two updates during the year, updates that have added considerably to the CareDocs system’s capabilities, making it both more useful and more user friendly. Significantly, the number of calls we received on the CareDocs help-line dropped since we issued version 2.7 in September, which must be a good sign...
Remember that you can and should ring us on 0845 500 5115 with any questions or problems you have, and there’s no need to spend hours trying to work things out for yourself, just pick up the phone and give us a call. What does help, however, is if you’re connected to the internet. That way we can access your system and you can see what we’re talking about on your own screen.
Our Plans for 2010
Caredocs version 3
What’s there to look forward too this year? Well, included in our plans is the release of CareDocs Version 3, a leading feature of which will be the launch of our new ‘CareDocs Cloud’ and ‘CareDocs HQ’ services.
What does this mean?
In essence this will be of specific interest to owners of two or more Homes because it will enable you to access one Home’s CareDocs system from any other of your Homes, and any of your Homes Home Status pages from any internet connected computer anywhere! CareDocs HQ will in addition enable you to undertake detailed statistical analyses from any combination of your Homes.
In addition Version 3 will also include additional Mental Health sections within the Care Plan. We’ll be exhibiting at both the Bournemouth and Birmingham Care Shows, so do drop in to see us.
What else?
We’d love to hear how your CQC Inspections go! We had one here at Penhill just a few weeks ago and quite apart from maintaining our Three Star rating the inspector said that;
“(The CareDocs) Package takes staff through the process of admission, assists with the care planning processes and highlights when reviews are required... This is excellent!”
So, a special CareDocs box of chocs to anyone who lets us know anything good said about CareDocs during their Inspections!
Personalisation
Our inspector also said
“Plans were person centered and included information about the person, how they like to be supported, their cultural needs and interests. It was evident that a holistic approach to care was in place seeing the individual as a person with the care tailored to the individual encouraging them to be as independent as possible.”
One of our intentions during 2010 is to build even more personalisation into CareDocs. At the moment what we tell everyone is that CareDocs will produce 90% of your Care Plan, but that you should really add your own finishing touches, perhaps especially within the ‘Overview’ section.
And another Thing...
Are you backing up regularly? It’s vital that you do so every day! We now have wonderful back-up sticks with a tasteful CareDocs logo on them! Only £5 each for 2gb. We can also supply the same 20 or 40 page folders we use to demonstrate our Care Plans, £3.25 each for the 20 pocket and £3.75 for the 40 page.
Lastly, to protect your laptop from going walkabout, our laptop security cables at £20 each...all prices plus VAT.
Referrals
£100 make a difference to you? Well, that’s what we’ll give you for each referral you give us that leads to a new CareDocs subscriber.
Just let us know!
September / October
In August’s notes we mentioned Version 2.7 of the CareDocs system and the fact that we were already working towards a release date of the end of September. Well, we nearly made it! Most existing subscribers will have received their updates by the middle of October…..
If you’re a subscriber to Care Home Management or PIR as its sometimes known, you may have seen an editorial in Edition 29 that refers to Version 2.7 having grown like topsy. Never was a truer word spoken in jest, because what was intended originally as being an interim update turned into a fairly major piece of work.
If you’re an existing CareDocs subscriber you should already be enjoying all the new features that the system now offers, and we look forward to receiving your feedback to add to the many positive comments we’ve already received.
If you’re not yet a subscriber and you’re still struggling with paper based Care Plans or even template type systems, why not give us a ring to arrange a demonstration? You’ll never regret!
August 2009
Looking back, we see that August last year was a busy time, and this year is proving to be no different. We presently have 15 systems being customised prior to installation, with more enquiries coming in every day, today’s being for a group of eight homes who have been referred to CareDocs by an existing happy customer…now that’s the way to win business!
Meanwhile, in the midst of all this flurry of orders, work has been progressing apace on what will be Version 2.7 of CareDocs, due out at the end of September. Included in this update will be a more visible MUST scoring, Waterlow, body mapping, more printing options and a number of changes to the assessment questions including the enhancement of the mobility and night check sections and several others, all of which will help make CareDocs more effective and subscribers lives easier.
With enquiries coming in from Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey, we’re about to go international too! We’re looking for an agent in the Republic, recommendations welcomed!
July 2009
CareDocs Network installed in the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary
Far be it from us to boast about how wonderful CareDocs is, but we must admit to being rather proud of the fact that we’ve been asked to supply CareDocs to the new Margaret Thatcher Infirmary at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and, what’s more, that it will be our largest installation to date, with five laptops being networked together.
Prestigious projects such as this are great for marketing purposes and we’d like lots more (!) but probably our most heart-warming comment in the last month was made by the Manager of a Care Home when she was asked by a prospective CareDocs subscriber what she thought of CareDocs…“If they took away my CareDocs, I’d leave!” she said.
As we’ve said before, we really enjoy the relationships we have with CareDocs subscribers and we value highly the feedback we get and the suggestions we receive. If you think we’re missing a trick or that we could do something better, please let us know, we’re always keen to learn.
Finally, why not refer us to a friend?
We’re sure you must talk about Caredocs to your friends in other Care Homes, but here’s the deal. If that home decides to subscribe to CareDocs and they mention you at the time, we’ll award you or your home with a £100 Marks and Spencer vouchure. How does that sound?
June 2009
Huge response to the recent Caredocs Press campaign
Small Residential and Nursing Care Homes form the bulk of our business, and our recent advertisements in Care Management Matters and Caring Times have lead to a flood of enquiries from all over the country. What most of these homes are looking for is a simple, easy to use system that’s going to save them a heap of time, make their lives easier and help them towards achieving those precious three stars, and of course that’s precisely what CareDocs does.
Customer Feedback
One of the really rewarding parts of what we do here in the office is take the calls from customers who just ring to tell us how much they’re enjoying the CareDocs system….it’s really kind, and we love those calls!
NOvember Launch Date for CareDocs Touch
In last month’s news we mentioned the advent of CareDocs HQ, the facility for a Care Home Group to be able to access all the information on the CareDocs systems in each of their Homes without moving from their Head Office. There’s been quite some interest in this, so this month we thought we’d tell you about another idea that we’ll be introducing at the November Care Show, CareDocs Touch. Instead of having to use a mouse, CareDocs Touch uses a touch-screen, making access to and updating of the CareDocs system even quicker and easier.
Everyone we’ve shown the trial system to loves it!
April /May 2009
Online Training
Things move fast in the world of CareDocs. No sooner have we released Version 2.6 than we’re working on new ideas and developments. The latest development is that in future we’ll be able to give individual one-to-one training on the telephone, so long as customers have access to the internet, our technical support team will be able to see your screen as well as their own, and using an on-line pen, steer you through any procedures or actions you’re not sure off.
CareDocs HQ
We’re also working on CareDocs HQ, a new package that will allow Care Home Groups full access to all the information on every CareDocs system in their group. It sounds simple, but actually to transfer large amounts of data with unfailing reliability and at speed is technically quite challenging.
If you’re interested in this, or anything else to do with CareDocs, just give us a ring.
March 2009
Hard to believe that we launched CareDocs just 12 months ago at the Bournemouth Care Show. Actually, that was less of a launch and more of an introduction to visitors to what CareDocs could do; the first systems didn’t leave our offices for another couple of months, which makes our progress to date all the more remarkable. We now have systems in nearly 75 Care Homes, with more being added every day as the telephone continues to ring….
See a demonstration video of caredocs Version 2.6 and see how it will make your life easier.
…not that we’re complacent! We’ve recently expanded into purpose designed offices attached to CareDocs’ own Care Home in Bristol and been joined by Claire Standen who’s taken on an office manager / finance role (and demonstrations, installations, sales and, well, everything else). We’ve also launched Version 2.6 of the CareDocs software, which incorporates far more updates and changes than any of us, except for the program developer, Jonathan, expected.
The feedback from CareDocs subscribers has been overwhelmingly positive, especially for the new Supervisions area and the Short Term Care Plan Reports – and of course you can see a demonstration video of Version 2.6 by clicking above.
The other major change this month is the re-vamped website. Do you like it?
December 2008 / January 2009
CareDocs Version 2.6 update
Progress on Version 2.6 continues apace, with a mix of updates on existing features and a number of useful additional features being planned. Some of the updates will hardly be noticeable, but reflect either comments we’ve received or changes we’ve had planned ourselves, an example being that we’re going to add to the amount of information that can be entered as a description of each medication.
New Features
New features, on the other hand, will include greater assistance in choosing the correct answers when completing an assessment, with an information bubble containing choice criteria appearing as you mouse over the optional answers.
Networking
On the systems side the opportunity to network we mentioned in the October / November has proved to be very popular with several larger homes now ordering systems What it entails is a dedicated desktop computer and a server at one location, probably the office, with the laptops around the home being connected wirelessly. The most expansive system we’ve looked at so far has involved one desktop and four laptops, so anyone needing something larger, please get in touch!
Remote Access
Something else we’re looking at is the requirement to be able to access systems remotely, in other words to be able to check what’s happening in one or more Homes from a remote location, usually a Regional or Head Office.
We’ve come up with what we consider to be an interim solution by using someone else’s propriety software, interim because at the moment it means that the computer in the Home cannot be used locally whilst it is being accessed remotely. If this is something you feel is a necessary pre-requisite for your CareDocs system, contact us!
October / November
Something we weren’t really expecting is the interest being shown in CareDocs by the larger Care Home groups. Actually it makes a lot of sense, because of course not only do you always get beautifully presented care plans, but there’s a very appealing uniformity to each care plan that fits well with any group trying to make sure that all their homes produce comprehensive plans to a guaranteed standard.
Another development has been an increased interest in being able to network CareDocs, in other words to be able to have more than just the one laptop running in a Home. Anyone not really ‘into’ computers may not appreciate the complexity behind this, but if you try to imagine for a moment what it would be like if more than one person was to try and write the same story at exactly the same time, you may begin to get a hint of the problem.
To cut a long story short, we’ve managed to crack the problem, and so can now offer a networked version of CareDocs that enables as many laptops as you need to work off the same database. If you’re interested in more details, just ring the office.
September
What a blur! The month had hardly started before it was over…it’s been a time of running to keep still! A major move for us has been the employment of Joy Fraser to work for us in the afternoons, following up on the mailshots we send out, so it’s likely that many reading this will have already had the opportunity to talk to her….and many more will as copies of the CareDocs brochure are sent to a wider audience. She obviously doing a great job because the number of requests we’re receiving for demonstrations is growing all the time.
Autumn Newsletter
If you haven’t already received one, you can download a copy of our recent Newsletter here. In it you’ll find details of the changes you’ll find in CareDocs version 2.4, due next month, why not have a quick look, you’ll be impressed!
Existing CareDocs subscribers will receive a copy automatically, all you have to do is slip the disk into your laptop and it will update your system automatically without changing any of your existing files.
August
Summer? What summer?
To be honest it’s been such a busy month that hot, sunny days may have been hard to cope with. Our full back page advertisement in PIR Care Home Management was a great success and has lead to a stream of on-site demonstrations, with all but two turning into orders.
No matter how good the demonstration on this website is, or how many DVDs we send out, potential customers like to see the system working in front of them, and, frankly, who can blame them!
Visiting customers allows us not just the opportunity to meet and get to know people we’re going to be working with, but also to make sure that each system we supply is customised to meet precisely that customers requirements, so everyone’s a winner!
Systems-wise, August has seen also seen us working to make our Care Plan assessment questions more useful to Nursing homes, with additional fields being added to cover specific conditions such as dementia. As soon as this work is complete existing customers will be sent a full update.
July
Holidays? What holidays?
The month has seen us out demonstrating the CareDocs system across the country with enquiries coming in from far and wide. It’s also seen us start to receive more widespread feed-back from those Care Homes that have now been running the system for a couple of months…and it’s all been very positive!
In fact many homes are so taken by the system’s Care Plan writing capability that they’ve not yet started using any of the many other facilities the system has to offer. We’re thinking about offering Homes that have got used to the system a day of additional training to make sure they’re making the most of what it can do for them.
We advertised in the new ‘The Carer’ magazine this month. It’s always interesting to ask callers where they heard about us, and to track the effectiveness of our advertising…
…to date this website has been the most effective marketing tool..,with plans to make it even more so by adding pages showing a sample of a typical CareDocs Care Plan.
June
It’s been a busy month. Enquiries have been flooding in and systems have been supplied to an ever increasing number of customers.
At the same time we’ve been enhancing the CareDocs program, adding in a number of new features, not the least of which is the Home Status page and icon. In effect this means that a glance at the CareDocs ‘home page’ will immediately either warn you that some element of the management of your Care Home needs attention (red light) or that everything is up to date (green light). Clicking through to the reports section of the program will bring up a single page status report covering every element of activity in your Home, be it to do with your Residents, Staff or with the general management matters such as equipment maintenance.
Another new feature is the ability of the program to write Care Plans in the first person, so “ I did so and so” instead of “Fred did….”
The article in Caring UK has gone down well too, with several people getting in touch to say how good it was to read such a positive article…it’s led to some enquiries too!
May
It’s been a busy time for CareDocs, with a steady flow of enquiries arising from the Care Show, this website and the advertisement in Caring UK. The editorial submitted with our advertisement obviously made an impression because we found ourselves being asked to give an interview on the background of the company and the unique features the CareDocs software offers, so we look forward to seeing that in the next edition…
Something of a surprise to us has been the considerable interest being shown in CareDocs by the larger groups of Care Homes, a surprise because we had decided to aim our initial marketing at individual Homes. It was deeply gratifying to demonstrate CareDocs to the Chief Executive Officer of one of the larger groups, someone with a lifetime of experience in the Care Home industry, and be told how impressed he was with the system and how he sees Caredocs as ‘the future.’
10th April dateline
The Bournemouth Care Show on the 1st and 2nd of April was an astonishing success for CareDocs with a steady stream of interested visitors to the stand. It was the automated Care Plans which made the greatest impression, most people finding it hard to believe that a full and detailed Care Plan could be produced so easily from a series of simple questions. The other thing that really impressed people was how easy the system is to use, and the clarity of the graphics.
It was interesting to watch some visitors, who made their dislike of computers very clear, become more and more interested as they began to realise what the CareDocs system could do for their home, and just how easy it is to use.
Over the two days of the show more than 50 solid enquiries were received, including a number from the larger Care Home groups.
Can you make it?
CareDocs is exhibiting at the forthcoming Care Show being held at the Bournemouth International Centre on the 1st and 2nd April. If you’re looking for us, and we hope you will be, we’re on stand W5 in the Windsor Hall; do please come and see us and have a look at our CareDocs Care Home Management software,,, we promise that you’ll be very impressed.