Home care workers say their job involves using more technology and less paperwork

Some 70 per cent of home care workers say they have used more technology in their role over the past year, according to a survey conducted by CareLineLive, a home care management system for the sector.

Refering to the impact technology use has on their job roles, 91 per cent (of the 54 care workers using CareLineLive who were polled anonymously in June 2021) said they felt technology helped reduce the amount of time they spend on paperwork.

Technology had also freed up care workers during the pandemic to spend more time caring. Of the 33 per cent of people that said they have spent more time with their clients over the past year, 48 per cent noted that technology had helped them achieve this.

CareLineLive, part of the MAS Group, was founded by Josh Hough in 2014, after he was unable to get information about his own grandfather’s care.

Josh Hough, founder and MD of CareLineLive, said: “The impact technology has on the homecare sector for carers is incredible, empowering them to spend less time on paperwork and giving them more time to care.

“It was positive to see that many carers found that the use of technology has given them more time to care, as well as providing clients’ families with the much needed support and contact they required during this time.

Since pandemic, care workers felt closer to clients’ families

Increased safety, better knowledge sharing, and better communication were also noted as key benefits of using technology in their roles.

Since the pandemic, the majority (56 per cent) of care workers have reported feeling closer to their clients’ families and 35 per cent have spent more time liaising with families of their clients to keep them up to date about their loved one’s care.

Some 78 per cent of home care workers reported feeling safer in their roles by using technology and reported peace of mind knowing their managers can see their last checked in/out location.

Care workers said office visits had also reduced during the pandemic with 26 per cent spending less time in the office than before.

Technology helps make ‘huge leaps’ in job satisfaction and retention

When asked about the perception of care workers during the pandemic, 35 per cent felt more valued but 44 per cent felt nothing had changed.

The majority (57 per cent) said they expected job satisfaction to improve over the next year.

This expected rise has also impacted the amount of time carers expect to remain in care, with almost half (49 per cent) planning to remain working as a care worker for four years or more and 33 per cent planning to stay in care for ten years or more.

Josh Hough added: “Attracting and retaining carers has long been a challenge in the sector, yet technology is helping agencies to make huge leaps in terms of improving job satisfaction and the amount of time carers stay in their roles.”

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