June 19th 2024
Care England’s Strategic Management Audit Repository Tool, or SMART for short, is a free tool for social care providers to assist them in the management and review of care services.
The tool is designed to offer support that brings down the cost of care, whilst keeping social care providers up to date with resources and guidance free of charge.
Speaking about the tool, Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England said
“Care England is proud to put forward an innovative solution to all care providers that is responsive to the sector’s needs. We developed SMART to be the single-entry point to address and support care providers with the most pressing issues they are facing. When money, time and resource constraints are at an all-time high, this free tool underscores Care England’s commitment to supporting the sector during its most vulnerable moments.”
Fraser Rickatson, Policy & Funding Lead at Care England commented,
“The SMART tool is a significant step forward in helping care providers streamline their operations and enhance the quality of their services. By delivering an all-encompassing platform that aligns with the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework, we are empowering providers to maintain high standards of care while also addressing sustainability and governance.”
CQC Inspections
Care providers can use the SMART tool to report and record their evidence against the quality statements laid out in CQC’s Single Assessment Framework. Care providers can view the full quality statements within the tool along with links which signpost to the relevant regulations.
The tool also suggests how providers can evidence they are meeting the quality statements, as well as add their own notes and reviews.
Sustainability
The tool has been carefully developed to offer a detailed approach for integrating ESG principles seamlessly into operational practices, simplifying how care providers can ensure they meet both regulatory standards and government expectations for environmental and social goals.
This will support care providers to not only be propelled towards their net-zero targets but also see an enhancement in their reputation and compliance. This approach opens up new customer bases, retains talent, and attracts investors and lenders and importantly, increase the chance of securing Local Authority and NHS contracts as they reshaping contracting decisions around ESG strategies.
Other features
Care providers do away with paper files and store sensitive client data with the tool outside of care plans. There are also free support materials available through the Procurement feature, offering discounts and free offers for care providers to take advantage of.
There is also a handy feedback feature which providers can use to understand the experiences of residents, families, and professionals.
Further information
- Access the SMART brochure for a detailed description of what is available through the free tool.