One of the hardest parts of arranging care for a parent is the not-knowing. You can’t be there every day, and you don’t want to ring your Mum each morning to ask whether the carer turned up. Your sister in Edinburgh wants to stay involved. Your brother wants to know the medication is being taken.
Birdie, our family app, shows the people you choose every visit as it happens: who came, when, what they did and what they noticed. Several families tell us it’s what they miss most if they move to a provider without it.
Full transcript
It's really important that me and the whole team trust what Birdie gives to us and the information it gives, because the more trust we put in the information, the better informed decision we can make. And given the decisions that we make impact real people, our real clients and the quality of care they receive, it's super important that we get that right.
It's really important that me and the whole team trust what Birdie gives to us, because the more trust we put in the information, the better informed decision we can make. And given that the decisions we make impact real people, our real clients and the quality of care they receive, it's super important we get that right.
What the Birdie family app shows
Visit schedule and confirmation. Upcoming visits for the week, with the carer’s name, arrival time and visit length. The app confirms when a carer arrives and leaves. If there’s a concern, a missed visit or a change, you’re told as soon as it’s logged.
Carer notes and observations. After each visit, the carer writes a short, plain note on how the client seemed. It lists tasks completed (washing, dressing, meal preparation), tasks declined and anything outside the care plan. Read every note or get a daily summary.
Wellbeing and mood tracking. Carers record mood and energy on each visit. Over time this shows gradual changes that might otherwise be missed.
Medication administration records. Where we administer medication as part of the care plan, the app records what was given and when, and any missed dose, refusal or side effect.
Secure messaging with the care team. Message the office from the app. We respond during office hours (8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday), and each message is logged against the care record.
Photo sharing, with consent. With explicit consent from the person receiving care, carers can share occasional photos, such as after a haircut. Photos are stored in Birdie’s GDPR-compliant system, not on a carer’s personal phone. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Who can see what
We set up permission levels with you at the care planning stage.
- The person receiving care can see their own care record.
- A primary family contact typically has full access to notes, medication records, messages and photos.
- Other family members can have view-only access to visit confirmations and key updates.
- Professional contacts (a social worker, district nurse or hospital coordinator) can be added where it helps the care plan.
You decide who’s on the list and what they see.
Why we use Birdie rather than text messages or email
Some smaller providers send families daily WhatsApp messages or emails. We use Birdie for three reasons.
It’s part of a regulated care record. Carers use Birdie during the visit. The notes you see are the notes the CQC sees.
It’s secure, and it keeps care off personal phones. UK GDPR sets a high bar for storing health data, and Birdie is built to meet it. A WhatsApp thread isn’t. Our carers use the app on a work device, never their own phones, so messages stay within the care record.
It scales without becoming chaotic. Three siblings and two professionals can all stay informed without forwarding updates between groups.
What happens at the start of care
We set up the app with you in the assessment meeting.
- You tell us who needs access. Usually a main contact plus one or two others.
- We confirm consent with the person receiving care.
- We send each invited person a sign-up link. Setup takes a few minutes on a phone or tablet.
- Visits start. Notes and updates appear in the app from the first visit.
- We review after the first month and adjust access, notifications and detail. Some families want every visit, others a daily summary.
What about families who prefer paper or a phone call?
We can provide a paper care plan and a weekly phone call from the office instead.
A word on privacy and consent
The person receiving care comes first. If they don’t want photos shared, photos aren’t shared. If they don’t want a particular family member to see their care notes, we honour that. Consent rests with the person receiving care, not with the family.
Information shared is information needed. Detailed medical information stays in the care record and goes to GPs, district nurses or hospital teams as needed. It isn’t pushed to family by default.
Consent can be changed at any time. Add or remove a family member, change what someone sees, or stop photos altogether. Tell us and we’ll do it.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK regulator for data protection. If you have a concern about how we handle data about you or your family member, you can raise it with us first, and you can also raise it with the ICO.
- Call 01636 646915, 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday
- Email hello@helpingathome.co.uk
- Request a care assessment and we’ll be in touch when it suits you
For more about who would be visiting and how we keep care consistent, see our familiar carers page.