From Oversight to Foresight: Advancing Home Care with Real-Time Auditing
We are proud to be featured in Tomorrow’s Care (Aug/Sept 2025) with our COO Cheryl Guest discussing the shift from reactive to proactive home care. This post recaps the key ideas from the article, explaining why “tiny signals” matter, how real-time auditing works in practice, and four steps any provider can take.
Why proactive beats reactive in home care
Traditional approaches tend to respond after issues appear, missed medications, rushed visits, falls, escalating concerns. But most incidents are preceded by small, subtle signals: a note that someone was “quieter than usual,” a couple of shorter visits in a row, or slipping medication responses. Proactive care is about spotting those patterns early and stepping in before a crisis.
Real-time auditing: insight, not extra admin
With tools like IQ:careaudit, visit notes and medication responses are checked as they are submitted. When something looks off – repeated safeguarding keywords, unexpected records or unusual durations, supervisors will get a timely prompt. That means faster decisions, more support for teams and less paperwork chasing.
“We need to move from reactive to proactive.” — Cheryl Guest, COO, Unique IQ
What proactive looks like day-to-day
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Two carers flag mobility changes across separate visits → supervisor calls the family the same day → early physio referral discussed.
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Shorter-than-expected visits cluster in one patch → scheduler reviews travel times/workload → rota adjusted to protect care minutes.
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Repeated ‘no response’ on meds prompts → quick wellbeing check and a call to the pharmacy → adherence back on track.
None of this replaces professional judgement; it amplifies it, surfacing patterns that are easy to miss when you’re busy.
How providers can start
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Streamline your data. Standardise note phrases and ensure medication entries are consistent.
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Define alert rules. What should trigger a prompt, for example: repeated phrases, adherence dips, late/short visits or safeguarding keywords.
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Pilot and measure. Run a 6–8 week pilot. Track missed medications, unplanned call-outs and escalation rates before/after.
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Close the loop. Record actions and outcomes to refine alerts and reduce noise over time.
Why this matters for people receiving care
Proactive oversight prevents avoidable crises, reduces stress for families and gives carers confidence that the right support will arrive at the right time. It also creates transparent evidence of quality which is essential for inspections and continuous improvement.
Read our full feature in Tomorrow’s World
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