CareDocs alternative: care records with eMAR built in

Summary

CareDocs is an NHS-assured digital care record with highly customisable plans and a long history in residential care. When we checked, we found no built-in eMAR: CareDocs' partners page says medication administration "can remain with dedicated systems", and it connects with a partner system, eMARx. If you want medicines, controlled drugs and care records in one system, Kiwi, our product, is one alternative.

What CareDocs offers

CareDocs is made by Care Management Systems Ltd, part of Software Circle plc since 2023. CareDocs says its commercial launch was in 2008, with roots going back to the late 1990s. Its current product is CareDocs DSCR, a cloud-based care record with a mobile app called Companion.

Its strengths

NHS assurance. CareDocs DSCR has been on the NHS Assured Solutions List since July 2026. CareDocs says it met national requirements, including GP Connect interoperability, to be listed.
Security and safety credentials. ISO 27001 certified (August 2026). DSPT "Standards exceeded" for 2025–26. DCB0129 clinical safety. CareDocs states it is certified under the Cyber Essentials Plus scheme.
Customisation. CareDocs says it offers unlimited customisation of assessments, care plans and templates, included as standard.
Person-centred recording. Daily notes can carry emotion and energy mapping, with an Emotion Mapping Analysis report. CareDocs says its DSCR meets Level 3, the highest level, of the Professional Record Standards Body's standards.
Offline recording. CareDocs says its Companion app supports offline recording that syncs when the device is back online.
Family involvement. CareDocs' NHS listing says families or approved contacts can view and contribute.
Residential care roots. It has served UK care homes for many years.

How medication works with CareDocs

When we checked on 17 October 2026, we found no built-in eMAR. CareDocs' partners page says areas such as medication administration "can remain with dedicated systems", and CareDocs describes a completed connection with eMARx, a separate eMAR supplier. So a CareDocs home usually has:

CareDocs for care plans, notes and records;
eMARx (or another eMAR) for medication rounds, MAR charts and controlled drugs;
often a separate system for rota and HR. CareDocs links with RoundCare for staff and rota data. CareDocs says of its DSCR: "It was never built to run your HR function, and it doesn't try to."

Many homes are happy with that arrangement. It lets you pick a specialist for each job. The trade-off is more than one login, contract and support line.

Older CareDocs products

CareDocs says its earlier products, CareDocs Local (on-premise) and CareDocs Cloud (desktop with cloud data), are legacy products: "We still support and maintain them for existing customers, but we're not developing new features for either". It says neither is offered to new customers. It runs webinars on moving from Local or Cloud to CareDocs DSCR. If you are on Local or Cloud, that is a sensible time to compare options, including staying with CareDocs.

Price and contract

CareDocs does not publish prices. Its pricing page lists four options (Launch, Enhance, Empower and Transform). CareDocs says pricing depends on users, admin users and storage, or on service users. Contract length, notice and set-up costs were not published when we checked. A free trial was not advertised; a demo and an info pack are offered.

What to compare

Whether you are leaving CareDocs or choosing for the first time, compare these on paper first.

Medication. Is the eMAR built in or from a partner? How do PRN protocols, controlled drugs, stock and homely remedies work? Does it link to your pharmacy?
Number of systems. How many logins, contracts and support lines will your staff and manager deal with?
NHS assurance and GP Connect. Do you need them for funding, or for your GP practice?
Customisation. Do you need to build your own forms, or would you rather use good templates?
Devices. Which phones and tablets are supported? Does it work offline?
Family access. Can relatives see updates, and what can they see?
Price and contract. Is the price published? What is the term, the notice and the price-rise clause?
Trial. Can your staff use it on a real shift before you sign? Does a trial turn into a paid plan automatically?
Exit. What do you get back if you leave, in what format, and how fast?

Our scoring sheet for comparing care home software turns these into a weighted score.

Kiwi as a CareDocs alternative

Kiwi is our product. It puts care records and eMAR in one system.

Side by side (checked 17 October 2026)

	CareDocs DSCR	Kiwi
eMAR	Through a partner (eMARx). We found no built-in eMAR	Built in
Controlled drugs	Through the partner eMAR	Built-in register with a witness on every dose and a running balance
PRN protocols	Through the partner eMAR	Built in, per resident
Care plans	Highly customisable assessments and plans	Care plans including Health Action Plans and Person-Centred Plans
Behaviour recording	Ask CareDocs. CareDocs says assessments and templates can be fully customised	ABC charts and behaviour recording
Hospital transfer	Ask CareDocs. CareDocs says assessments and templates can be fully customised	Hospital Passport included
BMI and weight change	Ask CareDocs. CareDocs says assessments and templates can be fully customised	Worked out automatically
Rota and HR	Through RoundCare	HR records and training matrix; rota through Kiwi Rota (optional add-on, £69 per home per month)
Offline recording	Yes, in the Companion app (CareDocs says)	No in the web app; coming with the Kiwi Care iPhone and iPad app (coming soon)
Family access	Families or approved contacts can view and contribute (CareDocs' NHS listing)	Kiwi Family app coming soon
NHS Assured Solutions List	Yes (since July 2026). Its NHS listing describes it for residential, nursing and community settings	No. Not assured
GP Connect	Yes (CareDocs met the GP Connect requirement for its listing)	No
ISO 27001	Certified (CareDocs, Aug 2026)	In progress, not certified
Cyber Essentials	Cyber Essentials Plus (CareDocs states)	Cyber Essentials (basic level), certified
Devices	Cloud-based, with the Companion mobile app	Web app in any browser. iOS app coming soon
Published price	No	£179.95 per home per month up to 30 beds; £229.95 for 31+, as of 17 October 2026. No UK VAT charged; VAT-registered organisations may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge
Set-up	Costs not published	Free set-up: we send you a list of what we can import for you, then load it
Contract	Not published	Monthly: cancel any time, no notice period. Annual: renews for 12 months unless cancelled before renewal; annual fees not refunded part-way through a year
Free trial	Not advertised	30 days. Card taken at sign-up, nothing charged until day 31; billing then starts automatically unless you cancel

What Kiwi offers

eMAR in the same record as care plans and daily logs, with PRN protocols and a controlled drugs register that needs a witness on every dose and keeps a running balance.
Health Action Plans, Person-Centred Plans, ABC charts and behaviour recording, and a Hospital Passport.
BMI and weight change worked out automatically from the weights you record.
HR records and invoicing.
Every module included in one price per home. 20%, 25% or 30% off your Kiwi subscription for 3, 4 or 5 homes (Kiwi Rota isn't included), and 10% off if you pay annually.
Built by S Hashmi, who spent 15 years running care homes.

Price and terms

Kiwi: £179.95 per home per month up to 30 beds, £229.95 for 31 beds or more, as of 17 October 2026. Every module included. Free set-up. Monthly plans: cancel any time, no notice period. Annual plans renew for 12 months unless cancelled before renewal. 30-day free trial: your card is taken at sign-up, nothing is charged until day 31, and billing then starts automatically unless you cancel. Kiwi doesn't charge UK VAT (it's supplied from outside the UK); if your organisation is VAT-registered you may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge; check with your accountant.

Where CareDocs may suit you better

Be honest with yourself about these:

You need NHS assurance or GP Connect. CareDocs has both. Kiwi has neither.
You need unlimited custom forms. CareDocs is built around customisation.
You are happy with eMARx and want a specialist eMAR next to your records.
You need an electronic pharmacy link or barcode scanning. Kiwi does not have them.
You need offline recording now. CareDocs says its Companion app records offline. Kiwi's web app needs a connection; offline recording is coming with the Kiwi Care iPhone and iPad app (coming soon).
You want families to view and contribute now. CareDocs' NHS listing says they can. The Kiwi Family app is coming soon.
You want ISO 27001 now. CareDocs says it is certified; Kiwi's is in progress.
You want Cyber Essentials Plus. CareDocs states it holds it. Kiwi holds Cyber Essentials, the basic level.

If those are not deal-breakers and you want one system with eMAR built in, a published price and monthly terms, Kiwi is worth a look.

See Kiwi's eMAR · See Kiwi's care records · Pricing · Book a demo

If you decide to switch

Check your current agreement for term, renewal date and notice before you do anything else.
Ask CareDocs and eMARx for full exports of care records and medication records, with formats and timescales in writing.
Plan the medication changeover separately. Do a witnessed controlled drugs count at changeover and carry the balances across. Our ATLAS switching checklist covers the steps, and they apply to any eMAR move.
Keep read access or a full copy of your old records for your retention period.
Train nights and agency staff before go-live.

Read how to switch care systems without losing records for the full plan.

Frequently asked

Does CareDocs have its own eMAR?

We found no built-in eMAR when we checked on 17 October 2026. CareDocs' partners page says medication administration "can remain with dedicated systems", and it connects with eMARx, a separate eMAR supplier. Staff and rota data come from RoundCare. Ask CareDocs for the current position.

Is CareDocs NHS Assured?

Yes. CareDocs DSCR has been on the NHS Assured Solutions List since July 2026. Check the current list at adultsocialcare.standards.nhs.uk for the settings it covers. Kiwi is not on the list.

How much does CareDocs cost?

CareDocs does not publish prices. Its pricing page lists four options (Launch, Enhance, Empower and Transform) and asks you to request a quote. CareDocs says pricing depends on users, admin users and storage, or on service users. Kiwi publishes £179.95 per home per month up to 30 beds and £229.95 for 31 beds or more, with no UK VAT charged (VAT-registered organisations may need to account for VAT under the reverse charge).

What happens to CareDocs Local and CareDocs Cloud?

CareDocs says these are legacy products that it still supports and maintains for existing customers, but it is not developing new features for either, and neither is offered to new customers. It runs webinars on moving to CareDocs DSCR.

What is a good alternative to CareDocs with eMAR built in?

Several care systems include their own eMAR. Kiwi is one: it has eMAR, PRN protocols and a controlled drugs register with witness and running balance in the same record as care plans. Compare medication, NHS assurance, offline recording, family access, devices, price and contract terms before you choose.

Can I try Kiwi before switching from CareDocs?

Yes. Kiwi offers a 30-day free trial. Your card is taken at sign-up and nothing is charged until day 31. If you don't cancel, billing starts automatically on day 31. Cancel before then and you pay nothing.

Sources (checked 17 October 2026)

Trade marks. CareDocs, CareDocs DSCR, eMARx and RoundCare are trade marks of their respective owners, named only to identify their products. Kiwi™ is not affiliated with Care Management Systems Ltd, Software Circle plc, eMARx or RoundCare. Facts checked 17 October 2026; terms change, so check with CareDocs.

Looking for a CareDocs alternative? A fair comparison, with eMAR built in