Year of digital growth and investment for Coverage Care Services

Coverage Care Services, which operates 11 homes across the county and cares for more than 1,000 residents, has invested in smart technologies, buildings and employees throughout the last 12 months.

It has also committed to more sustainable practices, built new partnerships with care organisations and significantly progressed its plans to maintain its position as the county’s number one provider of dementia care.

Chief executive Debbie Price said it had been a busy and transformative year for the organisation.

“As part of our commitment to continuous improvement in all areas of our work we’ve made significant steps towards implementing phase one of our digital transformation plan.

“This has included the introduction of electronic care planning and recording systems in homes to reduce paperwork. We’ve also introduced new software to improve our HR and payroll processes and we will soon be looking to put in place a new digital purchase order system.

“All of these automations are enabling our workforce to work smarter and more efficiently whilst at the same time accelerating our movement towards greater sustainability.

“This year we have also made considerable investment into improving the living environment of our homes for residents and we have invested heavily in recruitment to ensure we are continuing to attract highly skilled and experienced individuals to work across our organisation.

“The latter has not been without its challenges however given that the care sector nationally has lost a number of skilled professionals since covid and recruitment will continue to be a focus for us as we head into 2024.

“The next 12 months will also see us continue to prioritise our dementia care strategy. Research suggests there are now more than 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this figure is set to rise further over the next few years.

“With this in mind, increasing our home capacity to support more people with dementia remains a top priority.

“More than half of our beds are now occupied by individuals with dementia and most people coming into our homes are somewhere on the dementia spectrum. As Shropshire’s leading not-for-profit provider of dementia care we have an ongoing commitment to support these people and our continued investment in training and home improvements reflects this.

“As has been the case in previous years, we continue to look to the government to show greater support for the social care sector and with a general election looming there is an opportunity for the sector to get the investment it richly deserves."