Q& A
Care England speaks to Tandeep Gill, Head of Business Development (UK and Ireland) at PainChek, to learn how providers can use AI technology to future-proof their business, become more efficient and adopt a more person-centred approach to care.
IN THE HOT SEAT with Tandeep Gill
Care England: Given the increased financial pressures facing providers, why should care providers continue to invest in technology? Tandeep Gill: I would encourage care providers to think about tech as a tool that they can use to improve efficiency. See it as an investment, rather than a cost. Also, providers shouldn’t underestimate the value it can add in helping them to future-proof their business. Technology can also help drive productivity and improve job satisfaction, giving carers more time to interact with residents. Care must be person-centred to attract and retain the most passionate and committed workers. It can also enhance overall resident care and satisfaction, leading to valuable word-of-mouth referrals and driving up occupancy by attracting more residents to providers. The collection of data allows for a broader analysis of the entire care home. Providers will be able to identify what we call the ‘pain burden’ across their entire estate and evaluate how well pain is being managed. This can help avoid the unnecessary moving of residents to high-acuity settings and reduce the level of costly one-to-one care, therefore lessening the need for agency staff. 10
CE: Can digital transformations result in financial savings? TG: Yes, absolutely. How much money is saved will depend on the nature of the business, the efficiency of implementation and the specific technologies that are adopted. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can assist, rather than replace, human decision-making and can help remove the need for the workforce to spend time completing mundane tasks. This gives care staff more time to focus on fostering a more person-centred approach. The Department of Health and Social Care is investing money to support the sector, and we’re hopeful that funding will be available from Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to accelerate digital adoption. I’d encourage providers to speak to their ICBs, as I think there’s an opportunity for funding there. CE: How should SMEs go about looking for a credible tech provider to meet their needs? TG: It’s important to look at the evidence first and to find out whether a claim has been proven and always check the credibility of the research. Consider what problem (or problems) you’re trying to solve and how technology can help. Ask questions, such as:
‘What do we spend most of our time doing?’ and ‘What information are we lacking?’ Choose scalable digital solutions; does the digital solution integrate, and ask: What does the roadmap look like? Think about whether the tech is easy to use because successful adoption of digital tools relies on that. Providers also need to consider whether the technology complies with regulatory and industry standards and whether it provides robust security features to protect sensitive business data. CE: How does PainChek differ from the other pain assessment tools that are out there? TG: There are a number of technological solutions available to care providers. PainChek is a pain assessment system, which incorporates a mobile app, an eLearning product and a digital analytic suite. It’s these three features that help to make PainChek unique. The technology is used to assess pain levels and captures the facial micro-expressions that are indicative of pain. That’s combined with a pain checklist that covers the voice, body, behaviour, movement, and activity of the resident. The checklist then generates a pain severity score. Care England