🗒️ The Care Plans feature is only available for Premium plan users with Admin and Ops access.
The Care Plan feature allows you to create, manage, and track individualised care plans through their full life cycle (Draft, Planned, Active, Completed, and Archived).
Care Plans provide a structured way to organise diagnoses, goals, and tasks while ensuring no active plans overlap for a client.
Here are the Care Plan life cycle stages (status):
Draft – Not yet enabled.
Planned – Starts in the future (upcoming).
Active – Currently in progress.
Completed – Ended before today’s date.
Archived – Retired from use.
Creating a Care Plan
Navigate to Clients > List from the sidebar menu and click on the name of the client you want to create a care plan for.
Click the Care Plans tab and select '+ Add Care Plan'.
Enter the required details in the pop-up window:
Name: A descriptive title for the plan
Use information from last active Care Plan: Carry over details (Diagnoses, Goals, Tasks) from the most recent active plan.
Start Date: When care begins
End Date: When care ends
Review Date (optional): A scheduled checkpoint for re-assessment
Click 'Confirm'. The care plan will be saved in Draft status.
Adding Focus Areas (Diagnoses)
Focus Areas are the participant’s main diagnoses or areas of support that the care plan targets (e.g., Mobility Support, Diabetes Management, Mental Health).
To add the first focus area, click the blue 'Add First Focus Area' button. To add more, click the white '+ Add Focus Area' button.
Fill out the name and description of the focus area, then click 'Create'.
Click on 'Edit' or 'Remove' to amend or delete the focus area, respectively.
Important: You can't delete a Focus Area that is tied to an active Goal.
Adding Goals
Goals are measurable outcomes linked to a Focus Area (Diagnosis), where progress can be tracked, if needed.
To add the first goal, click the blue 'Add First Goal' button. To add more, click the white '+ Add Goal' button.
Select the Related Diagnosis from the dropdown menu and fill out the goal name, description, and color. Select the Progress Tracking Method from the dropdown menu: None, Percentage, or Per shift with comment (see note below).
Tick the 'comment mandatory' checkbox to require a comment. Once all fields are complete, click 'Add Goal'.
Click on 'Edit' or 'Remove' to amend or delete the goal, respectively.
Progress Tracking Methods:
Percentage: The carer moves a slider to update the progress bar.
Per shift with comment: The carer ticks off the goal and leaves a comment.
Important: At least one Diagnosis must exist to add Goals. You can't delete a Goal that is tied to an active Task.
Adding Tasks
Tasks are actionable step(s) to achieve a Goal, with customisable time of day and recurrence settings.
To add the first task, click the blue 'Add First Task' button. To add more, click the white '+ Add Task' button.
From the dropdown menu, select the Related Goal. Enter the task name and description, then set the intended time of day for the task to be completed, as well as the recurrence pattern.
Tick the 'Mandatory for Visit Completion' checkbox if you want to make the task a requirement for shift completion.
Tick the 'Multiple Instances of Responses' checkbox to allow staff to respond to the same task multiple times (e.g., checking vitals every few hours). New responses are logged without overwriting previous ones.
Click 'Add Task'.
Important: You can add, update, or delete Tasks as long as at least one Goal exists.
Enabling the Care Plan
Click 'View' in the Actions column of the Care Plan you want to enable.
Select 'Enable Care Plan' to activate it.
The system will check for any overlapping Planned or Active care plans:
No conflict: Click 'Enable Care Plan' and it will be marked as Active.
Manual resolution: You can adjust conflicting plans by clicking 'Adjust overlapped plans'. Active Care Plans with dates that are fully covered by the new plan will be Archived, while partially overlapping plans will be marked as Completed on the overlap date.
Editing Start, End, and Review Dates
Here are the fields you can edit depending on the Care Plan's current status:
Status | Editable Fields |
Draft | Start, End, and Review Dates |
Planned | Review Date only |
Active | Review Date only |
Completed | None |
Archived | None |
Standalone Goal Page
The Goals Page tab is located next to the Care Plan tab on the client's profile.
This page lists all goals across all care plans for that client, including goal details, progress, and associated plan info.
Exporting Goals
From the Goals Page, click 'Export' on the specific goal you want to export.
The download (in CSV format) will begin automatically. The file includes columns such as Goal Name, Status, Care Plan, Focus Area, Tasks, Progress, and Last Updated.
Reviewing Care Plans
ShiftCare provides a structured review process to ensure Care Plans remain up to date and compliant. If a care plan has a review date set for today, an automated reminder email is sent to the account’s registered email.
To conduct a review:
Navigate to the active Care Plan's details page and click 'Conduct Review'.
The system will log who performed the review. Click 'Mark as Reviewed'.
You will have the option to set a new future review date. Click 'Save'.
Every change to a review date is strictly audited in the system, keeping a historical record of the old date, the new date, the times, and the user who made the change.
The change log can be accessed by clicking the three vertical dots on the right side of the screen and selecting 'View Change Log'.
You can tick the 'Reviewed' checkbox when the care plan has been reviewed. It becomes unchecked if the review date is updated.
Read this guide to learn how to track client progress, view goal statistics, and export detailed Care Plan reports as PDFs or CSVs for audits and reviews.
Read this guide to learn about completing care plan tasks and goals in the mobile app.
For further assistance with Managing Care Plans, please contact our Support team using online chat when you're logged into ShiftCare, or email our Support team at support@shiftcare.com.