Perfect Ward Signs First Customer in Australia

Perfect Ward has signed up its first Australian customer for the company’s digital healthcare quality improvement solution. Ability Options, one of the largest not-for-profit Disability Service Providers in New South Wales, is using Perfect Ward’s mobile app to run continuous safety and quality improvement measures across 66 of its sites. Since trialling the technology in early 2020, Ability Options has transformed its inspection process, offering significant time savings, while creating a detailed framework that puts both managers and staff in control of the quality agenda.

Michelle Hodge, Chief Practice and Outcomes Officer at Ability Options commented, “Introducing the Perfect Ward app has simplified our inspection process and increased staff engagement. Modern and invigorating, our support workers have embraced the technology, praising its ‘no hassle’ factor. As a mobile app, it is extremely easy to use, allowing them to support residents, on the move, using tablets or smartphones. Meanwhile, it’s a powerful staff engagement tool that increases accountability. Frontline staff can see how they are performing and have immediate feedback on how their inspections compare with other homes. They are beginning to truly understand the value they bring to maintaining quality standards and that’s going to create positive outcomes for the people we are supporting.”

Ability Options is utilising the highly customisable Perfect Ward solution to support the most common inspection areas, such as health and safety and documentation/record-keeping, while facilitating the introduction of new inspections to adapt to changing resident and business requirements. During the pilot, Ability Options saved 2.5 hours per week across each area. Once the solution is rolled out across the organisation it is expected to save valuable time that can be used to provide resident support.

Paul Woodward, Perfect Ward’s Regional Director, Australia and New Zealand commented, “Organisations like Ability Options have to strike a fine balance between supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the community while juggling multiple services and funding streams. By far the greatest benefit our technology brings, particularly for office-based managers, is a 360-degree view of quality activities across their entire care portfolio. They simply log into our mobile app to check if there are any inconsistencies or errors at any time, from anywhere. This heightened visibility gives them the assurance that the correct safety and quality procedures are in place and that any red flag issues are being addressed promptly, putting them in complete control of their quality environment.”

Since trialling the Perfect Ward solution in 2020, Ability Options has extended the original number of inspection types from five covering seven key areas to 15 inspection types that will shortly encompass all 95 areas of the organisation.