Answer a few questions to filter suppliers based on your needs.

If you’re not sure what you need from a digital solution, you can download a list of all the features offered by different suppliers to see what’s possible.

Consultation & Evaluation:

Speak to stakeholders. 

Evaluate your shortlist against your established criteria

Contract

Undertake due diligence so you know that your chosen company can meet the terms of the contract.

Purchasing a Digital Social Care Record system should be viewed in the same way as any other project or change you might make in your service.

Consider these steps when choosing your system:

• Consult with stakeholders to define the outcomes. People often adopt new things more easily when they feel they have been involved. You can

        involve your service users and their families, staff, CQC inspectors, local authority and CCG commissioners and others

• Decide why is digital care planning important for you? For example, do you need your system to be able to interoperate with your EMAR? Or is

        it most important that the system is easy to use?

• Reach out to other organisations who have adopted a digital social care record solution- people are usually very helpful and honest. Many

        software providers will give you a list of providers who use their system in your area. It is worth speaking with them or even better, visiting if possible.

• Choose a supplier who understands your journey and whose ethos and way of working are a fit for your organisation
• Check the list of approved suppliers, Recorded webinars and the Buyers Guide

If you choose your system from the approved suppliers list, you can feel reassured that it will meet the required core capabilities.

Hardware and Infrastructure requirements:

Many Digital Social Care Record Software companies will help you understand the type of hardware and infrastructure you need to ensure that their software will work well. You should take care to purchase the right hardware as you may need to use it to run other software in the future.

Any devices used will need to be compatible with multiple systems. Generally, hardware includes any computers, mobile devices e.g. smartphones or tablets, WiFi routers or other equipment you need to run this technology. If you have your own IT support, you can consult with them and they will be able to assist.

Infrastructure in this context means things like the internet connection you have in your buildings, the availability of mobile data for any staff who work in the community, and the availability of plug sockets to charge and run equipment. You need to make sure that you have worked these things out

before starting to use any new software.

You may also need to consider any additional costs that this might have for your organisation

Pricing

Most systems offer software as a solution with pricing based on a minimum term commitment, one off costs for things like training, and a monthly charge.

The monthly charge may be based on number of clients or bed capacity, client range (e.g. up to 50, 50-100), number of staff, number of core system users and number of care staff

Prices can vary but could be negotiated during any procurement process.

When reviewing pricing remember that hardware or services for additional integration, customisation, set-up and management training or premium models/modifications may have additional costs.

What else should you consider?

When you are shortlisting your supplier, you might also want to think about the following things:

• Does the company’s value system align with yours?
• Does the company offer a free trial? Some do and some don’t but you should ask if this is important to you.
• What does the process look like for the end of the contract? Are there any end of contract charges? What happens to your data at the end of

        the contract?

• What does the implementation process look like?
• What type of support will you get after implementation? How do you report issues or queries?
• What is the suppliers attitude to the challenges of implementing a new system? How they can guide you in how to deal with clients and staff

        who might be resistant to change? If they say that there is never an issue, then you may want to question further because you want a

• realistic rather than idealistic partner.
• What is on the suppliers product roadmap? How is the product likely to develop over time?
• Top tips to make the implementation as smooth as possible:
• Make sure you have good internet connection and good WIFI coverage
• Have backup systems in case internet goes down for prolonged periods i.e., dongles, devices capable of running on 4 or 5 G
• Have several demonstrations to see which system is right for you
• Visit other care settings with the same system
• Create the Project plan.
• Define phases of Implementation.
• Set up achievable Schedule
• Estimate how many care plans can be realistically done every day and allow for contingencies, i.e. staff shortages, emergencies etc
• Ensure you have the resources, allocate staff to input information and support others
• Train staff
• Get it right first time
• If you don’t get it right, act as soon as you realise the mistake
• Do not expect your electronic care plan to be a replica of your paper records
• Manage the change
• Make a Communication Plan. This is including not only your staff but the service users and their relatives
• Set up milestones. Make sure staff are involved
• Test -run a pilot in one area of the care setting
• Plan your Go-Live
• Have support arrangements in place for after “go live”
• Allow enough time for implementation. Be patient and realistic.
• Appoint champions
• If you have someone who is digitally savvy, buddy them  with those who are not as technologically minded.