IQ:Careplanner Utilises Time and Money to Facilitate Compassionate Social Care
The software development team responsible for IQ:careplanner, UniqueIQ understands that the welfare of care staff is as important as that of their clients. Its specialist digital care planning system utilises time and money, valuable resources in the sector, to facilitate better working conditions that lead to compassionate care, helping the industry progress.
This news comes as The Guardian Social Care platform released the results of its Social Lives 2017 research, surveying social workers across the UK to learn the elements they love about their role, and where could be improved.
As the initial results were live streamed in a series of Tweets from the Guardian Social Care, one response from CEO of British Association of Social Workers, Ruth Allen revealed that ‘social workers should feel same values, passion and commitment throughout their organisation’, highlighting the need for empathy and consideration of better practices to motivate staff in the sector.
David Lynnes, Director of UniqueIQ explained, “The subject of social care has always been critical, yet now more than ever the conversation is centred on the staff’s experience. The workforce is central to the success of any care provider organisation, so understanding what must be changed in order to facilitate better working conditions is vital to ensure that quality of care improves over the years, rather than slip as the sector faces challenges.”
A high quality health and social care service relies on empathy and compassion to survive, yet as the industry is pushed to the limits, so are those that work within it. Zero hour contracts, unrealistic schedules unfair pay can quickly dampen the spirits of even the most motivated staff, sometimes leading to rushed, impersonal care rather than a service that is filled with compassion. As a result, according to Skills for Care turnover in adult social care in 2015 was 25.4%, much higher than the 15% average in other sectors. In order to safeguard the future of the workforce and the industry it serves an intelligent solution, such as IQ:careplanner, is essential.
David Lynnes added, “We formed UniqueIQ and created our first solution, IQ:timecard with the aim of using digital technology to address the difficulties faced by managing a remote workforce. Many of our clients were home care companies, and we soon realised the need to develop a solution that targeted the specific challenges faced by this sector. Balancing scheduling, calculating pay while taking travel into account and assigning staff based on skillset were identified as some the main areas where these companies could improve. IQ:careplanner addresses this, streamlining workflows to unleash additional time and save costs, helping a company enjoy better working practice.”
Another tweet from the Social Care focussed branch of The Guardian stated that ‘Burnout continues to be a big factor in social work. Social workers working 10 years of more most likely to want to leave.’
An article published on The Guardian summarised the results of the survey. Ruth Allen featured once more, stating that “things are better than a few years ago, so I’m not that surprised. Better working conditions, better reward and work-life balance is being achieved in some places, so there is certainly optimism around that. However, in too many places, the reality for people is obviously still very difficult. So there is more hope for the future but it’s not being realised everywhere yet.”
Learn more about the essential care planning system that could realise this future at http://www.uniqueiq.co.uk/