Migrating from Birdie to homecareOS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Most agencies stay on software they've outgrown because the switch feels frightening, not because the software is good. If you're weighing up the move, it's worth reading the wider landscape first. Our roundup of Birdie alternatives worth switching to sets the context, and the head-to-head on homecareOS vs Birdie covers exactly where the two platforms differ. This post assumes you've already decided, and just want to know how to move without dropping a visit.

To be clear up front: Birdie is a capable platform that a lot of agencies run happily. This isn't a takedown. It's a migration runbook for agencies who've decided homecareOS is a better fit, because they operate outside England, want cover-finding and Bradford Factor scoring on day one, or simply want office staff off the per-seat meter.

Step 1: Export your data from Birdie

Goal: get a clean copy of everything that matters out of your current system before you touch anything else.

Birdie lets you export the core operational records you'll need. Pull these first:

• Service users: names, addresses, contacts, key-safe details, funding source
• Carers: contact details, contracted hours, pay grade, DBS/registration status
• Care plans and risk assessments: export as PDF for the record and CSV where the structured fields are available
• Rate cards: what you charge each payer and what you pay staff
• The active rota: your recurring visit patterns, not just next week's schedule

Two practical notes. First, historic care notes and MAR are your records. Export them as PDF/CSV and store them safely for your retention obligations. They do not load into homecareOS, which imports service users, carers, visits, care plans, training, background checks and worker registrations, and nothing else. Second, if the self-service export doesn't reach something you need, ask Birdie support in writing for a full data export; you're entitled to your data, and it's a routine request. Don't cancel anything yet.

Step 2: Map the data to the homecareOS model

Goal: understand how your records translate into the homecareOS structure, so nothing gets lost in translation.

homecareOS is built on a visit-centric data model, which is slightly different from a carer-centric one and worth thirty seconds of your attention. The visit is the root record; carers are attendees on it, with roles: LEAD, SUPPORT (double-ups), SHADOW (trainees), SUPERVISOR, SPOT_CHECK. That single model absorbs double-ups, shadow shifts and spot checks cleanly instead of bolting on flags.

Two other concepts to map against:

• Four-value time: every visit tracks planned, actual, paid and charged time independently. If you've ever had a council pay for 45 minutes while you pay the carer for 30 plus travel, this is where that lives.
• Payer → service → rate bands: billing is driven separately from pay. Your rate cards map onto banded rates (15/30/45/60-minute bands, hourly above) or fixed fees (sleeping night, waking night, live-in).

You don't have to become an expert here. The migration team does the mapping with you. But knowing the shape of the destination makes the whole move faster. If you're still comparing options at this stage, our how-to-choose checklist has a section specifically on what "good" data migration looks like.

Step 3: Configure homecareOS

Goal: stand up your agency so the imported data has somewhere correct to land.

Configuration happens in a short setup wizard, and the order matters:

• Nation and regulator: this is the first choice, and it's a big one. Set England for CQC (with DBS checks and the Care Certificate), Wales for CIW under RISCA (DBS, Social Care Wales registration, Welsh-language duties), Scotland for the Care Inspectorate (PVG scheme, SSSC registration, the Health and Social Care Standards), or Northern Ireland for RQIA (AccessNI checks, NISCC registration). Your nation drives the compliance templates and the ID types you'll use everywhere else, one reason agencies outside England leave England-only systems in the first place.
• Pay grades and rate cards: recreate the grades from your export (Healthcare Assistant, Senior Carer, and so on), then the pay waterfall does the rest: visit override beats pay grade beats base rate.
• Run templates: turn your recurring visit patterns into templates so a week's rota builds from your real rounds, not from scratch.

This is also the point where bulk CSV import loads your service users, carers, care plans and rate cards into the structure you configured.

Step 4: Train the office and carers

Goal: make sure people can actually use the system before it goes live, not after.

Split training in two, because the two audiences care about completely different things.

The office needs the rota. Sit coordinators in front of the drag-and-drop grid, show them how cover finding ranks available carers when someone calls in sick, and walk a manager through the compliance hub for your nation. An hour of hands-on beats a day of slides.

Carers need the mobile app, and they need it to feel simpler than what they had. Get them installed, signed in, and practising the three things they'll do every shift: GPS check-in and check-out, writing a care note, and signing the eMAR. The app is offline-first, so it keeps working in basement flats and rural blackspots and syncs when signal returns, worth demonstrating so carers trust it in the field.

Step 5: Run both for a day or two, then cut over

Goal: go live with confidence, not with your fingers crossed.

Don't flip a switch. For a day or two, run homecareOS alongside Birdie. The office builds the live rota in homecareOS while Birdie stays available as a safety net. Carers check in on the new app for real visits. You're looking for the small stuff: a rate that's a pound off, a service user whose key-safe note didn't come across, a run template that needs a tweak. Fix those while you still have a fallback.

When those days are quiet, cut over. Most agencies pick a weekend, because Saturday and Sunday are lower-volume, so any last surprise affects fewer visits. Go live on homecareOS as the single source of truth, keep Birdie in read-only reach for a fortnight just in case, then cancel once you're certain. Your exported records stay with you regardless.

Some agencies want longer than two days shoulder to shoulder, and that is a fine choice. It is your call, not a step we impose.

How long does it take?

Seven days, counted from the day we have your export. Here's the shape of it:

The part we cannot promise is Birdie's own turnaround: the seven days start when your export reaches us, and how quickly you get it out of your current provider is up to them. Small agencies with a clean rota often move faster, and multi-branch operations may want longer running both systems. Bringing your live data across is free, with no setup fees and no time limit on the offer, and a real person helps you shape the export, map the fields and sanity-check the load. Historic records are the one thing we charge for, priced on how many people and how many years of history they cover.

Questions agencies ask before they move

How long does it take to migrate from Birdie to homecareOS?

Seven days, counted from the day your export reaches us. Two days to map your data, two to configure and load it while you check the preview, a day to train the office and carers, then a day or two running alongside Birdie before you cut over. The part outside our control is how quickly Birdie releases your export. Larger multi-branch operations may want longer running both systems.

Will I lose my care records when I switch from Birdie?

No. Your historic care notes and MAR remain your records. Export them from Birdie as PDF or CSV for your retention obligations before you close the account. homecareOS imports service users, carers, visits, care plans, training, background checks and worker registrations, and not care notes or MAR, so you go live with a working system, and you keep the archived history separately for audit and inspection.

What data does homecareOS import via CSV?

Bulk CSV import covers service users, carers, care plans, payers and rate cards, and your active visit patterns. Fields are mapped sensibly rather than matched only by name, and the migration team checks the load with you before you rely on it. Anything that can't be imported cleanly is flagged so nothing goes live half-formed.

Is migration support included, and does it cost extra?

Bringing your live data across is free, and not time limited: a real person helps you shape the export, map the fields, load the data and sanity-check the result. There are no setup fees. Historic records are the one thing we charge for, priced on how many people and how many years of history they cover. The free starter tier covers agencies up to 5 carers, with office logins and service users unmetered with no time limit; above that, pricing is per carer with the office team unmetered.

Do I need to cancel my Birdie contract before I start?

No. Start the migration while Birdie is still live, which is exactly what lets you run both systems for a day or two. Check your Birdie contract for the minimum term and notice period, and time your cancellation to land after you've gone live and confirmed everything works. Keep your exported records safe before the account closes.

Contract and exit considerations

Before you cancel Birdie, check three things in your existing agreement: the minimum term, the notice period, and whether any discount is clawed back on early exit. Time your cancellation to land after you've gone live and confirmed everything works, never before. There's no reason to close the old account while the new one is still bedding in, and running both briefly costs you very little compared with the risk of a gap.

It's also worth thinking one move ahead. The whole reason data migration matters is portability, so it's fair to ask any vendor, us included, what you'd get out if you ever left. With homecareOS the answer is plain: your data exports in standard formats, off-boarding support is free, and there's no retroactive penalty for leaving. For the broader picture of how to evaluate that across vendors, the complete UK home care software guide is the longer companion piece.

Your migration checklist

Print this, tick it off, and you'll have moved without drama:

• □ Export service users, carers, care plans, rate cards and the active rota from Birdie
• □ Export historic care notes and MAR as PDF/CSV for your retention obligations
• □ Confirm your Birdie minimum term and notice period
• □ Map records to the visit-centric model (attendee roles, four-value time, payer/service/rate bands)
• □ Set your nation and regulator in homecareOS
• □ Rebuild pay grades and rate cards; create run templates
• □ Bulk-import via CSV and sanity-check the load with the migration team
• □ Train the office on the rota; get carers onto the mobile app (check-in, notes, eMAR)
• □ Run both for a day or two; fix the small discrepancies
• □ Cut over, most agencies on a quiet weekend
• □ Keep Birdie read-only for a fortnight, then cancel