Winter Pressures in Care Homes: How Digital Medication Management Protects Residents During the Busiest Season
Winter brings predictable challenges for care homes across the UK, but December stands out as one of the most demanding times of the year. Seasonal illnesses rise, GP visits increase, PRN medications are used more frequently, and staffing becomes stretched as teams deal with annual leave, sickness, and agency support. For care providers, this places enormous pressure on medication management in nursing, a process already sensitive to staffing, communication and time constraints.
At eMAR Plus, we see how winter pressures strain even the best-run homes. The reality is simple: winter magnifies risks that already exist in medication rounds. Interruptions become more frequent, documentation becomes harder to keep up with, and miscommunication becomes more likely. A strong medication administration policy remains essential, but during winter, digital tools become the backbone of safe practice.
This is where an eMAR system, like eMAR Plus, provides stability, clarity and real-time oversight during the busiest season.
Why Winter Exposes Weaknesses in Medication Processes
Winter affects medication administration in several predictable ways. Unclear documentation, misunderstandings during handover, and environmental distractions are major contributors to errors. These risks increase significantly as homes deal with winter illness outbreaks and higher volumes of medication changes.
Medication rounds also become more complex during winter because:
Respiratory infections increase the number of antibiotics, steroids and PRN medicines prescribed.
Residents often require closer monitoring, adding extra tasks to already busy rounds.
Agency staff are more likely to be involved, increasing the need for clarity and consistent processes.
GPs issue more last-minute medication changes, creating more opportunities for miscommunication.
Staff fatigue rises and that fatigue alone raises error risk significantly.
When you combine these factors, winter becomes a perfect test of a home’s medication management software and its underlying systems.
How Digital Medication Management Supports Safer Winter Rounds
1. Real-time updates reduce miscommunication
In December, medication changes happen fast. Relying on paper makes it too easy for updates to be missed or misunderstood. Digital medication administration software ensures that every authorised staff member sees accurate, up-to-date information.
This is reflected powerfully in the feedback from Siobhan Brammeld, Residential Manager at Massereene Manor (Hutchinson Care Homes). She told us:
“Any changes to a resident's medication are instantly updated in the system, ensuring that all staff are up to date. This eliminates the potential for miscommunication and guarantees a smooth handover between shifts.”
These instant updates are vital during winter, when the pace of change is at its highest. She also highlighted how the system prevents missed or incorrect doses:
“The system’s real-time alerts have helped prevent medication errors by notifying us if a dose is missed or administered incorrectly.”
That kind of real-time oversight is precisely what a winter-ready medication administration policy requires.
2. Minimising interruptions, a major source of winter errors
Interruptions increase medication error risk. In fact, every interruption can raise the likelihood of an error significantly.
Winter brings more:
Call bells
GP calls
Residents needing additional support
Family visits
General noise and activity as homes prepare for the festive period
An eMAR system such as eMAR Plus helps staff maintain focus by:
Clearly marking what has been completed
Highlighting overdue medications
Helping staff resume the round safely after being called away
Reducing manual paperwork, which contributes to distraction and workflow breaks
Our independent study conducted in Antrim Care Home revealed the practical impact of this: medication administration time was reduced by more than 50% using eMAR Plus. This improves efficiency and decreases opportunities for errors caused by interruptions.
3. Supporting agency staff with structured, secure processes
December is one of the busiest months for agency staffing. Temporary staff need instant clarity not hours of training and the system must ensure accountability even when the team includes unfamiliar faces.
Helen Craig, Scheme Manager at Loughview Fold (Radius Housing), spoke directly to this when she said:
“The system is user friendly, easy to use and it's great when we have agency staff coming in as they are able to get their own login and have limited access to the system which provides a good level of security.”
She also highlighted the strength of onboarding support, which is invaluable when winter staffing is stretched:
“Training was absolutely fantastic… tailored to the needs of our residents and staff. The team came out on site for the first few days… which was fantastic.”
Digital medication management software helps ensure that no matter who is administering medicines that day, the process is structured, consistent and governed by the same medication administration policy.
4. Clearer PRN governance during infection peaks
Winter inevitably brings more PRN use, for fever, pain, respiratory symptoms, agitation and infection-related discomfort. PRN management becomes high-risk under pressure.
A nursing care plan for medication management depends on detailed, accurate information:
When was the last PRN given?
Was it effective?
Is it safe to give another dose now?
Digital systems like eMAR Plus display all PRN information clearly and in one place, reducing the clinical risk and supporting evidence-based decisions.
5. Strengthening winter compliance, auditing and oversight
The winter period often coincides with compliance checks, internal audits and preparation for January inspections. A robust audit trail is one of the foundations of a reliable medication administration policy and eMAR Plus automates much of this work.
Graeme Beatty, Housing with Care Manager at Radius Housing, summarised the advantage clearly:
“Moving away from paper and onto the eMAR system has been much more secure for staff and residents and provides better accountability for everyone... We no longer have lots of files and paperwork to look through.”
This aligns perfectly with NICE guidance that stresses the importance of accurate, accessible and consistent medication records in care homes.
With digital reporting, managers can review:
Missed doses
Late administrations
Stock levels
PRN patterns
Staff activity logs
all of which are essential for winter governance and safety.
What Winter-Ready Medication Practice Looks Like
A winter-ready home integrates clinical knowledge, operational processes, and digital tools. It means combining a robust medication administration policy, an intuitive eMAR system, and a strong nursing care plan for medication management.
The homes we work with consistently report:
Fewer medication errors
Faster, more structured rounds
Improved communication between care home, pharmacy and GP
Greater accountability
Better use of limited staff time
Stronger compliance outcomes
Lilian Faithfull Care, who implemented eMAR in partnership with PillPacPlus, explained how adopting the system modernised their approach:
“Using the PillPacPlus eMAR system has made medication administration simpler and safer… Each trained staff member has personalised login details, which enhances accountability and makes auditing easier.”
This kind of confidence is especially important in winter, when safety, communication and efficiency matter most.
Winter Requires More Than Good Intentions, It Requires the Right Tools
Winter doesn’t allow shortcuts. It demands a medication management approach that reduces risk, supports staff, and keeps residents safe, even on the busiest days. Medication management software like eMAR Plus provides the structure, visibility and accountability needed to handle December safely and confidently.
