07.29.2024 PCS
With three homes in Luton, BC&G provides high quality, long term respite and day care for the older people, those living with dementia. The care homes account for 70 beds. Medicines management is a key part of the support provided. Kane Thomas is Director of Care for Rowles House, Ambassador House, and Rosedale House. Kane provides his take on ATLAS eMAR to streamline carer-led medicines administration.
The Challenge
In all homes, senior care assistants are under pressure because they do everything from providing care that require their expertise on mundane tasks such as medicines administration. We provide support for up to 70 beds across the three homes and it traditionally we had been using paper MAR, which over time has become impractical and we have noted issues documenting and recording errors; this has been a problem, especially when approaching a CQC inspection.
- We have also had challenges not being able to provide enough adequate time to our residents.
- We needed to identify a way to streamline medicines administration safely to residents, to free up their time for more clinical activities.
- We want to improve health outcomes and overall governance in our homes.
- We had issues in accuracy and wanted to identify ways to increase productivity.
The Solution
We had a general awareness of technology and how it can support areas of our practice, and we came across ATLAS eMAR pre-2016. We had conversations with the team and officially came on-board in 2016. We worked together and made sure the care staff at three homes are trained and competent, then we put together a method of personal delegation to care assistants.
- My team at all three homes are very comfortable using the ATLAS eMAR device and we have seen all challenges met so far, especially with the reducing medicines errors and streamlining medicines administration process.
- ATLAS is a great eMAR solution.
- Productivity has increased 80%, senior staff have more free time to attend to chronically ill residents which is a fantastic result.
- We are well supported by Blenheim Pharmacy (local pharmacy opens until midnight), so ATLAS eMAR has made medicines administration more integrated.
- The care assistants can use the system to prompt certain administrations that have complex requirements such as PRNs.
The Outcome
As the Director of Care for the BC&G homes, I have access to daily reports to monitor staff performance and resident status. I receive daily reports to review barcode scanning percentages, medicines stock report, missing entries and able to identify controlled drugs administrations are appropriately witnessed. We also arranged meetings with our inspectorate, the health board and our staff to take in to account everyone's concerns. We are also pleased to have great support on ATLAS eMAR hardware maintenance from the team. It is just a case of scheduling a call back.
- We have reduced the number of anti-psychotics administered to residents owing to the daily reports.
- We have been able to monitor antibiotics and Parkinson disease medications.
- We have seen more time being spent with residents.
- ATLAS eMAR makes everything transparent and has replaced paper MAR which often made recording and document ineligible.
- We are seeing improved health outcomes.
- Quality visits by Luton Borough Council have also referred to technology being implemented and reported positively on the BC&G to support dementia care.
- We have received several good reports from the CQC and ATLAS eMAR being used in all three homes.
- Received glowing CQC reports for full compliance in all areas.
- ATLAS eMAR has been fantastic in emergencies and have we have encased the technology into our business continuity.
Find out more about ATLAS eMAR Technology can support your medicines management needs in your care home
