We spoke to Phil Mott, Project Manager here at Docobo about the work going on here on digitised RESTORE2 and how our clients are making the most of it.

Hi Phil, can you tell us a little bit about RESTORE2?
Of course. RESTORE2™ is a paper-based physical deterioration and escalation tool, which is used in care and nursing homes and was developed by NHS West Hampshire CCG. RESTORE2, together with the use of NEWS2, can provide a common language across healthcare and uses five key components to support carers to recognise deterioration, assess the risk and act on the findings.
These are:
• Soft Signs of deterioration
• What’s normal for a resident
• National Early Warning Score (NEWS)
• A clear escalation pathway; and
• A structured communication tool.

What about the digitised RESTORE2? And what has Docobo done about this?
As RESTORE2 is paper-based, we wanted our clients to be able to benefit from the tool and access it via our remote monitoring solution DOC@HOME. We have therefore developed a digitised version of RESTORE2 which can be used via DOC@HOME in care and residential homes. The aim of digitising the tool was to improve the safety and wellbeing of care home residents, as well as reducing workload for both carers and GPs.

How can Docobo users or patients access this new functionality?
Carers can use the Docobo App on smart devices (Android or iOS) to complete and enter the three fundamental elements of RESTORE2, i.e. soft signs, vital signs (NEWS2) and SBAR, which gives the carer the opportunity to enter free text and share their observations and concerns. Alerts are then automatically generated based on the NEWS2 scoring system and the recommended guidance and frequency of repeat monitoring is displayed to the carer on the device. If a carer wishes to share their concerns and observations with a clinician – even when an automated alert isn’t generated- they can choose to escalate and share the information.

An alert email provides a flexible and reliable mechanism for notifying the relevant support workers. In addition, a report, containing the patient data, is sent by secure means to the supporting clinicians, for fast and effective intervention and decision making.

Why does digital RESTORE2 work so well?
By enabling carers to answer a structured set of questions on a device, any unwell care home resident can be brought to the attention of a healthcare professional. The completed questions are transferred from Docobo’s DOC@HOME as a pdf file, directly into the electronic record system of the healthcare professional in charge.

Entering the information on a device, using the App, has the advantage of displaying the NEWS2 score generated with the associated advice, immediately to the carer. The information is immediately transferred to the DOC@HOME system and alerts are automatically generated, if required. This means, that in minutes, a clinician has been notified and has the readings, observations and any concerns that the carer entered, directly in front of them and greatly improves the speed and confidence of clinical decision making.

This also saves the carer time trying to contact the clinician and relaying the data via the phone and gives them the confidence that all the information has been accurately presented to the relevant clinician; an obvious side effect is the reduction of paperwork.

It sounds great, how are Docobo’s clients using it?
Littlebourne House Care Home is using RESTORE2 in a digitised format and is reaping the benefits of using the system. Dr Kim Gardner, East Kent Frailty Lead and a GP at Canterbury Medical Practice, says: ‘We’ve saved so much time in the long run, because when we are getting those phone calls through or the digital RESTORE2 messages – we have all of that information. So we’re not phoning the care home and saying ‘can you just do a blood pressure etc – have you checked their care plan? where is the care plan? all of that information has come in one package.’

Kim goes on to say: ‘We are able to complete more virtually without having to go to the care home, which has been particularly important around COVID – but also important towards the end of the day that you can look after that resident without having to hand over to out of hours. I see this as Quality Improvement: the patient or resident is at the centre of the care.’

How do you see this progressing in the future?
Further regions are preparing to adopt the model and start using it in multiple care homes. The KM CCG’s aim is to embed the digital RESTORE2 model in as many care homes as appropriate across Kent and gain the benefits of a secure, efficient and consistent model for improving care home residents’ wellbeing.

We are really proud to be working with KMCCG on this shared vision and excited regarding the next steps of the journey.’

Thanks Phil! Look out for our next blog on RESTORE 2 from our Guest Blogger, Kerry Dudley Programme Lead at KSS PSC.