CoolCare: case study

CoolCare

The challenge

An adult social care provider supporting individuals with complex needs across four residential homes in England was experiencing significant challenges with workforce visibility, operational control and administrative efficiency. Rostering systems did not accurately reflect actual staffing levels or agency usage. Workforce data was difficult to access in real time, making it hard to manage holidays, sickness and staffing costs. Communication, HR tracking and reporting all relied on time-consuming manual processes. Preparation for compliance and QA audits was slow, and there was no structured oversight of occupancy pipelines and enquiry management. The cumulative effect was reduced management control across the homes, increased administrative burden on already stretched teams, and limited ability to optimise staffing or occupancy.

What we did

We implemented CoolCare across the organisation to support workforce management, administration, compliance and occupancy processes. The deployment enabled a redesign of several core workflows. Workforce and rota management moved to a digital system with real-time visibility into staffing, holidays, and sickness, removing manual holiday requests. Communication and shift coordination shifted to an integrated messaging system linked to rotas, allowing direct communication with staff to manage shift cover and updates. HR, compliance and audit preparation were centralised, with the majority of audit information available in one system. Occupancy and enquiry management gained structured tracking of enquiries and pre-assessments, alongside increased accountability across managers and heads of department. Finance and payroll processes were simplified, with more accurate financial data.

The outcome

Preparation time for QA audits has fallen by approximately one full day, with around 70% of the required information now available directly from the system. The integrated messaging system has saved several hours per week previously spent on phone calls. Real-time tracking of rotas, holidays, and sickness has improved workforce data accuracy and reduced errors. Payroll, invoicing and financial processes have become simpler and more accurate. Improved visibility of enquiries and increased accountability has supported an increase in occupied beds. Managers and senior staff can act more quickly on staffing and occupancy issues. Overall, the changes have delivered stronger operational grip across the homes, reduced administrative burden, and increased confidence in the data underpinning operational decisions.

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The technology to deliver the NHS 10-Year Plan's ambitions already exists — what's missing is the coordination layer to deploy it at scale. techUK's flagship white paper, developed through the Social Care Working Group, argues that predictive monitoring, interoperable records, AI-enabled decision support and digital telecare are mature capabilities ready to act on now, using existing funding through NHS prevention budgets, the Better Care Fund and Section 75 flexibilities.

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CoolCare