How to Add and Manage Clients 🚀

Clients are at the heart of OnCare. Every client gets a dedicated profile containing all the information care workers need to deliver safe, personalised care, from contact details and care plans to medication and visit history.

A well-maintained client profile is essential for CQC compliance. Inspectors expect to see that care is person-centred, that care plans are kept up to date, and that you can demonstrate how care needs are assessed and reviewed. OnCare stores all of this in one place, making it easy to pull up a complete picture of any client's care at any time.

If client profiles are incomplete or out of date, care workers may arrive at a visit without the information they need to deliver safe care. This is especially dangerous for clients with complex health conditions, medication requirements, or specific mobility needs. Keeping profiles accurate is not just good practice, it is a safeguarding requirement.

Each client profile is organised into clear sections so nothing gets missed. The profile includes:

To add a new client, go to People in the top navigation, select Clients, and click Add a Client. You will be asked to fill in the client's basic details including their name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email (if applicable). You can also add key contacts such as next of kin or GP.

Once the client is created, their profile is ready. You can then build out their care plan, risk assessment, medication records, and visit types. Make sure to complete all sections thoroughly before scheduling visits, as care workers will rely on this information during their visits.

The care plan is one of the most important parts of the client profile. It is split into four sub-tabs: Summary, Care Plan, Risk Assessment, and Communication Log.

The Care Plan tab contains four major sections, each with individual plan boxes that you fill in with detailed information about the client's needs, preferences, and required support. Each plan box supports unlimited characters, so you can be as detailed as necessary. Only the sections you have completed will be visible to care workers, which keeps the information relevant and easy to navigate.

Care plans can be downloaded as a PDF that includes your agency logo, business details, client information, and the client's photo. These PDFs are designed to be printed and left in the client's home, as CQC requires a paper copy to be available for care workers to reference during visits. You can also add up to 5 custom fields to capture any additional information specific to your agency's needs.

Risk assessments follow a similar structure to care plans. They cover areas such as falls, medication, mobility, skin integrity, nutrition, and other key risk factors. Each section can be filled in with detailed notes and risk scores. Like care plans, risk assessments can be downloaded as formatted PDFs with your agency branding for printing and filing in the client's home.

Keeping risk assessments up to date is critical for CQC compliance. Inspectors will check that risk assessments are reviewed regularly and that they accurately reflect the client's current needs and circumstances.

If a client requires medication administration, you can set up their medication records directly on their profile. Go to the Medication section and add each medication, including the name, dosage, how it should be administered, when it should be given, the prompt for the care worker, which days it applies, and any additional notes.

When a care worker visits a client who has medication scheduled, the eMAR appears in the mobile app and the care worker must record whether each medication was taken, not taken, not scheduled, or not reported. This creates a digital audit trail that replaces paper MAR charts. eMAR is covered in detail in a separate article. The key point for client profiles is that medication records must be set up accurately on the profile before care workers can use eMAR during visits.

From the client's Summary tab, scroll to Visit Types and click Edit. Here you can set up different visit types (for example, Morning Visit, Evening Visit, Overnight) and assign tasks to each. These tasks will appear for the care worker in the app during that visit type.

OnCare provides a library of over 20 standard tasks including medication, body map, food, drinks, personal care, toilet assistance, repositioning, companionship, laundry, groceries, housework, and more. You can also create up to 5 custom tasks in Settings if you need something specific to your agency. Each task should have a detailed prompt so care workers know exactly what is expected.

Tasks can be set as optional or required. If a task is marked as required, the care worker will not be able to clock out of the visit until they have completed it. This ensures that critical care activities are never missed.

The Communication Log is a shared space where office staff can leave notes for care workers and family members. It includes text messages, notifications when a care worker checks in to a visit, and a summary of each visit once it is completed. This keeps everyone involved in the client's care informed about what is happening.

The communication log is visible to care workers through the mobile app and to family members through the Friends and Family web portal (if they have been given access). It is a useful tool for passing on important updates, such as changes to the care plan, reminders about appointments, or notes from family members.

You can set reminders on a client's profile for important dates and recurring reviews. This includes care plan review dates, medication reviews, risk assessment reviews, and any other scheduled assessments. Reminders help ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and that all documentation stays current, which is essential for CQC compliance.

Every change made to a client's profile is logged automatically in the Profile History. This includes the date, time, and name of the staff member who made the change. This audit trail is invaluable during CQC inspections, as it demonstrates that client records are actively maintained and that you can trace exactly who made changes and when.

You can upload documents directly to a client's profile. This includes consent forms, hospital discharge letters, assessment reports, or any other files relevant to the client's care. Having these documents stored digitally alongside the client's profile means that office staff and care workers can access them quickly when needed, rather than searching through paper files.

From the client's Summary page, you will see a Friends and Family section. Click Add to invite a contact by entering their first name, last name, and email address, then send the invite. The contact will receive an email to set up their account and access the web portal, where they can view visit reports, upcoming visits, care worker details, and leave reviews. Friends and Family access is covered in more detail in a separate article.

When a client is no longer receiving care from your agency, you can archive their profile. Archiving removes the client from your active list and from scheduling, but it does not delete their records. All care plans, visit reports, medication records, and other data are preserved and can still be accessed if needed, for example during a CQC inspection or if the client returns to your service.

To archive a client, go to their profile and select the archive option. You can also unarchive a client at any time if they return to your care.

To archive a client you simply need to go on the People tab. Click on Clients or Care Workers depending on the profile you want to archive. Then click on the three dots next to the care worker or client name and from there you'll be able to see three options and one of them is Archive Client or Care Worker.

Client profiles in OnCare are comprehensive but there are some limitations to be aware of. Profiles do not include a built-in messaging system for communicating directly with clients or their families outside of the communication log. There is no automated care plan review workflow that prompts you to update care plans at set intervals, though you can use reminders to track review dates manually. Profiles also do not support attaching video or audio files, only standard document formats.

If you need to share client information with external parties such as GPs, commissioners, or social workers, you can download care plans and risk assessments as PDFs and share them securely outside of the system.