Last Updated on November 21, 2025
Fiona Hale, Managing Director of CoolCare, outlines the key benefits of using administration software in care settings and shares data highlighting what the impact been for providers in relation to time and cost.
As the social care sector collectively braces for the possibility of another recession, the need to find solutions and initiatives that can lessen the impact become a priority.
Many care homes began their digital transformation during the pandemic to adapt to new working conditions because social distancing impacted the number of people able to be in the care home environment. However, remote access and working only scrapes the surface of the positive impact digital transformation can have. Digital technology and new technologies, such as virtual monitoring and digital records, are playing a key role in modernising care homes and improving care delivery. Digitising social care leads to better outcomes for residents and improved efficiency for care homes. Indeed, there are many more advantages that can help as we face the next round of challenging times.
Care homes using digital systems and care software have seen benefits; these tools support care staff and care professionals in delivering quality care, from increased business success, to major reductions both to the administrative tasks and the time taken to complete them. These technologies enable people, both residents and staff, to participate more actively in care and daily life, fostering greater engagement and independence. A reliable internet connection is essential for supporting digital systems and ensuring seamless access to digital care solutions in care homes. Local authorities and NHS England provide valuable support and guidance to care homes adopting digital solutions, helping to facilitate modernisation and the implementation of new technologies. When considering solutions and initiatives, it is important to follow best practice and official guidance to ensure successful and safe digital transformation in social care settings.
Occupancy and Enquiries
A challenge for many homes is the effective management of enquiries and the stabilising of occupancy and fees. While a steady stream of enquiries and an efficient process of handling them are both fundamental to continued business success, the time needed to achieve this can often hinder progress. Many care homes are now transitioning from traditional paper records to digital records by adopting a digital social care record system. Digital social care records are essential for improving care quality, safety, and the integration of health and social care services. These systems not only streamline the management of resident information but also support real-time data sharing, improve compliance with regulatory standards, and enhance the quality and efficiency of care delivery. Digital systems support care services and social care services by streamlining processes and ensuring high standards. By using integrated digital systems, care homes benefit from improved accuracy in record-keeping and greater compliance with industry regulations. Real-time data sharing also helps improve communication between care teams and with other care settings, ensuring seamless care coordination. Digital transformation supports truly integrated services, enabling seamless coordination across health and social care sectors. Where care home administration software can help is through automation of the process and giving greater visibility over the whole funnel.
Care homes utilising the software’s enquiry management capabilities have reported achieving between 29 to 62 percent above the national average for weekly fees and an average of 82 percent occupancy for those managing resident records using software. Greater accuracy of recording fees through software functionality could be the driver behind the increased performance. Clearer and simpler reporting has also helped to give greater visibility of the overall picture.
The reliable and effective enquiry management within the software has also allowed care homes to report an average of 20 days to convert an enquiry to an admission, helping to keep empty beds to a minimum. Digital systems support service delivery and integration with other care settings, ensuring that care services remain responsive and coordinated. At a time when care places are in high demand, bringing this average down to 20 days has a huge impact on the sector and the resilience of the care home as a business.
Invoicing
Invoice processing can be time consuming in any business and care homes are no exception. With the deeply personal nature of either an older person deciding to go into care or families placing a relative into care, invoice accuracy is incredibly important for care homes. Balancing the need for accuracy with the limited time available is something care home administration software makes much easier. On average, care homes make around 15 fee adjustments per month as care needs evolve and funding situations change, with some making over 100 adjustments when needed. Each fee contract change takes time to administer and creates risk for accuracy, especially if there are back-dated fee changes involved.
Using technology such as a digital care planning system to support this process reduces the time needed and simplifies the process down to a matter of minutes and a few clicks. Digital devices such as tablets (e.g., iPads or Samsung Tabs) are commonly used to access these digital care planning systems, making it easy for staff to update records on the go. Based on the averages and estimating a manual fee change to take around 15 minutes, for example, including time to calculate, care home administration software stands to save care homes around 2.5 hours per month in an average month, almost half an admin day, and much more in months with greater volumes of changes. Coupling this with other time saving functionality in the software frees up valuable staff time but also stands to improve relationships with fee payers as they see fewer potential errors in invoicing and greater physical time spent delivering care to residents. Support services are also available to help staff and residents adapt to new technologies, ensuring a smooth transition and ongoing assistance.
Automation and efficiency are further enhanced by a range of technologies that streamline administrative processes, from digital record systems to AI powered monitoring tools. This allows staff to deliver care more effectively and focus on providing high quality care, ensuring that residents benefit from improved attention and support. These improvements have a direct positive impact on residents’ well-being, promoting better mental health, emotional stability, and overall quality of life.
Time and Attendance
Care home staff clock in and out a lot, with some 17,000 care homes in the UK and more than 696,000 staff, the number is in the millions. That said, it is not surprising that digitising this process saves a huge amount of time for care homes. Automation also adds these clock-in times to timesheets, adjusting and snapping to the appropriate shift, saving time both for staff recording their time but also for HR and payroll teams at the end of the month. On average, over half of all shifts are snapped to start and finish times which align with the home’s shift patterns, reflecting the realities of day-to-day working life. Digital transformation is also supporting care workers and care teams by helping them develop digital skills and new skills, ensuring they are equipped to use modern systems effectively. Supporting staff through training and technology adoption is essential for successful implementation and improved outcomes. To use digital systems effectively, staff need to develop key skills such as patience, enthusiasm, and a willingness to help others. A digital champion can play a vital role in supporting staff to build digital skills and confidence, acting as a mentor and guide throughout the process. Staff are supported at every stage of the digital transformation journey, ensuring they feel confident and capable as new technologies are introduced.
Care homes using administration software with the capability to snap to shift have recorded a monthly average of 293 snapped shifts per month, with an average saving of 41 minutes per snap. Each of these would have previously been a manual process, removing almost 300 of these each month represents a huge admin burden lifted for many care home staff.
Meanwhile, effectively managing planned staff absence stands to provide further time and therefore costs savings. Since the average care home receives almost 250 holiday requests a year, which breaks down to around 21 each month, streamlining both the requesting process as well as approval and scheduling using care home administration software stands to further lighten the load of admin responsibilities. For example, a manual holiday request takes a total of around 15 minutes, versus a digital process taking an estimated 5 minutes. Care homes can also save around 3.5 hours each month. While the social care sector works to fill the skills gap, reducing the workload on staff already in the sector can only help to increase staff retention and support them through a challenging time. The use of artificial intelligence in care home administration can further optimise shift scheduling and monitoring, enhancing efficiency and supporting staff even more.
Workforce Management
The most apparent benefit of care home administration software is the capacity to simplify the processes involved by using automation. This considers each of the variables while also reducing the margin for human error. Since care homes must be staffed by set numbers of staffing to run compliantly, it is essential to have visibility on shift cover and staffing numbers as well as ensuring errors are not made in these areas. Care workers play a crucial role in delivering high-quality care, and digital systems support their work by streamlining documentation, improving communication, and enabling more personalised care.
Data from Carterwood revealed that the cost of agency staff almost doubled in 2022 compared to 2021. Evidence from care homes utilising care home administration software suggests that where workforce management has been digitised, the use of agency staff has reduced. This is helping care homes stay on budget and reduce staffing costs. This could be a result of automation, allowing for a clearer understanding of staffing levels but could also be down to the simplification of managing bank staff through the same software. With some software users reporting an average of around 11 percent bank staff, the flexibility inherent in the care homes’ workforce enables them to fill shift vacancies without the need for agency staffing at all. Digital transformation also enables care providers to deliver person centred care by leveraging person centred software, which helps drive outstanding care through tailored care planning and improved outcomes.
Further capabilities within the technology could also be the reason behind reduced agency staff usage, including the ability to automate shift cover requests to all staff. Figures from care homes using this type of functionality showed an average 11 hour reduction in the time taken to process shift requests. Sending requests direct from the rota often requires the care home to send multiple messages to individuals before cover can be found, which can also be a manual process. This is therefore another benefit where automation saves time and money for the business.
Overall, the data suggests that undergoing digital transformation and adopting care home administration software has the power to make care homes stronger and more resilient as businesses, by reducing costs through automation and increasing greater accuracy. Meanwhile, the same software can benefit care home staff hugely, reducing the workload and easing the weight of the administrative burden in a tightly regulated sector. While not a silver bullet for the issue of understaffing across the sector, or the call for greater funding from the Government, software and technology can provide benefits that both ease the pressure now while shoring the business up for more efficient running in the future. Digital systems are now an essential part of delivering outstanding care and integrated services in care homes, supporting high standards and seamless coordination across providers. These systems also facilitate communication with health professionals, enabling remote consultations and access to specialist advice when needed.
Automation and improved communication tools within care home administration software make it easier for staff to coordinate and share information. The use of video calls and video calling allows staff, residents, and health professionals to stay connected, supporting virtual consultations and maintaining relationships with families. When a face to face appointment is not possible, video calls provide an effective alternative for both medical consultations and personal connections.
Digital transformation in care homes not only streamlines operations but also positively impacts the lives of residents and staff by enhancing well-being, improving daily experiences, and supporting more person centred care.
About Fiona Hale
Fiona Hale is the Managing Director of CoolCare. Centred on admin made easy, its services are aimed at making operating care homes easier, more efficient and more profitable.