Implementing a new case management system at the height of a pandemic

How two councils elected to support staff and vulnerable people with a next-generation system: a sponsored feature from Liquidlogic

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The coronavirus pandemic has meant the delay of many significant plans both personal and professional, from family weddings to the opening of new businesses. Whilst some things must be delayed, others can highlight the need to forge ahead as planned.

In such unusual times, it could perhaps be considered a safer option to adopt the ‘status quo’ and continue with the old, reliable ways of doing things. However two councils who have done just the opposite of that are Stockport and Bedford. In the past two weeks, each council has taken a new case management system live for their respective adult social care teams. Each council had always intended to go live in April and explain below why they chose to stick to their plans.

Bedford Borough Council logo

 

 

 

 

The team at Bedford implemented the Liquidlogic Adults’ Social Care System (LAS), replacing the Swift system from OLM. Speaking about the decision, Kate Walker, director of adult services at Bedford Council, says:

“We considered our options very carefully before going live but, having met internally and with reassurance from Liquidlogic, we concluded that going live was the right thing to do. The current pandemic has highlighted more than ever that our requirements for an intuitive, easy-to-use and flexible social care system were a priority. We want to provide the very best support and care to those who are vulnerable in this crisis, as well as ensuring that our staff can work efficiently and record easily within an intuitive system. In the end, there was no doubt from anyone in the team that going live with Liquidlogic was the right thing to do.

“Whilst it is early days, we are confident that implementing the Liquidlogic Adults’ System will pay dividends and not just short term during this crisis. Staff are embracing the system and Liquidlogic has supported us to get to where we need to be and on time.”

 

 

Stockport went live with the Liquidlogic Adults’ Social Care System (LAS) whilst its teams were largely working remotely during the current Covid-19 pandemic. This replaced the council’s previous social care case management system, Carefirst from OLM, and followed on from the council’s recent implementation of Liquidlogic Children’s Social Care System (LCS) and Early Help Module (EHM).

Teams at both ends have been creative in their approach to going live. Rachel Cobley, business relationship and systems manager at Stockport Council, says:

“It was important for us to go live on time and we have all had to adapt quite quickly under the present circumstances. In the current climate, communication between ourselves and Liquidlogic has been more vital than ever, and we have always felt supported and well-informed at each stage of the implementation. The go-live has gone very smoothly and we are delighted to finally be up and running with a modern, fit-for-purpose system for the adults’ social care team.”

New ways of working

Alternative approaches to training and meetings have been quickly adopted by Liquidlogic and customers alike. Planned events have turned into webinars, classroom training has been switched to online, and virtual meetings have replaced traditional face-to-face ones. Speaking about this, David Grigsby, managing director at Liquidlogic, says:

“The Covid-19 pandemic highlights how critical a social care case management system can be. The additional strain expected on social care teams means that councils want smart systems which can facilitate efficient recording, case management and workload management. We are in a privileged position to be able to continue with business as usual during this challenging period. This includes getting customers live on time. We have adapted many of our working practices to ensure that each project milestone is reached; training and configuration workshops have all taken place as planned using video conferencing and this has meant that we are in a good position to stick to dates.

“We are, of course, mindful of the fact that social care teams will come under pressure and we aim to be sensitive to and flexible with each council’s circumstances in this time. The go-lives at Stockport and Bedford councils are proof that our joint working with customers can be undertaken remotely.”

For further details contact marketing@liquidlogic.co.uk

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