Overview
Accurate visit times are an important part of your care records. If a carer's device clock differs from the trusted network time by more than the allowed difference, Access Care Planning now asks the carer to explain, or to fix their device time, before they can start or close a visit.
Every outcome is recorded, and administrators can review it in the web console.
Note: This feature is available on iOS and Android from mobile version 7.14.0 and requires ACP Server 8.2.11. It builds on the background timestamp check introduced in mobile 7.11.0
For administrators
Get notified of a discrepancy
When a carer's device time triggers the explanation screen, tenant administrators and branch administrators are notified through the Sync Mismatches notification panel.
Tenant administrators see notifications for all branches
Branch administrators see notifications only for visits in their own branch
Each notification reads: Device [Device name] recorded a time difference from the server for visit [Visit ID]. The discrepancy explanation has been triggered, please review.
The device name opens the device page and the visit ID opens the visit page.
A Warning pop-up also appears when you open a page in the web console, with the message: A time discrepancy has been detected between Device: [Device name] and the server for Visit: [Visit ID]. The discrepancy explanation has been triggered, please review.
Note: The notification panel and Warning pop-up appear only when the Enable Data Health Check tenant preference is set to Yes. If it's set to No, the Sync Mismatches icon is greyed out and no pop-up appears. Alerts are still recorded and appear once the preference is turned on.
Notification actions
Action | What it does |
Navigate (arrow icon) | Opens the History tab of the case, with the Timestamp Discrepancy Alerts in view |
Dismiss (bin icon) | Asks you to confirm, then removes the notification for every administrator who received it |
Close on the Warning pop-up | Stops that pop-up reappearing for you only. The notification stays in the panel for everyone. |
For carers
When the explanation screen appears
The screen appears when both of these are true:
Your device is online when you tap Start visit or Close visit
Your device time differs from the system time by more than the allowed difference
If your device is offline when you tap Start visit or Close visit, the screen doesn't appear and the visit carries on as normal.
If your device time is within the allowed difference, you won't see the screen.
What you'll see
A title: Your mobile device time does not match the system time
A prompt: Please explain why the times do not match
A free-text box. There are no pre-set reasons to choose from.
A character counter beneath the box, which updates as you type (for example, 12 / 50 characters minimum).
A Submit explanation button, which stays greyed out until you've entered at least 50 characters.
A Fix discrepancy option.
A footer that's always visible: This explanation will be recorded and visible to your employer.
There is no Cancel button. You must explain the difference or fix your device time before the visit can start or close.
Explanations can be up to 500 characters. When you reach the limit, an error appears and you can't type any more.
What to do
Option 1: Submit an explanation
Type at least 50 characters in the box to explain why the times don't match.
Tap Submit explanation.
The visit starts (or closes) as normal.
Option 2: Fix your device time
Tap Fix discrepancy.
Correct the date and time on your device.
Return to the visit and tap Start visit (or Close visit) again.
Note: The app doesn't detect automatically that you've corrected your device time. You need to tap Start visit or Close visit again.
What happens next
What you do | What happens to the visit | What your administrator sees |
Submit an explanation (50–500 characters) | The visit starts or closes | Your explanation, with the time it was submitted |
Tap Fix discrepancy | The visit doesn't start or close, and you return to the visit screen | "Action cancelled" |
Leave the screen without choosing an option | The visit doesn't start or close | "No explanation has been provided yet" |
Tap Start visit or Close visit again and the time is still wrong | The screen appears again | A new entry for this attempt |
Tap Start visit or Close visit again after fixing the time | The visit starts or closes with no screen | Nothing changes on the existing entry |
You can leave the screen and use other parts of the app, but the visit can't start or close until the difference is resolved.
If you go offline after the screen has appeared: your outcome is kept on your device and sent to the server automatically when your connection returns.
Review the Timestamp Discrepancy Alerts
The log shows every flagged visit for a case, newest first.
Open the case.
Select the History tab.
Find the Timestamp Discrepancy Alerts table.
Column | What it shows |
Visit ID | A link to the visit |
Caregiver Name | The carer who started or closed the visit |
Actual Timestamp | The trusted network time reported by the device |
Device Timestamp | The time on the carer's device, shown in red |
Carer Explanation | The explanation exactly as typed, "Action cancelled", or "No explanation has been provided yet" |
Each time the explanation screen appears, it creates its own row.
The log is read-only. Entries can't be edited or deleted, and they don't expire.
Frequently asked questions
Why didn't a carer see the explanation screen?
Why didn't a carer see the explanation screen?
The device was offline when they tapped Start visit or Close visit, or the device time was within the allowed difference.
Can a carer skip the screen?
Can a carer skip the screen?
No. They can leave it and use other screens, but the visit can't start or close until they submit an explanation or fix the device time.
Who can see the carer's explanation?
Who can see the carer's explanation?
Administrators with access to the case History tab. The screen tells carers their explanation is visible to their employer.