Care Forward specialises in health and homecare services designed to support the independence of older Tasmanians and people living with chronic conditions or disabilities. For 21 years they have been providing care and support to people in their homes across Tasmania.
Care Forward was experiencing rapid growth. With that growth, their paper and spreadsheet-based processes around incident, hazard and feedback management needed to be updated and improved to ensure they could keep delivering high-quality care.
The company called on Riskteq to deliver a system for safety, risk and compliance management practices in Care and implement a more robust system for timely reporting of information, and consistent and efficient management of events. Riskteq adopted a co-design approach, working closely with Care Forward to understand their needs. Rapid prototyping was used so Care Forward could play with the system as it evolved, allowing for adaptations to be made, demonstrated and tested quickly.
The implementation of Riskteq has allowed our community-based staff to do real time reporting of untoward events that may occur during the course of their working day. The live link on staff phones is quick and easy to use, the information can be quickly entered and if needed, photos can be uploaded immediately, allowing managers to respond in a timely manner and provide appropriate supports to those involved in the event. Our reporting has increased significantly, providing opportunities for early resolution of issues and the timely implementation of risk mitigation strategies.
Chief Executive Officer Wendy Edwards, and Managing Director Joe Towns
Care Forward’s notes on events and attachments can be saved for a comprehensive record of what happened and how it was dealt with. Tabular and graphical reporting helps support efficient monitoring and trend analysis, and the simplified process increases the rate of reporting. Managers also get information from the field faster, speeding up the response to events. Standardised forms, a common reporting database and the linking of events to the relevant regulatory or compliance standards all helps to streamline Care Forward’s audit process.
The resulting system features mobile-enabled forms for instant reporting, feeding into a streamlined workflow process for managing and resolving the event. Scalable workflow options were also designed, allowing for detailed responses to serious events, through to simpler options for less complex events.
After implementing Riskteq we feel much more informed in our decision making regarding risk management across our businesses. The information we now have available at a management and executive level regarding risks across our businesses means we’ve been able to take our quality assurance and control to the next level.
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