The benefits of runs and rounds for home care providers
Running a care company is complex, and understanding scheduling is often a juggling act that requires an immense amount of oversight. Whether it’s knowing the skillset of each carer, the needs of every client and the availability of your entire workforce – those responsible for care planning have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. That’s where rounds and rounds can help.
What are runs and rounds in a home care setting?
Some care companies create their rotas with a framework called runs or rounds. And while the terminology sounds different, runs and rounds are essentially the same thing – a helpful way of grouping a block of recurring visits on any given day into a logical schedule for a carer to attend on a shift. Rounds help create defined and predictable schedules- helping to provide consistency for carers and clients and helping businesses save travel time costs.
How do runs and rounds work?
In the past, shift plans were likely created manually using timesheets and a pin board, but these days, comprehensive home care scheduling software like IQ:caremanager can do the heavy lifting.
Essentially, once recurring care visits are added to the visit diary they can be selected like a pick and mix of visits and collated into a clock of visits for a carer to attend. Rounds can be repeated in pretty much any format required – daily, weekly, monthly or alternate between different carers to offer variety.
Runs or rounds are typically grouped by geographical location, client requirement, client skill, period or visits that require double-ups. Some clients may create a round that is specifically for clients that all require meal preparation or peg feeds – playing to the strengths and skills of the carers available.
The benefits of using rounds in-home care scheduling
- While it may take some preparation time to set up, once it is ready the amount of time spent scheduling will drastically decrease
- Carers are assigned a regular, predictable schedule that may offer some consistency to their working week
- Clients will be assigned a regular carer with who they are familiar with – which may have a positive impact on their quality of care
- Rounds can be set up to ensure that mileage is taken into consideration – ensuring that shifts are as efficient as possible
Rounds in home care scheduling offer several benefits for both care providers and clients. By grouping recurring visits into logical schedules, rounds increase efficiency, save time, and streamline the scheduling process. They provide carers with consistent and predictable schedules, promoting job satisfaction and work-life balance. Clients benefit from having regular carers, leading to improved quality of care and enhanced client-carer relationships. Additionally, rounds enable optimal resource allocation, considering factors such as geographical location, client requirements, and carer skills. By implementing rounds in home care scheduling, care companies can enhance their operations, improve client experiences, and ultimately deliver better care to those in need.