A care manager's job is diverse, can be stressful at times, and requires delivering care to the highest standards and in accordance with regulations. Jacqui Edwards and Tara Hannaford, Care Managers at Coastal Home Care, understand this well. However, since their company started using Lookout, these challenges have been eased, allowing them to maintain their high level of care delivery with more peace of mind and confidence.

The challenge

"Prior to having Lookout, we didn't have a risk algorithm, so we relied on support workers contacting us through phone calls or text messages," said Jacqui. The issue with this approach was the potential for missing critical client information, which was crucial in tracking their health and well-being.

The system being used was only partially electronic, making storage and sorting through a large amount of client records problematic. When Coastal first started using Lookout, it was a significant operational change, but according to Tara and Jacqui, it was easy to get started.

“I found the process quite easy to follow. We had a lot of support from the team down in Brisbane and also we had the little bot we could ask questions to. It was quite easy to follow the instructions. So it’s pretty self-explanatory.” said Jacqui.

The results

Since using Lookout, Jacqui and Tara often utilise its remote monitoring features, tickets, care plans, and notebook. Jacqui says “I like the risk algorithm, that it picks up [risk] through the checkout notes that the support workers do.” says Jacqui. “It makes it easier for me to go back to the dashboard and see who I need to check in on or have a closer eye on.”

"For me, I start the day and check the risks. If they've been alerted overnight or since I finished the previous day, that allows me to investigate anything there, which is good for tracking and trending," says Jacqui. "Maybe we've got an increase in UTIs or an infection. Maybe we need to push out some more education to the clients through an email, newsletter, or information sheet. It also helps us identify new risks, such as a fall or a wound."

The risk algorithm is also beneficial for the continuity of care. "It can also be pushed out to all the care managers," says Jacqui. "So if I'm on leave and one of the other care managers needs to manage my clients, it can push it through the algorithm so everybody sees it. That way, whoever is available if I'm not there can also help manage those risks, which is ultimately safer for the clients."

“Lookout identifies risk quicker, which is ultimately safer for the clients.”

The notebook feature in Lookout is ideal for logging and tracking anything digitally. "I use [Lookout] for a notebook to keep all of my clients' notes in one place," says Tara.

"The notebook helps us see [things] quickly," says Jacqui. "With the search function, we can look through and find what we're looking for, instead of flipping through archives and trying to find something in the paperwork," says Jacqui.

Tickets also help with digital storage and are logged in the notebook. "Tickets are a document storage," says Tara. "They're a place to store all your documents and purchase orders. I can open a ticket and store all of my notes from an occupational therapist or physiotherapist, and easily find it in one place. I don't have to scroll through pages of a [physical] notebook," says Tara.

"Yeah, the notebook is easier to follow because you can enter parameters and sort of shrink your view when trying to find something," says Jacqui. "And also, the system's capacity to store different documents, whether it's in a ticket or the notebook itself, is great. I can store it all in one place, instead of having a paper trail where I have to go to an archive cabinet and try to find an invoice sent two years ago. Now it's built into the system, so I can find things more easily and it's all in one location," says Jacqui.

In addition to risk identification and record management, "it's a great platform for care planning and building our care plan," says Jacqui. "There are lots of tabs with prompt questions, so I can fill out my care plan thoroughly and it's easy to read and follow. That also transfers over into the app." says Jacqui. "I also use [Lookout] for orders, for equipment, for care planning, and for rostering," says Tara.

Finally, beyond its functionality, Lookout has a great user experience. "The user interface is cool. I love the colours, and I love the easy-to-read setup and structure tabs that are clearly defined and easy to follow, which makes it ultimately easier to find stuff," says Jacqui

Words of advice

"Lookout identifies risk quicker, which is ultimately safer for the clients," says Jacqui. "Definitely less paper has been used since transferring over to the system. It's definitely streamlined the process a bit better."