Care plans are generally separated into sections, to make it easy to find the information you need at the time you need it. With CareDocs, the sections include some Activities for Daily Living (ADLs), such as mobility, nutrition and hydration, and personal care, along with supporting care plan sections, such as communication, mental capacity, and medication.

When caring for someone, risks need to be identified and managed to ensure a person’s safety, while maintaining their freedom of choice. A risk assessment must be completed and, where the risk is deemed too high, appropriate steps should be taken to reduce or remove the risk. In CareDocs’ care plans, the risks and associated action plan is placed within the care plan, so anyone viewing the care plan can see all the information required at the same time.

Another common feature of a care plan is to list the outcomes that the patient wants to achieve. For example, they might state that they want to be ‘as independent as possible’. The carer could then develop some ideas to help them reach or maintain this goal, such as leaving clothes on a bed for a person to get dressed independently, but for support to always be available in case the resident requires assistance.

Perhaps the most important feature of a care plan is making it truly person-centred, and ensuring the resident’s preferences, wishes and choices are clearly documented. With CareDocs this is easy, as the assessment questions focus on the individual, and care plans can even be written in the first person.