UK Care

KareShift vs Access Care Planning

The Access Group is a large enterprise software provider with a dedicated health and social care division. KareShift is built for smaller agencies who want the same depth of features without enterprise contracts, sales cycles, or implementation projects.

Try KareShift Free — 90 Days

No credit card · No lock-in · No enterprise sales process

The Access Group (which acquired CM2000) is a major UK enterprise software company whose Health & Social Care division offers care planning, eMAR, rostering, and compliance tools for home care and residential providers. They serve large organisations with dedicated account management and implementation teams. KareShift serves small-to-medium agencies (5–50 carers) who want enterprise-grade features with self-serve signup, transparent pricing, and no long-term contracts. (Source: theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)

Pricing comparison

Last verified: 28-Aug-2026

Verify directly with each vendor before making a purchasing decision.

Access Care Planning

Enterprise pricing — contact sales

DetailInfo
Published pricingNot publicly listed (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)
Free trialNot publicly available
ContractEnterprise agreement
ImplementationDedicated onboarding + training
Module pricingSeparate modules — care planning, eMAR, rostering may be priced individually

Access Group pricing requires a sales engagement. Individual modules (care planning, eMAR, rostering) may be priced separately. Contact theaccessgroup.com for current rates.

KareShift

Transparent flat-tier pricing — all features included

PlanMonthly + VAT
Starter (up to 5 carers)£69/mo
Growth (up to 20 carers)£149/mo
Scale (50 included, +£7/carer)£349/mo
Residential (30 beds included)£349/mo (+£9/bed)

All features included on every plan — no module add-ons. Self-serve signup. Annual billing saves 20%.

Feature comparison

Feature data from theaccessgroup.com as at Aug 2026. ✗ indicates not present in public documentation. Verify directly with each vendor.

Feature Access Care Planning KareShift
Target marketLarge organisations (enterprise)SMBs (5–50 carers)
Published pricingNo — contact salesYes — from £69/mo + VAT
Free trialNot publicly available90 days (no credit card)
Self-serve signupNo — sales process requiredYes — under 2 minutes
Care planning✓ Digital care plans (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ All plans
eMAR✓ Medication management (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ Full eMAR — orders, rounds, PRN, controlled drugs, MAR chart, allergy alerts
Rostering✓ Workforce scheduling (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ Drag-and-drop, UK presets, conflict detection
GPS / visit verification✓ Call monitoring (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ GPS + geofencing
CQC compliance✓ CQC-aligned (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ KLOE evidence tracking + inspection history
Custom formsNot publicly documented as of Aug 2026✓ All plans (conditional logic, PDF export, signature pad)
Xero Payroll integrationNot publicly documented as of Aug 2026✓ Direct timesheet sync, employee mapping
Invoicing✓ Finance module (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ Invoicing with credit notes, receipts, PDF
In-app messagingNot publicly documented as of Aug 2026✓ All plans (push notifications, group + 1:1)
Travel & mileageNot publicly documented as of Aug 2026✓ HMRC rates built in
Two-factor authenticationNot publicly documented as of Aug 2026✓ TOTP + trusted devices + admin reset
Countries supportedUK + Ireland (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)AU, NZ, UK, CA
Residential care✓ Care home module (theaccessgroup.com, Aug 2026)✓ Full residential (facility, wings, rooms, ADL)
Contract lengthEnterprise agreement (typically annual+)Month-to-month (cancel anytime)

Honest assessment

Where Access is stronger

  • Enterprise scale — serves large multi-site care organisations
  • Comprehensive product suite — HR, payroll, finance, care planning, eMAR in one vendor
  • Dedicated account management and implementation support
  • Deep UK regulatory expertise — long track record with CQC-regulated providers
  • Integrations with UK-specific payroll, finance, and HR systems
  • Formal training programmes and certification
  • UK local authority commissioning integrations
  • Access People integration for end-to-end HR + care planning
  • Long track record in UK care — CM2000 heritage spanning 20+ years

Where KareShift is stronger

  • Transparent pricing — no sales process, no enterprise contracts
  • 90-day free trial — evaluate fully, no commitment
  • Self-serve signup — live in minutes, not weeks
  • All features included — no per-module pricing
  • Month-to-month billing — no annual lock-in
  • Multi-country support (AU, NZ, UK, CA)
  • Xero Payroll integration — direct timesheet sync
  • Custom forms with conditional logic, PDF export, signature pad
  • In-app messaging with push notifications
  • Voice dictation for care notes
  • Shift Offers — broadcast open shifts
  • More affordable for agencies under 50 carers

Signs KareShift is a better fit

  • You're a small-to-medium agency (5–50 carers) — enterprise tools are overkill
  • You want to see pricing and sign up without talking to sales
  • You don't want to pay separately for each module (care planning, eMAR, rostering)
  • You want 90 days to evaluate, not a demo followed by a contract negotiation
  • You operate in multiple countries (AU, NZ, CA alongside UK)

When Access is a better fit

Large organisation (100+ staff)

If you operate multiple sites with complex staffing, payroll, and HR requirements, Access's enterprise platform handles that scale and complexity with dedicated support.

You need a full enterprise suite

If you want HR, payroll, finance, and care planning from a single vendor with integrated workflows, Access's breadth of enterprise products may reduce integration headaches.

Already invested in Access

If you're already using Access products and your team is trained on their workflows, adding their care planning module to your existing stack may be simpler than switching entirely.

Frequently asked questions

Not exactly. The Access Group is a large UK enterprise software company (£1B+ revenue, 6,000+ employees) that acquired CM2000 — a specialist home care monitoring product. CM2000's functionality is now part of Access Health & Social Care. If you're searching for "CM2000 alternative," you're evaluating the Access Group's care division.

Access serves organisations of all sizes, but their sales process, implementation approach, and contract structure are designed for larger organisations. Small agencies (under 20 carers) may find the enterprise sales cycle and potential module-based pricing complex relative to self-serve alternatives.

As of Aug 2026, Access does not publicly offer a self-serve free trial for their care planning products. Evaluation typically involves a sales demo and enterprise engagement. KareShift offers a 90-day free trial with all features — no credit card, no sales call required.

All features. No enterprise contract.

eMAR, rostering, care planning, compliance, Xero Payroll — included on every plan. 90-day free trial.

Start Free Trial — No Credit Card

Questions? Email hello@kareshift.com