Policy management for care and support providers
One policy. One version. Proof that everyone has read it.
Policy Core replaces the SharePoint folders, email attachments and spreadsheets your policies live in today. Write each policy as numbered parts, say who has to read it, and see exactly who has, version by version.
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Works with Care Core. Shares policy text as JSON and xAPI. Not endorsed by the Care Inspectorate.
The question you will be asked
“Show me what this policy said in March, and who had read it.”
An inspector, a commissioner or a solicitor will ask. In a folder of documents that takes an afternoon and some hope. In Policy Core it takes a moment, because the answer is the record itself.
- 1.1What it said. Every published version is kept exactly as it was. A published version never changes.
- 1.2Who had read it. A dated confirmation for each person and each version, including readings a manager recorded from paper.
- 1.3What changed. New, changed and removed parts are marked, and a changed part shows what it said before.
From a folder nobody trusts to a system that can be trusted
Policies kept as files in SharePoint, on a network drive or in email are easy to lose track of: several copies, no clear current one, forms stored somewhere else, and no way to see who has read what without a spreadsheet.
| The question | In a folder of documents | In Policy Core |
|---|---|---|
| Which version is current? | Check the file name and hope. | One version is in force. Published versions never change, and older ones stay in the history. |
| Where is the form that goes with it? | Somewhere else in the folder tree. | Forms and appendices belong to the policy, and must be confirmed as still current before a new version can be published. |
| Who has to read it? | An email, or a list kept by hand. | Chosen once: everyone, teams, job titles or named people. New joiners are included automatically. |
| Who has read it? | Chase replies and update a spreadsheet. | A dated record for each person and each version, with who is still outstanding at a glance. |
| What changed? | Open both files and compare. | New, changed and removed parts are marked, and a changed part shows what it said before. |
| Can I point to one clause? | “Somewhere on page 6.” | Numbered parts (“2.2.1”) with permanent links that survive reorganising. |
What makes it different
Refer to any clause by its number
Policies are written as sections (1), subsections (1.1), paragraphs (1.1.1) and items (1.1.1.1). A manager, an inspector and a new starter can all mean the same thing by “2.2.1”. Every part has a permanent link that keeps working when the policy is reorganised, and can be tagged with the standard or requirement it relates to.
(opens a larger view)Know who has read it without asking
Say who a policy applies to once: everyone, teams, job titles or named people. The page for each policy lists the people it applies to, who has confirmed the version in force and who has not. Send a reminder when you choose to, record a reading made on paper, and print a dated record for an inspector.
(opens a larger view)Change a policy without losing the past
Before you publish, the draft tells you what is missing and what publishing will do: the version number, how many people it reaches and whether they must read it again. A change everyone must read again becomes 2.0. A small correction becomes 1.1, and earlier readings carry forward with the record saying so.
(opens a larger view)Share it where it is needed
Policies are needed beyond the library: in a learning system, a job description, a payroll or finance procedure, an intranet. Give another system a read-only key and it can read the published text as JSON, fetch one part to quote, and check that its copy is still the one in force. Learning systems get xAPI.
GET /api/v1/policies/infection-control/parts/4f9c2a7d
{
"citation": "Infection prevention and control
(POL-001), version 1.0, part 2.2.1",
"part": { "number": "2.2.1", ... },
"is_current": true,
"sha256": "9d1f…"
}An example of what a payroll or HR tool receives. The hash changes only when something in force changes.
Everything it does
- Numbered parts you can refer toSections, subsections, paragraphs and items, numbered 1, 1.1, 1.1.1 and 1.1.1.1 by their place in the policy. Each part has a permanent link that keeps working when the numbers change.
- Write it properlyA rich-text editor with bold, italic, bulleted and numbered lists, links and pictures. Pasting from Word keeps the lists and the bold.
- Appendices, forms and templatesWrite them in the system so they can be read, searched and printed with the policy, or upload the Word, Excel or PDF form you already have. A file can be turned into a written one later without losing its history.
- Kept in scope and up to dateEvery appendix belongs to a policy. When you start a new version each one must be confirmed as still current, replaced or removed before it can be published, and an earlier version always shows its appendices as they were.
- Who has read whatFor each policy, the people it applies to and who has confirmed reading the version in force, with the date. Apply it to everyone, to teams, to job titles or to named people; new joiners are included automatically.
- Versions with a historyA change everyone must read again is 2.0. A small correction is 1.1 and people who read the last version are counted, with the record saying so. Old versions never change, and a new one shows exactly which parts are new, changed or removed.
- Find it and trace itSearch finds words inside any part and gives its number. Tag parts with the requirement or standard they relate to, and see on one page where each is dealt with.
- Check understandingShort multiple-choice questions with a pass mark, and a view of which questions people miss.
- Evidence you can printA reading record for a policy or for one person, ready to print or save, and a spreadsheet download. Review dates and a list of what is due.
- Share it where it is neededAn administrator can give another system a read-only key. It reads your published policies as JSON, fetches a single part to quote (in a job description or a payroll procedure, say), and checks that its copy is still the one in force. Learning systems get each policy as an xAPI activity and reading confirmations as xAPI statements they fetch. Drafts are never shared.
- Staff come from Care CoreJoiners, job titles, teams and leavers arrive from Care Core within a minute, so there is no second list to keep up to date.
- Help built inForty step-by-step pages for staff, managers and administrators, with pictures of the real screens, a glossary, and a link from every screen to the page that explains it. Open to read without signing in.
Built for the three people who use it
Staff
One list of what you have been asked to read and how long each takes. A contents list for long policies, search that finds words inside any part, and one clear step to confirm. It works with a keyboard, a screen reader and a printer.
Managers
Write and update policies, see who is behind, record a reading made on paper, and print evidence for an inspector or a commissioner. Your home page shows who has the most still to read.
Administrators
Look after people, roles and settings, or connect Care Core so the staff list looks after itself. Give other systems read-only keys and revoke them in one click.
Fits what you already run
Care Core
Joiners, job titles, teams and leavers arrive within about a minute. No second staff list. The link is read-only.
SharePoint and shared drives
Keep the existing PDF or Word file at first, then rebuild it as numbered parts at its next review. No big-bang migration.
Learning systems
Each policy as an xAPI activity, and reading confirmations as xAPI statements your learning record store fetches.
Everything else
A read-only JSON interface for HR, payroll, finance and intranets, with a content hash so a copy can be checked.
Honest about what it is
It does not write your policies, and it does not tell you whether a policy meets a standard. The wording and the responsibility stay with you.
A reading record shows a person confirmed a version. It does not prove they understood it (questions help) or that they follow it.
It has not yet had an independent security test or accessibility audit. It is built and automatically tested to WCAG 2.2 AA and beyond, keeps no analytics, and sets one cookie. What has and has not been done
Questions people ask
Do we have to move every policy at once?
No. Create each policy, attach the PDF or Word file you already have, and rebuild it as numbered parts when it is next reviewed. Reading records start from the day you publish.
Do we need Care Core?
No. Care Core keeps the staff list up to date for you, but you can add people by hand or import a list. Policy Core works the same either way.
Can people sign in without a password?
Yes. They can use a one-time emailed link that lasts 15 minutes, or a password.
Does it write our policies, or supply templates?
No. It keeps, shares and tracks your policies. You can start from a common set of headings, with no wording, or copy one of your own policies.
What does it cost?
Prices are not published yet. Policy Core is available on request, with an agreement that covers data protection, support and price. Send us a short enquiry with roughly how many people and policies you have.
Where is our data, and who can see it?
Only people in your organisation, according to their role. Nothing is shared between organisations, and it holds no care or health information about the people you support. Security and trust
Stop wondering which policy is the real one.
Open the live demonstration with invented people and policies. It resets every night.
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