Over the past few years, Homestyle, an aged care provider serving the communities of Melbourne and Geelong, has tackled the monumental task of meeting the dual needs of industry reform and pandemic adaptation. global.
In 2021, the Royal Commission into Aged Care published a report calling for the digitization of the aged care sector. lagging behind in the use of modern technology. This includes the use of digital and remote technologies, the use of which has accelerated since the introduction of social restrictions.
To fulfill this call, Homestyle has embarked on a digital transformation journey towards a hybrid IT ecosystem.
“Family style [chose] to run a hybrid or low-touch IT department. That means we’ve outsourced some of our requirements to third parties. This includes WAN, managed services, engineering, networking, and network support. We maintain operations and analytics in-house,” said CIO Peter Gunn Healthcare IT news.
The foundation of the IT ecosystem is a managed service run by a single provider, consolidating end-user support across the workforce, home and back office.
“We use Interaction (local IT service provider) for support, network support, engineering, networking, and some project work.”
This also includes on-premises support, as well as support for cloud migration and regulatory adjustments, which the federal commission specifically emphasized.
One or many suppliers?
For three decades, Homestyle, which has provided care services in 10 homes with more than one and a half thousand employees, has always maintained its philosophy of “comprehensive residential aged care in a caring, compassionate environment and respect”.
To free up time that can be better spent delivering its core services, organizations should contract with managed IT services.
Gunn shares: “The goal is to provide Homestyle with a responsive support mechanism that allows the business to operate at full capacity 24/7. This gives back to our staff and the residents we care for.” care for the best possible results”.
Whether coming from one or multiple vendors, compatibility is paramount, at least for Homestyle, in providing managed IT services.
“Outsourcing IT service management software to a unit [provider] can benefit Australian aged care providers by centralizing operations, reducing costs, enhancing data security, ensuring regulatory compliance and providing 24/7 support. It allows aged care providers to focus on core services while also accessing IT expertise.”
Peter Gunn, CIO, Homestyle
“However, there are risks such as vendor lock-in, service shortages and dependence on a single supplier. Choosing the right partner for managed IT services is the biggest challenge. Ensuring Ensuring providers understand aged care needs, have strong service agreements in place and consider a blended approach can minimize risk and provide greater flexibility.”
In its digital evolution, Gunn says it never neglects cybersecurity, especially in these times where breaches and hacks are becoming increasingly common. more complex and more targeted.
“Homestyle continues to invest in data and cybersecurity to ensure our environment is stable and protected. We are focused on enhancing the security of our data through security protocols, Enhanced encryption and monitoring to reduce the risk of breaches, protecting both institutional intellectual property and resident information Continuously reviewing and monitoring our security posture allows Homestyle to build confidence in our systems and ensuring regulatory compliance.”
