Foundations | Client Documents
When Documents have been uploaded to Client records, this ensures Staff working with Clients have ready access to important information. Many providers, therefore, choose to upload key Documents to Client records early in the process of entering Client information.
The benefits of having key Client documentation uploaded to Client records and readily accessible to Staff is as follows:
- Assist your organisation to effectively manage key Client information in a timely manner.
- Ensure all documentation is current and relevant by setting dates for review and assigning responsibility for maintaining document currency.
- Provide ready access for Staff to critical information when delivering Services to your Clients.
- Enforce a consistent quality of Client data across the Services by setting mandatory documents and ensuring these are uploaded to Client records.
- Assist in meeting both organisational standards and reporting bodies' compliance requirements.
The information below is a comprehensive guide relating to uploading Document files to Client records and is supported by detailed learning material in the form of videos and knowledge articles. We recommend reviewing this information to gain a thorough understanding of all related functionality, including how to upload Documents, apply Security settings and Due/Review dates, and set Staff to Notify when Documents are due for review.
A summary of the required action steps is included at the end of this article to assist your organisation complete this stage of implementation.
Audience: Authorised Representatives, and Staff involved in this phase of implementation.
Summary
The following list summarises the content within this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:
- What are Client Documents?
- Uploading Documents
- Ongoing management of Client Documents
- Linking Documents to other records
- Summary of the required action steps
What are Client Documents?
Documents are computer files, such as Word documents, PDFs, Photos etc. which are uploaded on the 'Documents tab' of a Client record:
'Documents' in SupportAbility have multiple attributes as follows:
- 'Document Type'
- 'Document 'File'
- 'Document Date' (The date the file was uploaded. This can be customised.)
- Status (Automatically determined by the data contained in several other fields of the Document)
- Notification - Due/Review Date & person selected to 'Notify'
- Security - 'Managers Only' or 'All Service'
Examples of Document Types are a Medical Support Plan, Behaviour Support Plan, NDIS Plan, Consent form, Service Agreement, Individual Risk Assessment, Intake form, etc.
Uploading Documents
We recommend thoroughly reviewing the Uploading Documents article linked below for a comprehensive understanding of the following functionality relating to uploading Documents to Client records:
- Where and how to create a Document and upload a file to this.
- Selecting a Document Type for the Document record, to assist your organisation with managing, searching, auditing and reporting on Documents.
- 'Document Type' is a searchable filter when conducting a Document Search.
- Amending the Document Date which automatically populates when the Document file is uploaded, to match the actual/signature date of the Document, as required.
- Explanations of the different types of Status a Document record may be in.
- The Status is automatically determined by the data contained in several other fields pertaining to that Document record.
- Dashboard Notifications alerting Staff who have been set to Notify, that the Due/Review Date for a Document is approaching.
- Security Settings ('Managers Only' and 'Service') to assist with managing the Security of Documents and restricting access to them.
- Managing outdated Documents using the 'Obsolete' function, and warnings about deleting Documents.
Once Documents have been uploaded, Staff with the relevant access to Client records will be able to Download and Preview Documents easily at the click of a button.
Ongoing management of Client Documents
Incomplete Client Record Warnings
As your organisation progresses through implementation and new Client records are being created, we recommend regular monitoring of Client records for Incomplete Client Record warnings:
These Warnings once opened, provide details as to why the Client record is deemed as 'incomplete' e.g. 'This person is missing the following documents: NDIS Plan etc':
Warnings are helpful in alerting Staff that Client records require further information, and if compulsory Document Types have been specified for each Service during Foundations | Configuration, Warnings will appear when compulsory Documents have not been uploaded to the relevant Client records.
Document Search
The Document Search feature accessed via Reports::Documents:
allows Staff to search by different Document Types (i.e. Clients, Staff, Contacts, organisation Incidents or Opportunities for Improvement OFI), using a range of filters for a variety of purposes. The Document list generated from this search is relative to an individual user's level of access.
Depending on the filters selected a Search can be helpful in identifying those Client records which are ' missing' a particular 'Document Type' e.g. Consent form or 'All compulsory documents' relative to a specific 'Client Service:
Linking Documents to other records
Once Document Files have been uploaded to the Documents tab, it is then possible to link to these 'Documents' from several areas in a Client record, so that Staff have ready access to key Client information:
- Client Details tab::Consent
- Status tab::Warnings, Medical Conditions, & Behaviours
- Goals tab::Goal Details
- Journal tab::Journal Details
In this example we have shown the NDIS Support Plan - 01/07/2017' linked to a Clients Goal:
The Document File can either be downloaded (orange icon) or simply opened for viewing (blue icon) from here.
The 'Download and Preview Documents' article provides more information relating to this functionality.
Summary of the required action steps
When instructing Staff on uploading Documents to Client records, we recommend the following as a guide:
- 'Document records' have been created for all compulsory Document Types within Client records, and the corresponding Document Files have been uploaded to these Document records.
- 'Document Dates' have been amended if required, to correspond to the dates within the Document File.
- 'Due/Review Dates' have been set for all Document records.
- The relevant Staff have been set to 'Notify' as the Document's 'Due/Review Date' approaches.
- Security Settings have been applied if relevant to Document records (i.e. 'Managers Only', and/or 'Locked to a specific Service').
- Monitor Client records for 'Incomplete' Client Warnings and ensures missing elements, i.e. compulsory Documents have been uploaded to the Client record.
We hope this guide has assisted your organisation to determine a plan for uploading Documents to Client records.