Most care home managers looking for a care app are really looking for one thing: something carers will actually use. The paperwork is not the problem; getting it done during a busy shift is. This guide explains what a care app needs to do in the hands of a carer at 7am, how a carer app differs from a care planning app and a full care management system, what to check about phones, connectivity and security, and how to test an app on a real shift before you sign anything.
The short answer
A good care app lets a carer record what happened, see what the person needs and sign medicines in seconds, on a phone or tablet, without training beyond a short walkthrough. Look for big targets, tap-based recording instead of typing, the person's key information on one screen, medicines with prompts and witness steps, handovers that carry a priority level and that a manager can mark as reviewed, and something sensible when the signal drops. Behind the app there must be a full record the manager can audit: care plans, risk assessments, incidents, training and reports. An app that only does the front-line part, or a system that only works properly at a desktop, will leave a gap that paper fills.
App, care planning app or care management system?
The terms overlap, and suppliers use them loosely. A practical way to tell them apart:
| Type | What it usually covers | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Carer app | Daily notes, tasks, charts, sometimes medicines | Care staff on shift |
| Care planning app | Writing and reviewing care plans and risk assessments, often with a carer-facing view | Seniors, nurses, managers |
| Care management system | All of the above, plus eMAR, incidents, HR and training, audits, reports, sometimes billing | Everyone, with permissions by role |
Homes that buy a carer app on its own often end up with two systems: the app for notes, and paper or spreadsheets for everything else. That splits the record and doubles the work. In most cases a single system with a good mobile experience is the better buy: one app for care homes, not two. Our guide to where to start with care home software covers the order in which to digitise.
What carers need from an app on a real shift
Picture a carer at 7.15am with three people to get up, a medicine round at 8 and a colleague off sick. Every extra screen is a reason to leave recording until later. An app earns its place if it does these things well:
- Tap, do not type. Food, drink, personal care, mood and continence recorded with a few taps, with the app writing a proper sentence.
- The person on one screen. Photo, communication needs, allergies, diet and IDDSI level, DNACPR status, key risks.
- Medicines that guide. What is due, for whom, with prompts for PRN reasons and controlled drug witnesses.
- Handover built from the shift. Flags raised during the day carry into handover without retyping.
- Photos and body maps in place, attached to the note they belong to.
- Big targets and plain words that work for staff with different levels of confidence and English.
Our article on daily care notes shows the difference between a note written at the time and one written from memory.
Phones, tablets and devices
Decide early how carers will access the app. The common options are home-owned phones or tablets carried on shift, shared tablets at stations, or staff's own phones. Each has trade-offs:
| Option | Advantages | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Home-owned phones | Control over security, always charged in the office, no data on personal devices | Cost, loss, breakage, keeping them charged |
| Shared tablets | Cheaper, bigger screens for care plans | Recording happens at the tablet, not with the person |
| Staff's own phones | No hardware cost, staff know the phone | Data protection, consent, what happens when someone leaves |
Whatever you choose, ask the supplier whether anything is stored on the device. An app that runs in a browser and holds nothing on the phone is far easier to secure than one that keeps records locally. Our GDPR guide covers the data protection side.
Signal, Wi-Fi and offline working
Every home has a room where the Wi-Fi drops. Supported living services have flats with no signal at all. Ask the supplier exactly what happens when the connection is lost mid-note: is it saved, queued and sent when back online, or lost? Test it yourself in your worst corner. Improving Wi-Fi coverage is often a cheaper fix than a complicated offline mode, and it should be part of your budget.
Security and access
- Every carer has their own login; shared logins destroy the audit trail.
- Agency staff get time-limited access to what they need for the shift and nothing more.
- Leavers lose access the day they leave.
- Every record shows who wrote it and when, and edits keep the original.
- Data is held in the UK, with the supplier acting as processor under a data processing agreement.
What sits behind the app
The app is the front door. The manager needs the rest of the house: care plans that the app's notes link to, risk assessments that are scored and versioned, incidents that cannot be closed without a review, a training matrix, audits, and reports that can be exported for an inspection or a funding review. Ask to see the manager's view as well as the carer's, and ask how long it takes to produce a full care record for one person.
Residential, nursing and specialist services
The same app needs to fit the service. Residential homes need fast daily logging and eMAR. Nursing homes need observations, wound care and clinical handover. Learning disability and mental health services need PBS plans, ABC charts, communication passports and restrictive practice records, which many apps built for older people's care lack. Our pages on residential care home software and learning disability care software cover the differences.
How to test a care app before you buy
- Give it to carers, not just managers. Pick a confident carer and a reluctant one.
- Run real scenarios. A morning routine, a refusal of medicines, a fall, an agency worker's first shift.
- Time it. How long does a typical note take? If it is more than a minute, it will be done at the end of the shift.
- Test the worst corner of the building for signal.
- Ask for the manager's view of what the carers just recorded.
- Check the exit. Can you export everything if you leave?
Our scoring sheet for comparing care home software turns these tests into a comparison, and the free versus paid guide covers the true cost.
Getting carers to use it
Adoption is mostly about the first two weeks. Train in short sessions on shift, not in a classroom. Have a champion on every shift. Take paper away on a set date rather than running both forever. Fix small annoyances quickly. And show staff what the record looks like when it is done well, because carers who see their notes used at handover and in reviews keep writing them.
Worked example: a 28-bed residential home
A home has a care planning system that staff use only at the office computer. Daily notes are written in a block at 2pm and 9pm. The manager trials a mobile-first system on one unit for two weeks. Carers record by tapping on home-owned phones; notes now appear through the shift with times that match what happened. The medicine round takes slightly less time because the round shows what is due by resident. After the trial, the home moves fully, removes the paper charts on a fixed date, and adds two Wi-Fi access points to cover the garden rooms. At the next inspection, daily notes are timed through the day and match what staff describe.
Common mistakes
- Choosing on the manager's demo without testing on carers.
- Buying a carer app that leaves care plans, medicines or incidents on paper.
- Shared logins.
- Ignoring Wi-Fi until go-live.
- Running paper and digital side by side indefinitely.
- No plan for agency staff access.
What good looks like on inspection day
The inspector watches a carer record a drink, a mood and a refusal in a few seconds on a phone, then sees the same entries in the person's record with times. An agency worker shows the person's key information on their temporary access. The manager produces the full care record and the last month's incidents in minutes. Kiwi was built this way: quick daily logs, eMAR by resident, handovers that carry a priority level and that a manager can mark as reviewed, and the full record behind it, on iPhone, iPad and computers, in a modern web browser, with nothing to install. If you want to see it on a phone, book a demo, or see which devices Kiwi works on.
Final conclusion
The right care app is the one carers use during the shift without being chased. Judge it on speed in a carer's hands, clarity on a small screen, how it handles a lost signal, and whether the full record behind it gives the manager everything an inspector will ask for. Test it on real shifts with real staff before you decide, and choose one system rather than an app plus paper.
Frequently asked
What is a care planning app?
A care planning app lets staff write, review and view care plans and risk assessments on a phone or tablet. The most useful ones also let carers record daily care against the plan, so the plan and the record stay connected.
What is the difference between a carer app and care management software?
A carer app usually covers front-line recording such as daily notes and tasks. Care management software covers that plus care plans, eMAR, incidents, HR, training, audits and reports, with a manager's view of everything.
Should carers use their own phones for a care app?
It is possible, but it raises data protection and practical questions. Home-owned devices give more control. If staff use their own phones, choose an app that stores nothing on the device and remove access the day someone leaves.
What happens if the Wi-Fi drops while a carer is using the app?
It depends on the app. Ask the supplier exactly what happens to a note when the connection drops, test it in your weakest area, and consider improving Wi-Fi coverage as part of the project.
How do you get care staff to use a care app?
Choose an app that is quick to use, train in short sessions on shift, have a champion on each shift, set a date to remove paper, and show staff how their records are used at handover and reviews.
Can agency staff use a care home app?
They should, with their own time-limited login that shows only what they need for the shift. Shared logins break the audit trail.
Sources
- NHS England: Digital Social Care Records programme and assured supplier list
- Digital Care Hub: guidance on using mobile devices and Wi-Fi in social care
- Information Commissioner's Office: UK GDPR guidance for organisations
- Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulation 17
