News - HET Software

We are now looking forward to the national events at the Guildhall in London, where the regional winners will be competing for the national title in their sector. The National Home Care Awards will take place on 15th May 2010 with the National Care Home Awards following on 6th June 2010.

If you would like to attend what is sure to be a spectacular finale to the Great British Care Awards please contact Lisa Carr on 0115 959 6133 or Email Care Awards.

John Mayhew, HET Software with Diane Hagen, Supporta Care,
Stockton on Tees and presenter Steve Walls

Over 360 guests joined in the celebrations and clearly demonstrated why Newcastle has a reputation for being a fun city!

The evening was hosted by Steve Walls, one of the UK’s leading compares, and followed a similar format to the awards held in other regions. A champagne reception was enjoyed by all the guests followed by a wonderful gourmet dinner and then the awards presentation hosted by Steve Wallis. After the formalities many of the guests took the opportunity to try out the dance floor and danced until the music stopped at around 1am.

HET Software again sponsored the Registered Home Care Manager Award in addition to being overall sponsors of the Great British Care Awards.

John Mayhew, our Chief Executive, was on hand to present the Home Care Registered Manager Award to Diane Hagan of Supporta Care, Stockton on Tees. John explained why Diane had been selected for the award, “This was another difficult choice, all the finalists were very worthy candidates but Diane exemplified an excellent manager. Diane’s attitude to her team particularly impressed the judges. In Diane’s own words ‘no manager is a manager without a team, and mine is right alongside me.’ The ability to nurture and build a team is a fantastic attribute for a manager in any business but in the care sector it really does make the delivery of consistent, quality care much easier.”

John Mayhew, HET Software with Alison Lockyer,
North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate
and presenter, Hardeep Sing Kohli

In its second year the awards attracted over 700 guests including David Behan, Director General of Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships for the Department of Health, council leaders, representatives from NHS Yorkshire and Humber and local government as well as care providers and frontline care workers.

There was a high level of local support for the awards, with partners including North Yorkshire County Council, York City Council, NHS North Yorkshire and York, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Local Government Yorkshire and Humberside and Skills for Care Yorkshire and Humber.

The evening was hosted by Hardeep Sing Kohli from BBC One Show fame and BBC Look North’s Harry Gration. The gala awards evening started in style with a champagne reception, followed by a gourmet dinner, the awards presentation with celebrity presenters and dancing.

Guest David Behan, Director General of Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships, Department of Health, commented, “It is good news that we are living longer. As our society ages, the number of people aged over 85 will double by 2026. More of us will need care and support in the future. We must, therefore work tirelessly to ensure care is of the highest quality. Where we find quality we must celebrate it and share it. The Great North Care Awards are a celebration of the very best care and are a real cause for celebration."

Our Chief Executive, John Mayhew, presented the Home Care Registered Manager to Alison Lockyer of North Yorkshire County Council, Harrogate.

John explained why Alison had been chosen as the winner of the award, “Alison demonstrated a strong grasp of management. She persuasively talked about management skills including robust recruitment and selection of staff, observing staff and giving constructive feedback. Alison also spoke of the power of involving a team in decision making whilst accepting the managers responsibility to make decisions rather than shy away from them.”

I agree whole heartedly with the comments made by David Behan that where we find quality we must celebrate it and share it. Acknowledging the quality in our industry was one of the main drivers in HET Software agreeing to be the principle sponsor of the Great British Care Awards.”

Jonathon Vellacott, Direct Health with Iris Steen,
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)
and Paul Patarou HET Software

Alison Birchwood, our Sales Co-ordinator, kicked off the fundraising when she turned up to the office in a very fetching ladybug outfit. Well done to Alison for raising £88 from her enterprising efforts and thanks to the HET Software team for their support.

Sales Director Paul Patarou paid £170 for a bottle of wine at an auction for Children in Need at the Great North East Care Awards. It wasn’t just an ordinary bottle of wine though – this was a jeroboam of Domaine de la Rouillere Grande Reserve, a pale rose wine from the South of France.

We are not sure what plans Paul has for the wine now!

Over the last two years we have experienced a growth in turnover of around 35% per annum and staff levels have increased in order to support the new business that has been secured. Although expansion at our existing site was considered moving from a rural to an urban location was felt to be more beneficial to the business as it offered a more central location, decreased risk of disruption to power supplies and improved communications - specifically Broadband provision.

John Mayhew, Chief Executive of HET Software comments, “Some of the services we provide to our clients are business critical. In fact they can mean the difference between life and death for the vulnerable people being cared for by our clients. For this reason it is imperative that we consider how to make our technical systems as robust and reliable as possible. Moving to an urban location is just one of the steps we are taking to achieve this objective.

Another consideration in the choice of location has been our staff. HET Software has been located in this area for twelve years, as a result a large proportion of our thirty eight UK staff live in Haverhill and the surrounding villages. There are few companies in Haverhill who are in the software development sector; the staff find the benefits offered by HET locally to be attractive. Travelling to Cambridge to work every day is time consuming, expensive and not conducive to the environment.

Our new offices at Weavers Mill in Haverhill town centre will provide double the amount of space that we currently have - 4000 square feet on three floors. We will now be in a position to allocate more space to key departments – such as Research and Development, Support and Sales. We have recently recruited an additional eight people to our sales team so the extra space will prove useful! We also have plans to create a ‘break-out’ area for staff, offer improved kitchen facilities and create a number of meeting areas around the building.”

Local property business Sue Forbes was commissioned to find a suitable property for HET Software and identified Weavers Mill before it came onto the market. Although HET Software will take over the lease from 1st January 2010 the lease on their existing property does not expire until 31st March 2010 so they will have three months to transfer the business from Great Wratting to Haverhill.

We have been involved in menu tasting, judging days, rehearsals and, of course, presenting awards at the three regional Awards ceremonies that have taken place so far.

The awards have received support across the social care sector, including the Department of Health, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Ceretas, the English Community Care Association (ECCA), the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and Action on Elder Abuse.

They are a true celebration of the commitment and quality of care delivered by the individuals who work across the care sector – in both home care and care home environments, from care workers to care managers.

The winners from all the regional awards will be invited to attend the National Events for either the Home Care or Care Homes sector at London’s prestigious Guildhall, in May and June 2010.

From left to right: John Mayhew - HET Software
, Claire Cooper - Radis Community Care
and Cheryl Baker

Held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull and hosted by celebrity presenter Cheryl Baker, of Bucks Fizz fame, this was a fantastic event. Kicking off with a champagne reception, followed by a superb gourmet dinner, then the awards presentation with Cheryl Baker and, for those of us with any energy left, some dancing!

In addition to being overall sponsors of the Great British Care Awards HET Software also sponsored the Home Care Registered Manager category award. The winner in the West Midlands region was Claire Cooper of Radis Community Care.

John Mayhew, our Chief Executive, was delighted to present Claire with her award and to explain why Claire had been chosen by the judges, “The judges were very impressed with Claire’s experience having progressed from Care Assistant to Home Care Manager. She showed a quiet determination with strong leadership skills with considerable emphasis on client satisfaction, training and communication. She is a worthy winner.”

Paul Patarou - HET Software,
Gill Heppell - Percurra
and Des Coleman

Our host for this event was Des Coleman, of ‘The One Show’ fame and the venue was the East Midlands Conference Centre. Again, another brilliant evening – a real celebration of the devotion and dedication of the people who work in our industry.

All the guests were welcomed with a champagne reception, a superb dinner and then the main business of the day – the awards presentation with Des Coleman - followed by the opportunity for some fun and dancing.

Paul Patarou, HET Sales Director, presented the Home Care Registered Manager Award to Gill Heppell of Percurra. Paul revealed why the judges had chosen Gill as the winner of this category, “Gill is a passionate manager, with a clear customer focus. Gill places the service user at the heart of her business, with clear vision for the future of home care. Gill deserves her place as the winner of home care registered manager.”

The spectacular gala dinner took place at Manchester United Football Club and was hosted by Adrian Mills, of ‘That’s Life’ fame. Guests enjoyed the atmosphere of this famous venue and were treated to a champagne reception, gourmet dinner, the awards presentation with Adrian Mills and dancing into the night.

Sales Director Paul Patarou was again on hand to present the HET sponsored Home Care Registered Manager Award to the North West region winner Tracey Gilmore of Anchor Care. Paul explained why Tracey had been selected as the winner of this award, “Tracey has a very clear and concise vision of motivating staff to deliver care in a home situation, and recognise that they are the visitors in that environment.”

This established annual event attracted around 1200 visitors. Aimed at bringing together organisations and agencies involved in children and adult social care services the conference provided an opportunity to discuss and debate the issues surrounding the sector.

HET had an exhibition stand at the conference and we promoted our full range of software solutions, with particular emphasis on our SupportingPeopleManager. The event was heavily supported by ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) who are also associate sponsors of the Great British Care Awards.

This team will focus on winning new business; their remit is to help achieve the objectives of increasing our client base and strengthening our market position.

The team is the responsibility of Sales Director Paul Patarou. Paul comments, “This is fantastic news for HET Software. Given the doom and gloom over the continuing pressure on the economy and rising unemployment we are very pleased to be in a position where we are creating employment. We have recruited a mix of experienced and non experienced individuals, younger and older! I think we have the foundations for a really strong team, there is a good balance of skills and attitudes - everyone brings something different to the table. I am very optimistic about the future for HET Software.”

iCare is a market leading clinical, care and medication management solution for the care home sector. This tried and tested solution is already used by Independent Care Group (ICG) in 120 independent residential care homes in York and North Yorkshire.

John Mayhew, Chief Executive of HET Software comments, “We are really pleased to be expanding into new markets. iCare is a great product that can deliver tangible business benefits. It provides HET with a powerful opportunity to enter the residential care home sector. iCare fits well with the other solutions in the HET Software portfolio – it has been developed to improve business efficiency and quality of care.”

If you would like a demonstration of iCare please contact Rohan Vendy on 01440 782200

Nigel has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the HET Software Australian operation. Flying out to Australia on the 1st October Nigel will take up his new position on the 5th October.

John Mayhew explains, “With a background in sales and business development, previous experience of managing a software operation at a senior level and of working in Europe and the United States Nigel ticks all the boxes for this appointment. We are committed to developing the Australian market. We have recently relocated into brand new offices in Sydney and we have some big plans for the future. Nigel is just the man to put these plans into action.”

Nigel is looking forward to joining his new team and intends to establish CM3 as the home care software solution of choice in Australia and HET Software as the primary supplier to the care market.

Nigel concludes, “This is a big move but I am really excited and can’t wait to get started. We have a great team in Australia and I am looking forward to working with them and learning from them. I guess there are some other attractions too – the weather, the beach.....”

We look forward to receiving lots of news from “down under” very soon.

In addition to their overall sponsorship of the Great British Care Awards HET Software is also sponsoring the Home Care Registered Manager award category in the five regions.

John joined a care industry expert and a representative from the event organisers to interview the four finalists who will now take their place in the regional final. John comments, “It was quite a humbling experience to meet these people who are so dedicated and committed to delivering the highest quality of care through their organisation. Choosing the winner was not an easy task – and that’s all I can say!”

Neil Quinn and Lisa Carr, GBCA
and John Mayhew, HET Software

Local care providers and Local Authorities continue to send in nominations from all corners of the West Midlands - paying tribute to the unsung heroes of our care communities.

HET Software played their part in the preparations when Chief Executive John Mayhew joined representatives from the event’s organisers, the Great British Care Awards, at a pre-event menu-tasting at the venue. As HET Software are the principle sponsor for the event John was invited to sample a selection of delicious starters, mains and desserts to ensure guests are treated to mouth-watering fare at the awards ceremony.

The National Motor Cycle Museum, located in Solihull in the heart of the West Midlands, is renowned for its innovative signature dishes, artfully prepared and presented by its highly trained staff. The venue is set to be the perfect location for the Great West Midlands Care Awards.

The Great West Midland Care Awards are part of a series of regional awards throughout the UK. All the finalists will be invited to attend a spectacular gala dinner at The National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull on 10th October where the winners will be announced. The gala dinner will include a champagne reception, dinner with a celebrity presenter, Cheryl Baker and dancing into the night. The winners from all the regional awards will then be invited to attend the National Events for either Home Care or Care Homes sectors at the prestigious London’s Guildhall, in June 2010.

The awards, supported by The Department of Health, have also received huge support from industry bodies including Skills for Care, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), the English Community Care Association (ECCA), Action on Elder Abuse and Ceretas, as well as commercial sponsors.

There are a total of eighteen awards categories available for nomination, which represent all areas of the care sector, whether it be older people or specialist services, residential or home care. From frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training, IT and innovation.

For full details of how to book a table visit care-awards, Email Care Awards or call 0115 959 6133

John Mayhew comments on the partnership, “HET Software is a major provider of rostering software solutions to the UK homecare industry. Our strategy is to assist customers to make the right choice of supporting and ancillary software. We are delighted to establish a partnership with eziTracker and recognise their strengths in the field of Electronic Call Monitoring.”

This follows our sponsorship of the Registered Home Care Manager category at the recent Ceretas National Home Care Awards and our overall sponsorship of the Ceretas Annual Conference and Exhibition. John Mayhew, Chief Executive explains, “Following our involvement with the Ceretas Awards and Annual Conference I experienced firsthand the positive impact that such events can have for everyone involved in the care industry.

We all face the same challenges and share a common goal. The biggest challenge at the moment would appear to be the Government’s Personalisation Agenda. Although the full consequences of personalisation are not fully understood at this time, one thing is for certain - the impact will be far reaching.

In theory personalisation should accomplish what we all wish to achieve for home care service users, with greater choice leading to improved quality of life. Our common goal is to continuously improve the quality and consistency of care delivered and to raise the profile of the home care industry.

Through sponsorship of the Great British Care Awards HET Software can be instrumental in providing a national platform that helps to promote best practice and excellence in service delivery, acknowledges the commitment and dedication of the people who work within our sector and to generally raise the profile of the care sector in the UK.”

The inaugural Great British Care Awards took place in November 2008, hosted by Independent Care Group and sponsored by RBS. The Great North Care Awards was an overwhelming success, attracting more than 230 nominations from across northern England, with 650 guests attending the Gala Dinner held at the National Railway Museum in York.

2009 will see the expansion of the Great British Care Awards with a series of 5 regional awards. There are 18 awards categories representing all areas of home care and residential care. The winners from the regional awards will be invited to attend the national events taking place at The Guildhall, London in 2010. The National Home Care Awards is to be hosted by Ceretas, one of the leading organisations in the independent home care sector, and will take place on 15th May 2010. The date for the National Care Home Awards is the 6th June 2010. HET Software has committed to sponsoring all five regional events and the two national events.

The Great British Care Awards has support from all the stakeholders in the industry including industry bodies, industry media, technical partners and Government. David Behan, Director General of Social Care has already committed to attending the 2009 regional awards in the North of England.

For information about nominations, table bookings or sponsorship please call The Great British Care Awards on 0115 959 6133 or visit care-awards

Paul Patarou, Sales Director for HET Software comments, “This is a great industry to be in – the individuals who work in it caring for elderly and vulnerable people are inspirational and they need to be recognised for what they do. I am very proud that HET Software will be supporting the Great British Care Awards. We are looking forward to working with industry leaders to ensure that the quality of home care in the UK continues to improve.”

For the second year running we exhibited at this leading event for social and affordable housing. Aimed at housing professionals the event showcases the latest and most innovative products and solutions for this sector, including software solutions such as our SupportingPeopleManager.

With 350 exhibitors and over 6000 visitors the event was well attended and gave an opportunity for networking with our peers and discussing the main issues and challenges currently facing the care industry - as well as showing off CareManagerMobile!

John Mayhew, HET Software and Simon Weston OBE

This is one of the major events in our industry and we decided to support the event as the main sponsor, as well as being an exhibitor.

John Mayhew, Chief Executive of HET Software explains, “As one of the leading organisations dedicated to individuals involved in the provision of homecare Ceretas is well placed to address the issues facing our sector. The theme of the 2009 conference – ‘Home Care – is it personal’ is one of the hottest topics around at the moment. Personalisation within independent care will have a far reaching impact on all the stakeholders, from providers to carers to service users and those companies, such as HET Software, who provide support services. I believed the conference would provide a great opportunity to learn more about the agenda from industry experts and to discuss with our peers how we as an industry can make it happen. For this reason I felt it important that HET should play an active role in this year’s conference.”

John was invited to join a host of influential speakers, including Simon Weston OBE, to say a few words about the impact of technology on the homecare industry.In a presentation entitled, “Call Monitoring – missing the point” John spoke passionately about the need for using technology to ‘make every visit happen right – every time’, because making it happen is what really counts. John emphasised the importance of people in the delivery of care, the need to link the people and processes in homecare delivery together into a totally transparent, seamless system. Whilst he acknowledged that Electronic Call Monitoring does give some element of control and is better than nothing it is really missing the point.

John went on to introduce CareManagerMobile, revolutionary technology for the homecare market. CareManagerMobile offers greater financial control, improved support for care workers in the field, accessibility to detailed information at the touch of a button facilitating rapid response to changes in schedules – all in all providing better outcomes for the service user.

The response to the new software was overwhelmingly positive. Douglas Wood, Director of Kivernell Care Limited was at the Ceretas Annual Conference. “After experiencing a demonstration of CareManagerMobile I think this new product could finally take care work into the 21st century. It offers so many benefits - as a business tool to help improve the management of care and at an operational level it will assist care workers to carry out their tasks more efficiently,” commented Douglas.

John Mayhew concludes, “There are some big challenges facing our industry – personalisation, standards and integrity of care delivered by care providers, the need for transparency and the balancing of the cost of care against the basic requirement to deliver high quality care. CareManagerMobile helps to address all of these issues and facilitate positive outcomes in home care – which has to be a huge benefit for home care providers, care workers and most importantly the clients who use the service.”

Organised by the Northern Housing Consortium the aim of the event was to provide those involved in the housing sector with an opportunity to evaluate a wide range of mobile working solutions in one venue on one day. Over seventy delegates, key decision makers from within the housing sector, attended the event. The cost savings and efficiency benefits that mobile working solutions can bring to an organisation were clear to all.

CareManagerMobile was well received by the delegates, many of whom could see the wider potential of the application outside the delivery of homecare. For example a company who maintained playgrounds, carrying out health and safety checks on behalf of local authorities could see how CareManagerMobile could bring improved efficiency in their organisation.

Watch this space....

John Mayhew, HET Software and Ruby Wax
with Registered Home Care Manager
award winner Kim Philpot

John Mayhew, Chief Executive, commented on why HET Software were keen to be involved with sponsorship. “In sponsoring this award we support Ceretas in raising the profile and value of homecare. Each year the Ceretas Awards recognise some truly inspirational individuals who dedicate themselves to providing an excellent standard of care for people who wish to stay at home. At HET Software we aim to develop software solutions to support homecare providers – whether they are independents, local authorities, non-profit organisations or PCT Trusts. We believe our software manages rostering and electronic call monitoring so effectively that carers have more time to focus on delivering care, thus improving the outcomes for service users.”

The Awards ceremony, attended by over 600 guests, was hosted by comedienne Ruby Wax and took place at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London.

This event was a real celebration of everything good in our industry, with a total of eighteen award categories representing all aspects of home care.

The winner of the Registered Home Care Manager award was Kim Philpot, Registered Manager for Domiciliary Care Services for Brighton and Hove City Council. The judges chose Kim as the winner for this award because they said that, “Kim quietly showed us her service user focus and how vital her staff and their development was to the successful operation of the organisation. Although not a self publicist Kim demonstrated she was very focused on delivering an excellent service in a very changing environment.”

After being presented with her award by Ruby Wax and John Mayhew commented Kim commented, “I was very proud to have won and even more so of the team, this is a reflection on them.”

CareManagerMobile is innovative and cutting edge yet intuitive and simple to use, designed specifically for people who care for people.

Paul Patarou, Sales Director comments, “The development of CareManagerMobile was a natural progression from our existing CareManager3 product, which has been tried and tested for a number of years in all types of environments – from independent homecare providers to local authorities, non-profit organisations and PCT Trusts. Through CareManager3 we have offered something quite unique to the industry – one system for rostering and call monitoring. Now with CareManagerMobile we are offering a revolutionary approach to homecare management.

We are using technology to provide real time information between the homecare provider and the care worker. This enables the homecare provider to track and monitor care for the benefit of all concerned. Resources can be managed in such a way as to ensure that quality care is provided and maintained consistently, efficiently and cost effectively. The software provides an audit trail allowing transparency from the minute the care worker logs into their mobile device to the point where they complete their shift and log off. Care plans can be updated at the touch of a button to ensure that client safety is never compromised and that the homecare provider is fulfilling their contractual obligations and is compliant with CQC requirements.”

CareManagerMobile offers benefits for all the stakeholders in the provision of homecare. Homecare providers are presented with a tool that can help them to plan visits, reallocate missed calls, reschedule late calls or redirect other care workers if a visit is time critical all in a matter of minutes rather than hours. Planning and communication, the foundations for the provision of good standards of care, can be managed easily and without stress.

Care workers can feel confident that they have all the information to hand on their mobile device to deliver care safely and professionally. From the minute they log into the system they know where they need to be, when they need to be there and what they need to do once they arrive.

This level of detail of information and the intuitiveness of CareManagerMobile removes any ambiguity from the service level that is expected. Trained and competent care workers are now empowered to do what they do best – care for vulnerable people. The worry of being late for a visit because they are delayed in traffic or dealing with an unforeseen problem is removed with the ability to update the mobile device accordingly and they can be confident the new information is being received and managed by their coordinator.

For the client the benefits of a homecare provider using CareManagerMobile are simple. They have peace of mind that their visits will happen as they should, that their allocated care worker will be fully aware of the care they require, their preferences and any medical background which is critical to their well being will be known and understood.

To arrange a free, no obligation demonstration to find out how CareManagerMobile could help your business call Paul Patarou on 01440 782200.

John Mayhew, HET Software and Gillian McFee, UnitingCare Ageing

John Mayhew, Chief Executive explains, “We set up an office in Sydney in 2006 in the belief that Australia had great potential as an export market given the similarities with the UK social healthcare infrastructure. That assumption has paid off and we now have eight customers in Australia.”

The contract is with UnitingCare Ageing, one of the largest providers of domiciliary home care in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), providing care in the community to more than 5,500 Australians across 6 regions each year. UnitingCare Ageing is planning substantial growth positioning domiciliary care programs as their major method of service provision.

HET Software is providing its best of breed CareManager3 software, known as CM3 in Australia. UnitingCare Ageing has been using the CM3 software for the past three years in four pilot sites. UnitingCare Ageing now plan to roll the software out across all of its community care sites in NSW and ACT.

Richard Astbury, Product Delivery Manager, at HET software comments, “Our CareManager3 software is designed to be used in different markets. Regional changes such as currency and measurements are built into the software. So all transactions are calculated in Australian dollars using the Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) and journey distances are planned and charged in kilometres rather than mileage. More in-depth changes have also been implemented to reflect the differences in the funding and monitoring required in the Australian domiciliary care sector. This work has been undertaken by our team of talented software developers at Great Wratting in Suffolk.”

Gillian McFee, Director UnitingCare Ageing said, “CM3 has been tested extensively over the past three years and we felt it offered a solution that met our business requirements more so than other software available locally. CM3 provides operational functionality to roster our carers into thousands of community care visits each week. CM3 also offers easy access to a wealth of management information enabling us to analyse performance and produce meaningful management and governance reports. CM3 presents UnitingCare Ageing with a powerful solution to manage our business more effectively, both on the ground and at a strategic level.”

The final word goes to John Mayhew, “This is a prestigious customer for HET Software and demonstrates that with a great product and some tenacity UK companies can be successful in export markets.”

Nigel McDonald, HET Software and Les Clarke, Housing 21,
together with the Head Chef from the Marriott Hotel

Representatives from Ceretas and the Awards’ sponsor’s HET Software, were invited to sample a selection of delicious starters, mains and desserts to ensure guests are treated to  mouth-watering fare at the Awards.

Situated in the heart of Mayfair, the hotel has recently undergone a superb refurbishment. Renowned for its innovative signature dishes, artfully prepared and presented by its highly trained staff, the Marriott Hotel is set to be the perfect location for the Ceretas Home Care Awards.

The Ceretas Annual Home Care Awards take place on 6 June 2009, where Guests will be treated to a four course gourmet menu, which this year will include a Duo of Baked and Peppered Goat Cheese, Baby Beetroot and Chive Oil followed by Pan Fried Organic Salmon with Tarragon Mustard Mash and Seafood Broth and for dessert, Passion Fruit and Chocolate Tian with Marbled Wild Berries Sauce.

Now in its fourth year, the event is seen as the industry’s premier event and aims to promote best practice within home care and pay tribute to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.

The Awards have generated a great deal of interested and support across all areas of the sector and are sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland and supported by a cross section of sector partners.

To book your table at this year’s awards call 0115 959 6130 or email enquiries@ceretas.org.uk

The basic objective of this internationally recognised standard is to help an organisation establish and maintain an effective information management system, using a continual improvement approach. Certification demonstrates the organisations capability to regularly identify the information and data assets within its operating environment, define suitable protection measures and manage a consistent and effective information security system.

Greg Viney, project manager at HET Software took overall responsibility for the ISO27001 accreditation process. Greg explains, “At HET Software we are in the business of helping our clients manage data and information that is often of a very sensitive nature, relating to vulnerable individuals within the community. We need to be able to assure clients that the manner in which our homecare solutions are developed and the way we capture, process, monitor and store their information is safe and secure and that we have extensive contingency plans in place should the unexpected happen.”
HET Software’s certification was awarded following a rigorous four day audit by independent assessors. The standard requires organisations to look into every aspect of how they manage data and information.

Greg comments, “The accreditation process really took us back to basics, starting with how we actually define information and data within the company.  We reviewed in great detail how we process information – from the way we configure our networks to how we manage conference calls.  Staff training and awareness are, of course, key issues in the successful implementation of any new project.  ISO27001 gained commitment from the management team from the outset as they could see the benefits for the company from both an operational and marketing perspective.

Attaining certification is not the end of the story – the standard requires continual improvement using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle.  This really fits in with our existing company philosophy – HET Software has built a business on developing innovative user focused software designed to improve business processes. We are continuously reviewing our software and services to ensure our offer reflects client feedback and experience.   We view the investment in implementing ISO27001 as a further endorsement of the company commitment to continuous improvement in all that we do.”

 With over 15 years experience of developing software for organisations involved in domiciliary care, care in the community and supported living, HET Software use technology to make life easier for care providers, carers and those receiving care.

The company has a proven track record of developing innovative user focused systems designed to improve business processes. The main issues in homecare provision are managing the allocation and availability of staff and staying compliant with CQC regulations. These tasks are very time consuming and can be stressful. CareManager3 is a tried and tested software solution that has been developed to save time and reduce stress. It enables the effective management of rostering staff and electronic call monitoring to be achieved through just one system.

Paul Patarou, Sales Director of HET Software explains, “The industry we operate in is subject to strict controls. There are some major issues that any software solution must address in order to help users achieve compliance.  However compliance is not the only challenge - the people who use our software are looking for the best product and service offer. They need to feel confident that the quality of the support infrastructure, training, technical and customer service teams will be there when they need it.”

If something goes wrong with the provision of homecare client safety could be compromised with serious and far reaching consequences.  Reliability and safety are fundamental requirements for any system that is going to be used in such an environment.

Client satisfaction is an area that will become even more important in the future with the Government’s Personalisation Agenda for the provision of care which enables clients to choose their own carers.  The person receiving the homecare must feel secure and safe with the carer and be confident that their needs and requirements are going to be met, CareManager 3 facilitates this.

Every homecare provider has to comply with CQC regulations.   CareManager3 helps homecare providers save time. Compliance is made easier with highly accessible information, which can be interrogated on any field, and a system archives facility in line with Government requirements.

The potential to improve business management and enhance effectiveness through more efficient administrative processes is another area where CareManager3 offers big benefits. By integrating with other business software, such as Sage, the need to duplicate data entry is removed saving time and improving integrity of data.

The user perspective

The homecare provider administrator

The homecare provider administrator is looking for a system that is simple to use but easily customised to suit their specific requirements.   Security of information is critical in an industry which is dealing with sensitive personal information, often relating to vulnerable individuals.  CareManager 3 has the capability to set authorisation and access levels to ensure that data is protected.

The impact on the operational side of the business is far reaching with so many time consuming manual tasks now being completed at the touch of a button.

The carer perspective

Many carers are not technically minded, their forte lies in the “soft skills”.  For this reason it is important that the software solution they work with on a day to day basis is easy to use. After a short training session carers feel comfortable with CareManager 3, once they are familiar with one screen layout the rest is straightforward. Gaining commitment from users is also key to the success of any system.  Carers who use CareManager3 for the first time can see how it is going to save time and reduce stress levels; this encourages a positive attitude to the new way of working.

Carers also appreciate how information about their skills and qualifications is being used to best effect. Being allocated to care for clients who can benefit from their particular skills makes them feel good about what they do and the client is happy because they are receiving the right standard of care. 

The client perspective

The client, the person receiving the care, is looking for peace of mind. How the care is organised is of little consequence to them but the end result is vitally important to their wellbeing and independence.  They need to be confident that at the required time a carer will arrive who knows exactly what their individual care requirements are and has the capability to deliver that care in a professional, calm and organised manner.

CareManager 3 facilitates this by aligning the needs and requirements of clients with the skills and requirements of carers to ensure the right person is doing the right job every visit.

CareManager 3 demonstrates how even in a highly “people” focused business the use of technology can deliver real customer satisfaction, operational and financial benefits.

HET Software – caring software design for a caring industry