The problem
Paper MAR sheets live in clients' homes, so a gap or a wrong signature is often found at the monthly audit, weeks after the dose. Collecting sheets for 28 clients takes about 6 hours a month, and auditing them at 20 minutes each takes another 9.3 hours.
What the AI does
CareLineLive's eMAR lets carers log dosages, outcomes, photos and comments in the Carer Companion app at each visit. Its site says the system supports task tracking, uses real-time alerts and electronic signatures, and that remote audits replace manual checks, with records stored in one searchable place. A trained senior sets up each prescription from the pharmacy's label or MAR, a second person checks it, and the senior reviews alerts and audits records each week. Medication support stays under your medicines policy, and CQC and NICE guidance on managing medicines in community social care still apply.
A worked example
A home care agency in Swindon supports 28 clients with medication. Its 15 carers already use CareLineLive's carer app for visit check-in, and the field supervisor moves medication records onto eMAR.
Before
6 hours collecting MAR sheets and 28 audits at 20 minutes: about 15.3 hours a month
After
28 remote audits at 8 minutes: about 3.7 hours a month
What it's worth
About $279£210€250A$403C$395 a month of senior time saved; on its own that is less than the $394£296€352A$568C$556 subscription, which also covers visit check-in, invoicing and payroll. The saving is 11.6 hours at an assumed $24£18€21A$35C$34 an hour. The cost is 15 carers at $26.20£19.70€23.44A$37.82C$37.04 on the Bring Your Own Device plan, the same subscription as carer check-in, so it pays back when you use both.
How to set it up
- Enter each client's medicines from the pharmacy label or MAR chart, and have a second trained person check every entry.
- Record what support each client needs, such as prompting or administering, in their care plan first.
- Train carers to record a refused or missed dose with a reason, not to leave it blank.
- Decide who responds to a medication alert and how fast, including at weekends.
- Audit records remotely each week for the first two months, then monthly, and keep a log of what you found and did.
What goes wrong
- Every prescription change must be updated in the system the same day. An out-of-date eMAR is more dangerous than paper because carers trust it.
- Alerts only help if someone acts on them. Name the person on call for medication alerts.
- If a client's phone signal is poor, check how the app handles offline recording before relying on it there.
- The cost exceeds the saving if eMAR is the only feature you use; it makes sense as part of the full subscription.