Scottish care homes to get help with identifying risks earlier

A new web-based tool to allow care homes in Scotland to monitor coronavirus (COVID-19) trends and identify risks quicker has been launched. 

The Turas Care Management tool will allow all private and public sector care homes across the country to record in one place information including COVID-19 infection rates, demand on services and staff testing.

This will mean care home managers, health and social care organisations and the Scottish Government can monitor trends, identify risks and take early action both during the current pandemic and in the future.

The care management tool, developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care and NHS Education Scotland (NES), will provide:

• a clearer national picture of conditions in care homes
• earlier warning of emerging trends and issues, allowing earlier interventions
• easier reporting to free up care home resources

The tool is for care home management use and only identified staff will be able to access the information.

‘The health, safety and wellbeing of care home residents both during the current pandemic and in the future is critically important,’ said Scottish health minister, Jean Freeman.

‘This new web-based tool allows care homes to store information in one central place, whereas before they were required to report in different formats and through many channels, which tied up resources and made trend-spotting more difficult.

‘Importantly, this means care home managers, health and social care organisations and the government will now be able to identify risks earlier and quickly take action during the current pandemic and in the future.’

The Care Inspectorate chief executive Peter Macleod added: ‘The care sector has worked tirelessly under the most challenging circumstances to care for some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland during the pandemic.

‘This new approach to gathering data and information will help us to better understand what support the sector needs to ensure that people experiencing care are supported in the best possible way in the future.’

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