Umbrella Solutions Blog
The Umbrella Solutions blog is where we share thoughts on technology and issues impacting the aged care community. Find out about the future of aged care
Coverage Features and Fixes – May 2020 Part 2
Making Coverage even better, again
We’ve squeezed a second release into May just in time for the lifting of the isolation restrictions. Here’s the low down on the new features and fixes for Coverage.
And don’t forget we’re offering free access to Coverage for 2 months to all aged care providers, check out our blog for more information. Be quick because the offer ends 30th of June 2020.
Improved Archive features
- We’ve included a filter for archive responses so you don’t have to see them in your list
- You can now unarchive responses, that’s why pencils have erasers
Date of last change for each Standard
- Want to know when your team last made an update each Standard? Now you can
- Just head to the Overview page for each Services to see what’s been happening
Redesigned More button
- The More button needed a little “more” styling, so while we were adding the Unarchive function we cleaned it up
Support for RACS ID and NAPS ID
- We used to just call it a RACS ID, but that wasn’t fair to the Home Care Services
- We’re all about inclusion here at Umbrella Solutions, so it’s now called Service ID and supports both RACS ID and NAPS ID
Improved attachment handling
- Our diligent developers picked up a potential issue when users upload attachments, they worked their magic and now it’s even more reliable
Minor bugs squashed
- Nobody’s perfect. So we have also sorted out a couple of bugs, thanks to our diligent users and testers
- If you come across any issues or have an idea for a new feature please email us at support@umbrella.solutions
Updates, we’ve got you covered
- There’s a lot going on at the moment, so here’s one thing you don’t need to worry about. Coverage updates!
- Just sit back and relax, the updates will be applied automatically, you don’t need to lift a finger.
Coverage Features and Fixes – May 2020
Making Coverage even better
Listen up, I don’t want to blow our own horn here, but this could be our best release so far. Some massive new features to help you navigate the Standards and easily onboard new users. Let’s check out what’s in store for our May release.
And don’t forget we’re offering free access to Coverage for 2 months to all aged care providers, check out our blog for more information. Be quick because the offer ends 30th of June 2020.
Online Tutorial
- We know that even intuitive systems like Coverage can be a little daunting at first so we’ve designed a super quick tutorial that takes you through all the features
- It’s great for onboarding new users (way better than boring training sessions) and you can run it anytime you like from the Help menu
Direct links to responses
- Wouldn’t it be great if you could jump directly to a response like an Area for Improvement or Evidence without having to hunt for it? Well now you can!
- Our secure links are available from the PCI Dashboards, email notifications and you can even Share a link (it copies it to your clipboard)
- Or you can just grab the link from the address bar in your favourite browser
Redesigned Communications tab
- We’ve included the item title so you know exactly what you’re working on
- Now you can jump straight to the item using the view button
- And we have also enabled scrolling so you see more detail
Minor Bugs Squashed
- Nobody’s perfect. So we have also sorted out a couple of bugs, thanks to our diligent users and testers
- If you come across any issues or have an idea for a new feature please email us at support@umbrella.solutions
Updates, we’ve got you covered
There’s alot going on at the moment, so here’s one thing you don’t need to worry about. Coverage u
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Just sit back and relax, the updates will be applied automatically, you don’t need to lift a finger.
Our CPO pens governance article for innovAGEING
Vinnie D’Alessandro, Umbrella Solutions Chief Product Officer, has written an article for innovAGEING – Australia’s national age services innovation network.
The article titled Remote Governance during the age of COVID-19, explores the ways in which governance practices and systems should adapt in this challenging environment.
Led by Merlin Kong, innovAGEING is the national innovation network for the age services industry. It aims to bring together the brightest minds and ideas to help transform the aged care industry.
Coverage Features and Fixes – March 2020
Making Coverage even better
We’re not going to let a global pandemic stop our support of aged care providers. We’ve released our next round of features and fixes.
Also, don’t forget we’re offering free access to Coverage for 2 months to all aged care providers, check out our blog for more information.
Thanks to the feedback from our amazing customers, here’s what is being released to Coverage this week.
PCI Dashboards
- Some of the numbers weren’t calculating correctly, but now we’ve got them spot on
Provider Ratings History
- We had the data but weren’t showing it. Now you can track your improvements month to month.
Reporting fixes
- We are now populating the PCI report tab to give you the full list of your actions.
- There was a missing column that was sort of important, the title of a response! That’s now available in all reports.
Minor Bugs Squashed
- Nobody’s perfect, so we are fixing up a couple of bugs thanks to our diligent users and testers
Updates, we’ve got you covered
Do you know what you have to do to get updates for Coverage?
Zero, zilch, zip, nada, nothing!
Just sit back and relax, the updates will be applied automatically, you don’t need to lift a finger
Stay on top of the Standards remotely with 2 months free access to Coverage
Negotiating social distancing and infection control during this time can be challenging, particularly when it comes to our most vulnerable Australians. We are hearing from our customers and other providers that due to the recent guidelines from the government, many non-frontline staff are now working remotely.
During this time, it’s more important than ever to ensure visibility over your services and their adherence to the new Standards, and an excellent opportunity for non-frontline staff working from home to catch up on tasks that, although essential, can fall by the wayside. But ensuring collaboration and minimising error in a remote workforce can be tricky.
That’s why we are offering all residential and home care services free access to Coverage by Umbrella Solutions for 2 months to allow your administration staff to access our unique solution which enables collaboration whilst working from home.
In case you’re not familiar, Coverage is an online system that helps aged care providers manage the new Aged Care Quality Standards.
Coverage Overview
With Coverage, you can quickly collect evidence and responses for each Standard and instantly produce reports for Self-Assessments, Audit and Plans for Continuous Improvements.
You can also report across multiple facilities and home care services, as well as keeping tabs on any sanctions or notices of non-compliance.
There is absolutely no obligation to continue with Coverage after the free two-month period and we will package up and return your data should you wish to stop using Coverage.
If you’re an Australian Aged Care provider or know of one who could benefit from using Coverage, you can order online here or please get in touch with us so we can help. Our team is ready to get you your environment deployed, and you’ll be up and running in a matter of hours. Be quick because the offer ends 30th of June 2020.
Good luck and stay safe!
For more information on Coverage, COVID-19 and Aged Care and the new Standards, visit our blog.
COVID-19: Reliable sources of information
With the recommendations around stopping the spread of COVID-19 changing almost daily, it can be hard to know which information is factual and current.
Keeping up to date with reliable sources will help you ensure a safe environment for your people and residents. Knowing the current advice from government departments is critical so we’ve compiled a handy list of sites you can trust to keep you up-to-date:
Federal Government, Aged Care, Health and Media
- https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
- https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-news-and-media
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/story-streams/coronavirus/
- https://www.pm.gov.au/media
State Governments
- https://www.qld.gov.au/
- https://www.nsw.gov.au/
- https://www.vic.gov.au/
- https://www.act.gov.au/
- https://nt.gov.au/
- https://www.sa.gov.au/
- https://www.wa.gov.au/
- https://www.tas.goau/
Printable Resources & Information
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resources
https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-campaign-resources
Visit our blog for further information and resources on what COVID-19 means for aged care.
COVID-19: The latest information for Aged Care and Older Australians
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented health event, and it’s up to us to try and stop the spread of infection, particularly to vulnerable groups like those in aged care services. It’s crucial we stay up-to-date with information from reliable sources to ensure we are doing the best by our people and residents.
In case you missed the announcement on the 18th of March 2020, here’s the latest advice for Aged Care from the Australian Government:
Restrictions on entry into aged care facilities
The following visitors and staff (including visiting workers) should not be permitted to enter the facility:
- Those who have returned from overseas in the last 14 days;
- Those who have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days;
- Those with fever or symptoms of acute respiratory infection (e.g. cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath); and
- Those who have not been vaccinated against influenza (after 1 May 2020)
Visitors
Aged care facilities should implement the following measures for restricting visits and visitors to reduce the risk of transmission to residents, including:
- Limiting visits to a short duration;
- Limiting visits to a maximum of two immediate social supports (family members, close friends) or professional service or advocacy at one time, per day;
- Visits should be conducted in a resident’s room, outdoors, or in a specific area designated by the aged care facility, rather than communal areas where the risk of transmission to residents is greater;
- No large group visits or gatherings, including social activities or entertainment, should be permitted at this time;
- No school groups of any size should be allowed to visit aged care facilities.
- Visitors should also be encouraged to practice social distancing practices where possible, including maintaining a distance of 1.5 metres.
- Children aged 16 years or less must be permitted only by exception, as they are generally unable to comply with hygiene measures. Exemptions can be assessed on a case-by-case basis, for example, where the resident is in a palliative care scenario.
- Measures such as phone or video calls must be accessible to all residents to enable more regular communication with family members. Family and friends should be encouraged to maintain contact with residents by phone and other social communication apps, as appropriate.
Managing illness in visitors and staff
Aged care facilities should advise all regular visitors and staff to be vigilant for illness and use hygiene measures including social distancing, and to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, specifically fever and acute respiratory illness. They should be instructed to stay away when unwell, for their own and residents’ protection.
The full media statement is available at pm.gov.au/media/update-coronavirus-measures.
For more information on COVID-19 measures, visit the health.gov.au website and visit the Umbrella Solutions blog for updates.
Worried about the Standards? Sort your PCI by COB with Coverage.
At Umbrella Solutions, we’ve designed Coverage to be so simple to purchase and use that we reckon you could have a live Plan for Continuous dashboard up and running in with only a few minutes of effort!
Subscribe to Coverage: Effort – 2 minutes
We’ve made it super simple to get started with Coverage and the first month is free.
Jump on our website https://umbrella.solutions/coverage grab the monthly subscription product, enter your details and credit card and you’re off. In a few seconds you’ll receive an email about your order.
Don’t worry we won’t charge your credit card until next month, and you have the freedom to cancel any time via our website. We won’t make you write a letter or talk to a high pressure call centre sales person to cancel your subscription. Just go to https://Umbrella.Solutions/my-account find your order and cancel it.
Relax while we get your environment ready: Effort – 0 minutes
Grab a cuppa while our team gets to work building your secure environment in the cloud.
It’s doesn’t take us to long, usually a couple of business hours. But at really busy times it may take longer, so if we’re flat out we’ll give you a heads up.
We’re working on automating this process so soon it will be completed in minutes, any time of the day!
Configuration information via email: Effort – 1 minutes
We’ll send you a welcome email once everything is ready, then we’ll need one last thing: the email address of the person who will be administering Coverage. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be technical – Coverage is super simple to manage.
You’ll also receive a completed order email with your invoice, which will be $0 for the first month.
Login and setup your service: Effort – 3 minutes
Shortly you’ll receive an email, click on the Complete Registration button. 
You’ll be taken to our Coverage service, were you enter your details and pick a password.
Now you’re logged into Coverage!
Next you have to setup your first Residential our Home Care Service in the ‘Manage’ section.
Enter the details and select the Standards that apply to this service. If you’re not sure we’ve got some useful information in ‘Help’ section in the top menu
Now you’re ready to get going on to the Aged Care Quality Standards!
Create your first responses to the Aged Care Quality Standards: Effort – 4 minutes
Let’s enter our first responses. We’re not entering sample data here, this is real Evidence and Area for Improvement items that enhance your compliance with the Quality Standards!
Select your ‘Service’ at the top menu
Select number 8 for Standards 8 – Organisational Governance on the left menu
Select ‘Requirements 3c’ and then click the ‘+ Add new item button’ and select the ‘Area for Improvement’ item
Enter the details for the implementation of Coverage and then click save.
You’ve first completed Plan for Continuous Improvement action!
Now let’s create a piece of Evidence for Coverage to describe the system and value to the business. Click the ‘+ Add new item button’ and select the ‘Evidence’ item.
Enter the details and click save.
Finally, let’s create an active action for rolling out Coverage to your other team members. Click the ‘+ Add new item button’ and select ‘Area for Improvement’.
Looking good, you’ve already completed two responses to Standard 8!
Check out the PCI dashboard: Effort – 1 minute
Click on ‘PCI’ on the left menu to see your Plan for Continuous improvement.
There’s your live PCI action. But what about the completed one? Just Click the ‘Include Completed’ filter and it will appear.
Spread the word! Effort – 1 minute
Let’s get started on the roll out and add more people to Coverage. Go to ‘Manage’ and select the ‘User’ tabs and press the ‘Add User’ button.
Add their email, select a role and make sure you pick at least one Service
10 minutes and you’ve got your Aged Care Quality Standards moving
There you have it, your first use of Coverage with real world responses. And it’s all done with just 10 minutes of effort.
So what’s holding you back? Take control of the Quality Standards with Umbrella Coverage today.
Click here to get Coverage up and running or get in touch with us at hello@umbrella.solutions for more information.
Congrats Michele Bell, Ku-ring-gai Woman of the Year
Umbrella Solutions would like to congratulate KNC CEO Michele Bell for being named the Ku-ring-gai Woman of the Year for 2020.
These awards celebrate women who create positive change within communities . Michele has created innovative service models and formed strategic partnerships that ensure all community members have the information and tools that allow them to live an independent life.
KNC was one of our first Coverage beta customers and we are so proud to be associated with such a creative, community focused leader like Michele.
So please join us in celebrating Michele’s success and check out the amazing work she and the KNC team do for the Ku-ring-gai community. https://www.knc.org.au/
Umbrella Solutions Launches Coverage to Australian Aged Care Providers
Umbrella Solutions launches Coverage, it’s Aged Care Quality Standards platform, after a successful beta program with Australian residential and home care service providers.
For as little as $80 per month, you can take control of the Aged Care Quality Standards for self-assessments, audits and plans for continuous improvements.
Coverage was designed specifically for the new Aged Care Quality Standards in conjunction with out our award winning UX partners.
As much as we would like to take all the credit for the design, we have to thank our wonderful partners at Flip for bringing Coverage to life. They incorporated a clean, welcoming and playful design to Coverage.
We believe Coverage is the easiest way for aged care providers of all sizes to manage the Standards. And you can try it today for free for one month.
Here are just some of Coverage’s features
- Order online in less than 2 minutes
- Unlimited users
- Copy features to multiple Services and Standards to reduce data entry
- No tech support required
- Nothing to install, you just need a browser and the internal
- Safe, secure and simple to use
- Free one month trial – cancel anytime
The most important capability that Coverage brings to aged care providers is visibility, not only across the Standards for one service but for every accredited residential or home care service your organisation delivers. So, whether you have one or one thousand, we’ve got you covered.
Aged care providers can choose between monthly or annual subscriptions. You can purchase online via credit card and you’ll be using Coverage in no time.
We look forward to supporting Aussie providers take control of the Aged Care Quality Standards with Coverage.