Access Group Launches Platforms To Track The Spread Of Covid-19 In Care Sector
The UK’s leading supplier of technology in the care sector has launched a new online hub to help care providers to identify and monitor people showing symptoms of COVID-19 and reduce spread should a person delivering or receiving care become infected.
The Access Group, which works with more than 8,000 registered care providers has also introduced a number of new features to its existing software packages, as well as the free online advice hub, to help the sector to combat COVID-19.
The Access Care Planning platform can be used to create new, specialist COVID-19 observation forms and also add related checks and observations for all care workers to complete in their home care visits.
The data from these observations, captured via the Access Care Planning mobile app
by carers, instantly feeds into existing data enabling managers to report on both individuals and all clients collectively, to help identify those showing signs of infection and also trace who that person has recently been in contact with.
By identifying who the original point of contact has also been in contact with, care providers can take any actions stipulated by NHS and Public Health England guidelines including asking people to self-isolate.
Similar functionality has also been rapidly added to Access Care and Clinical, Medication Management and Access People Planner, to help providers do all they can to control COVID-19 in all of their care services.
Among the other changes to functionality introduced to combat COVID-19, The Access Group has also introduced:
- A free support pack available to all care providers offering practical advice over the course of the crisis.
- Automated hand washing checklists to ensure care workers wash their hands properly at the start and end of every visit.
- Free of charge set up for ‘next of kin’ access to Access Care Planning which gives families real-time updates via a smartphone app while loved ones are self-isolating or social distancing. The app will show when a visit has taken place, as well as any notes, and enables family members to raise a concern to a care worker.
- 4-months free subscription to Access EarlyPay for new customers, enabling care workers to instantly withdraw their earned income (up to a percentage of total available earned income, set by their employer).
Steve Sawyer, managing director of Access Health & Social Care, explained:
“We know the importance of the care sector in reducing the impact of COVID-19 and supporting the most vulnerable in our society. As well as providing general advice on what care providers can do to reduce infection and spread of the virus, we are working with our customers to make small changes to our software to help identify and monitor people showing symptoms and reduce spread should a person delivering or receiving care become infected.
“We have published, and will continually publish, short video guides explaining how our customers can use existing functionality in Access software, allowing them to take full advantage of the additional protection and information that technology can provide.
“We are aware of how challenging a time this is for everyone working in the care sector, as well as the family and friends of care workers and those receiving care, but we hope that these changes and support will be helpful during these challenging times.”
