Guide
Care home relative portal
One link per resident. The home chooses what is on it. Relatives do not get the staff record.
Why portals beat phone trees
Care England research with Log my Care found most families want digital updates, while far fewer actually get them. The gap shows up as anxious calls to the registered manager - the same questions, every week.
- “Did the resident take the evening dose?” - answered in the activity feed
- “When is the GP review?” - visible on the shared appointments list
- “What should paramedics know?” - SOS card ready to share
- “Can we see a visit summary?” Shift notes and the medication chart, without photocopy chaos
What good relative portal software does
Fewer repeat family calls
Relatives open one link and see the day the home published, instead of phoning for the same update.
One portal per resident
One link per resident. The home chooses care, visits, and updates. Staff notes stay with staff.
The same record an inspector can see
The published day is a view of the home’s record. It is not a second system beside the care record.
How small homes start in a week
- Trial Starter or Practice - add a handful of residents, not the whole home on day one.
- Invite one “champion” family per resident so feedback is real before you roll out wider.
- Train staff on logging meds and visits in the Staff app / web MAR - that is what families see.
- Record a GP or hospital visit on the resident when it happens.
- Agree one success metric for the trial (e.g. 30% fewer family calls in two weeks).
Related: For care homes · All guides · Trust.
Show families you have a portal - keep your clinical stack
14-day trial. Staff tools, relative portal, compliance CSV, and inspection pack for small UK homes.