| We asked a random group of clients for their responses in relation to using HCSL Aged Care Cloud based software.
What do you like best about the HCSL software and your current use of it? Below is their responses: |
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I was first introduced to Gillian Robinson of Healthcare Compliance Solutions Ltd (HCSL) in 2016 when I took up the Facility Manager position at Terrace View Retirement Village.
The facility had HCSL in place but were not fully utilising Healthcare Compliance Solutions policies. The first thing to do was to get Terrace View fully operational under Healthcare Compliance Solutions. Gillian was very supportive during this change providing education to myself, Clinical care manager and our team.
HCSL aged care software is easy to find your way around. Our Nurses have reported that care planning in HCSL is saving them time. Everything is in a logical order.
Features that make my role easier are the ability to track trends in adverse events and infection control. To be able to bench-mark our data within the industry to see how we are trending against our peers.
Terrace View is very excited to be moving to HCSL aged care software version 2 so we can become fully electronic. To be able to search a file or document from the computer saves all the team time.
Gillian’s knowledge of the aged care industry and how the sector works is reflected in the software she has developed and is designed to increase nursing team efficiency in a very time restricted environment.
Donna Coxshall
Facility Manager
18th February 2020
We are very pleased to have recently been granted 4 year MOH Certification! No corrective actions and three Continuous Improvements.
This follows on from a fully attained Partial Provisional Audit that was required prior to opening our two new wings earlier this year with no corrective actions.
Make no mistake! HCSL policies, software and support have played a major part in these accomplishments. The HCSL software we use means we have easy access to information in real time.
I started working with Gillian of HCSL shortly after I took on the role of Facility Nurse Manager at Bethsaida Retirement Village six years ago. The facility was not using Healthcare Compliance Solutions policies at the time and perhaps this was reflected in the previous audit results.
Gillian is always responsive to emails and phone calls which is critical when timely advice is required.
The HCSL regular newsletters are interesting with relevant and up to date information on issues affecting aged care.
Gillian is a lovely person to deal with. She is thoughtful, professional, pragmatic and I have always found her to be keen to help, with practical advice on any issues that might arise in the management of a retirement facility.
I thoroughly recommend HCSL to all aged care facilities.
Tracy Holdaway RN BN
Facility Nurse Manager
Bethsaida Retirement Village
August 2019
When it comes to maintaining functional ability for residents whether in a retirement village setting or in an aged residential care facility, the input for a skilled Physiotherapist is a huge advantage in setting up strengths and balance or falls prevention programmes.
Getting in the support of that type of expertise is certainly going to help residents maximise their potential. Not all professionals are created equal and physiotherapists are no different to other professionals! How do you go about choosing a Physiotherapist though and what should you check for when selecting the right person to support physical therapy for your residents.
I asked local well know registered Physiotherapist Jessie Snowdon what she thought on this topic. Here’s what she recommends:
How to choose a physiotherapist for your aged care facility.
Physiotherapists are a key member of the healthcare team in aged care facilities. Having physiotherapy input can improve quality of life for your residents, improve safety and lessen workloads of your care staff. Many physiotherapists are also able to offer moving and handling training onsite as part of their service. Physiotherapists who are passionate about aged care are usually very special people – so how can you pick them?
This article is written with contracted physiotherapy services in mind but many aspects will apply to employing a physiotherapist directly.
Ask about their experience
In order to meet the varied needs of residents in aged care, physiotherapists need to have a broad clinical background. I would suggest that your physiotherapist should have experience in most of the following clinical areas. Because this is a long list you should be seeking a physiotherapist with a minimum of 5 years’ experience – or actively supervised by a more senior colleague.
Ask about their professional development
To maintain registration in New Zealand, a physiotherapist must adhere to The Physiotherapy Board Code of Standards which is available to the general public here. They must also have a minimum of 100 hours CPD per 3 years, show evidence of reflective practice and have one professional peer review per 3 years. At On the Go Physio we require a peer review each year and active ongoing engagement with colleagues and professional development.
It is not uncommon for aged care facilities to directly contract a physiotherapist working as a sole trader. This can be an isolating role for a physiotherapist and it is important they regularly engage in professional development and in supervision and peer review. If you are employing, rather than contracting, a physiotherapist you will need to budget for this as it is reasonable that you meet these costs.
Eight quick questions when choosing a physiotherapist contractor
As well as the right experience and compliance with physiotherapy regulations, contractor physiotherapists are also businesses in their own right (whether a sole trader or employee of a company) and need to operate as such. These are some legal requirements and compliance issues you should consider.
This article was kindly contributed to by Jessie Snowdon – Director of On the Go Physio. On the Go Physio provide physiotherapy services to over 20 facilities in Christchurch and Moving and Handling training to many more facilities and the CDHB.
A further article will follow on how to set up a Physiotherapy service in your facility.
On the 25th April each year we remember those who went before us to fight for the protection of others. While emphasis is often on those who died in service to their country, it’s also a time to remember those who returned from war changed and altered forever by the experiences they’ve had. Not just for the soldiers going and returning to war but their family.
The mother who describes holding her son as he heads off to the front line. Embracing him, breathing in his smell which a mother knows so well. Holding her head against his chest hearing the beat of his heart wondering if she’ll ever be able to hold him and hear his heart beat again. Feeling the harshness of the fabric of his uniform and wondering what other harshness he’ll encounter.
The soldier as a member of a family, not only left grieving mothers behind but were sometimes already parents themselves going off to war leaving wives and children behind. All family members impacted in their own way from their own perspective of events. How does a wife or child accept the decision of the men in their life going to war, to do ones duty leaving children wondering why they were being deserted in favour of the uncertainty of battle? Those children then growing older day by day until the time they themselves are in their 80’s and find themselves still welling up in tears at the memory of the day their father left to go to battle. Not understanding but seeing the change in the father who returns, different, distant and ill from the effects of sand breathed into his lungs while stationed in Egypt. The soldier returning, having nightmares of horrors seen which cannot be unseen or forgotten. Limbs and body intact but emotional scars and ongoing adverse health issues. Not all wounds are visible.
I visited the Gallipoli exhibit at the Museum of New Zealand ‘Te Papa’ (our place) in Wellington with my mother and sister. I was mesmerized and deeply affected by the raw emotion depicted in the models created for the exhibit by Weta Workshop. The image of this nurse, Staff Nurse Lottie Le Gallais who was on board the hospital ship Maheno which set out from Wellington. She’d hoped to catch up with her brother but the model shows the anguish of the moment she receives her returned letters to him saying “killed, return to sender”. I can’t imagine the strength needed to sustain such pain amidst the anguish of war but still carry on to serve those needing care.
I live in Christchurch and after the recent terrorist attack resulting in the death of 50 people, we’re seeing and feeling the result of war-like destruction of life. You see it in the faces of those closely affected. The internal pain of senseless loss.
A time to ponder on the Anzac values of courage, compassion, commitment and comradeship and see if they are reflected in our own organisations as relevant to care services. This Thursday, 25th April, Anzac day is a time to reflect and be grateful – lest we forget.
Culture is a word we hear a lot and goes hand in hand with the concept of culture change. In this article I’d like to touch on how to facilitate culture change and why it is beneficial to your long term care setting. Let’s face it, aged residential care in New Zealand is changing rapidly and this impacts the experience of residents, staff and visitors to long term care settings. It impacts their desire to be in your care facility or to move somewhere else. This applies to be both residents and staff. Families often choose the care provider for their elderly relatives. What do they perceive when they visit you?
There are also barriers and challenges to creating and sustaining a definable and deliberate culture. The experience of the residents and staff is a result of the culture (behaviours) which should be aligned to your organisation values, mission and goals. There are well publicised workforce shortages and high turnover of staff. Long term care is also in the middle of change from paper-based systems to electronic storage and management of information. The environment in which care is being provided is also changing through new construction of buildings from a institution to non-institutional. The atmosphere being created by those within the long term aged care residential setting is changing to a more relaxed feel.
Nursing care and direct support is now also being provided within retirement village studios, apartments, villas, homes. This means a change of not only the context of care. Ensuring person centred care where each individual feels seen, heard and respected takes consistent focus and strong leadership. Not always easy in a industry that is changing in so many ways. I wrote in a previous article on workplace culture that behaviours could be a better point of focus rather than simply focusing conversation on culture as a concept.
The behaviours which support a culture you can be proud of and one that sets you as an industry leader, require a long term focus and not just a one time exercise. The strong leadership needed along with education and ongoing communication is key to setting a desirable culture. Have you aligned your staff, management and Governance behaviours with your organisation 
vision and mission statements? Behaviours reflect actions and they can be optimal actions, good actions, poor actions or non-action. All will have an outcome which impacts the residents experience and determine how they feel about residing in your long term aged residential care setting.
For change to occur there needs to be a focus on improvement, a reason to change which residents and their families see as beneficial. We tend to stick to doing what we’ve always done unless we can see a personal gain or something which provides a sense of satisfaction on a personal level. What’s in it for me? Culture change is not something that’s going to be achieved from a top-down approach. It’s going to take engagement from all levels of the organisation and create wins for those involved. Without perceived gains or wins, people stay stuck in old habits which don’t fit the new expectations of those seeking care and support.
If you’re the manager or CEO and delegate a ‘change management’ process to someone else, then expect to check in later to find wonderful results without your direct involvement and engagement, you may be disappointed. Culture change is a team effort. To achieve change, everyone needs to participate. They need to believe in the outcomes you’re trying to achieve with whatever strategies or initiatives you put in place.
Who is going to lead change? There is an old saying that everything flows from the top down and this is also true of culture. If the Board are dysfunctional then there should be no surprise when staff working at all levels of the organisation are dysfunctional. How is communication about strategies of change being done to gain buy-in? How are you going to measure your change initiatives to find out if you’ve been successful? How are you going to ensure the desired culture is maintained? There are a number of tools (mostly overseas based) which can be used to start this process. Here is a free online culture change assessment tool you could use.
What is the experience of your resident and your staff on a daily basis? Would they recommend you to others in a way to reflects loyalty to your care facility as a preferred place to live or work? If not, what are you going to do about it?
Since the emergence of residential care facilities in New Zealand, the models of care have continued to change, but are they changing fast enough? The clinical needs of residents have escalated and so the way services are provided must also reflect a change in practice to meet changing resident needs. A common theme being reported among older member of our communities is that of isolation and depression. Isolation, according to the Collins dictionary relates to separation, withdrawal, loneliness and segregation.
I was fortunate to visit Greece recently which is reputed to have a larger proportion of older adults than most other EU countries. Gerontology is derived from the Greek words geron, “old man” and -logia, “study of” so it made sense to discuss models of care with families and health care professionals including pharmacists. I discovered there are few residential care services in Greece and those that do exist are found mostly in Athens rather than the islands. Families provide the majority of care with ‘family’ being noted as the key foundation to Greek society. Grandparents are frequently living within the extended family with the younger generations and taking responsibility for caring for their grandchildren. The economy is poor and social networks are heavily relied on to provide support.
From my observations, conversations with others, and literature, the older adults of Greece are kept actively engaged in the community. They are frequently involved in running family businesses if they are not relied on for supporting the needs of their children or grandchildren. Family networks remain strong and when interviewing people about how older adults will be cared for, the automatic assumption is that family will provide that service. Dr Elizabeth Mestheneos told me that approximately 1% of their older population may well be in residential homes. There are Open Care Community centres in virtually every Local Authority which are called KAPI. There are also Help at Home services and Day care centres in some Local authorities.
The models of care and workforce capacity currently in place in New Zealand are unlikely to meet increasing demands so change is needed. The aged care sector could lead change as new models are developed, trialed and advanced. Multiple studies confirm these new models need to include holistic, consumer directed services. Not only meeting physical needs but also social connections and the opportunity to be involved in meaningful activities that contribute to others. This also includes some use of technology to support connections with others. While they are of assistance to some, there is no substitute for human connection, person to person, face to face. The experience of ageing, social network supports, funding models and the context in which care and support are provided certainly differ from country to country.
In New Zealand residential care settings we have activities / recreational programmes which support inclusion and engagement. Being involved in meaningful activities are also key factors in contributing to a sense of well-being. I observed older adults in Greece undertaking meaningful activities in the community like feeding the communal cats of Kos or looking after grandchildren, continuing to run a second hand open-air shop to add to the family income or playing games with friends games. Groups of older men often congregated outside cafes for conversation, coffee and playing cards or board games. A Menzshed story reflects on how one New Zealand community are attempting to address the gap ageing can create in the life of some men. While funding is different in NZ to Greece and the family network is more often scattered geographically in New Zealand, there remains more opportunity to include community. The care setting could also be enhanced more by reflecting the smaller numbers of people we are used to living with in the family home, rather than the larger numbers in some care facilities. A model that more closely reflects the life patterns our community members have been used to, with them directing how these continue into the latter years of life with the goal of ageing in a healthy way, optimising body, brain and social networks.
Mattresses aren’t just something to lie on but if not maintained and cared for appropriately, also have the potential for causing harm.
As I travel a lot for work, I have the opportunity to test many different mattresses, all with varying degrees of comfort. This reminds me how difficult it must be for those who may be suffering painful joints to get a good night’s sleep. Appropriate mattresses are not only required to reduce pain from positioning discomfort but also reducing risk to residents. This include ensuring the mattresses are of a suitable standard and fit for purpose.
I’ve seen a number of mattresses which had hardened and torn linings and were well past being able to provide much comfort or an appropriate degree of pressure support. Some had masking tape used in an attempt to cover splits in the mattress cover. Others had holes in and were badly stained from exposure to body substances. As the residents in care are becoming frailer, with increasing acuity, the need for ensuring appropriate pressure support is crucial to preventing pressure injuries, maintaining comfort and maximizing the opportunity for good sleep.
There is the potential for old and in poor condition mattresses to be a potential source for infection transmission. For those of you operating newer facilities, this may not yet be an issue. For older facilities, part of stock and resource control should include mattress stock checks to verify they are in fact still fit for use. When conducting checks, determine the mix of mattress types you have and speak with your supplier about a replacement programme should this be necessary. As mattresses differ, so do beds and it’s important to make sure the mattress you use is appropriate for the particular bed type and size.
When reviewing your mattress stocks and purchasing new mattresses you might like to think about the following factors:
Harm prevention can also be supported with advances in technology such as Pressure Monitoring sensing devices to ensure appropriate pressure distribution. I’m not aware of anyone who can rent or lease out Pressure Mappers in NZ. However Cubro have one that they can bring onsite to facilities for training and education. Make contact with your supplier to see if they can assist if this could be useful for you.
Also remember that other devices used in beds should be checked as well to ensure they are still safe and appropriate for use eg; wedges, rolls, pillows, seat cushions, mattress covers (where these are appropriate for use), bed sensor monitoring pads. For reading on how to choose the best mattress option for your needs go here.
For more related information view here.
Article compiled by Gillian Robinson (RN, BN, Lead Auditor) for Healthcare Compliance Solutions Ltd.
As we age, the need for spiritual care and pastoral care often come to the fore. This is particularly so as people near the end of their life. The need for comfort and peace of mind on a holistic basis. Let’s firstly lets define the difference between these two concepts.
Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. It has been described in our modern context as individual and corporate patience in which trained pastoral carers support people in their pain, loss and anxiety, and their triumphs, joys and victories. Spiritual care attends to a person’s spiritual or religious needs as he or she copes with illness, loss, grief or pain and can help him or her heal emotionally as well as physically, rebuild relationships and regain a sense of spiritual wellbeing.
For most of human history, in all major religions, an ultimate goal of spiritual practice was accomplishing a good death. When this goal was held in common by the whole society, spiritual care could focus on the interaction between a dying person and his or her caregivers.
A number of clergy have commented to me that spiritual care is not recognised by many aged care facility staff as important. They have frequently commented on services being interrupted by staff activity, or being asked to hold services or provide pastoral care in areas of the facility that are very close to the main entrance or actually in main thoroughfare areas. This is not respectful of the needs of the residents who choose to attend, or the need to peace and calm to receive spiritual care. In learning more about the importance of these concepts, it may support good holistic care for residents if you were to discuss with the clergy and pastoral care workers whether the circumstances being provided for them to support residents are appropriate.
To read more on this topic go here.
There are lots of ‘trendy’ words in each work environment but one of the most important concepts which appears to be increasingly missing particularly in aged care nursing is that of critical thinking and reflective practice. Critical thinking is the core foundation of good nursing practice.
It is essential to evaluate what is occurring clinically for those in care and regularly reviewing what is being done for each individual resident along with what else needs to be done in order to provide the best care. The skills of critical thinking may not be instinctive for example for those nurses coming from a schooling system which promotes ‘rote’ learning and deters from challenging senior staff. To question another may be seen in some settings as disrespectful however in the field of clinical care, to challenge and question is essential. The attributes of those who critically think and reflect on nursing practice and care outcomes use evidence-based practice (EBP) guidelines including current EBP policies and procedures to form decisions.
Some of the skills of critical thinking are more important than others and certainly the ability to reflect while communicating with other members of the team is essential to safe and person centred care. The nurse who has developed critical thinking skills is able to interpret, understand and explain the meaning of information. This can be event based or data based eg; reading lab result forms. Investigating possible interventions based on the information at hand and analysing which will achieve a desired outcome is also part of reflecting and critically evaluating a clinical scenario. Assessing the value of information to determine it’s relevance, reliability and credibility in relation to a particular clinical presentation is also necessary.
There are potential barriers to optimising clinical outcomes by clinical staff when a pre-determined bias or fixed mind-set are applied to a set of data or resident clinical presentation. It’s only in the bringing together of information through evaluation, analysis, communicating, referencing EBP guidelines and a growth mind-set that care can be optimised.
Click here to read more on critical thinking.