New app for social care workers launches

The government has launched a new smartphone app, offering support for all social care workers.

The Care Workforce app, developed with NHSX and the NHS Business Services Authority, will act as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for social care workers to access relevant support directly from their phone.

The app includes wellbeing support and advice protect staff from COVID-19 and keep themselves well during the pandemic.

It also includes learning resources on crucial areas such as infection control as well as practical advice and support for mental wellbeing.

And it contains information on offers available to NHS and social care staff, including free car parking and discounts through organisations and initiatives like Discounts for Carers and the Blue Light Card.

It also signposts free access to apps like Silvercloud, Daylight and Sleepio, which can help boost users’ mental wellbeing through programmes covering sleep, stress and resilience.

In the future, the app will act as a networking platform to bring the social care workforce together in one place to share learnings, best practice and inspiring stories from across the sector.

A version of the app is also under consideration for NHS workers.

‘This new app will help to keep the social care workforce fully informed of all the issues in social care, and it will provide an easily accessible and portable resource for every care worker,’ said the chief executive of Care England, Professor Martin Green.

The chief executive at the Social Care Institute for Excellence, Kathryn Smith, added: ‘It’s more than welcome to see an app like this that’s specifically designed with the adult social care workforce in mind.

‘That workforce has many challenges at the moment, including how to keep services running during the COVID-19 situation; but also how to ensure that issues such as safeguarding, mental capacity and rights under the Care Act are not lost.

‘We’ve all been using technology a lot more in the last few weeks and I’m sure that this will be a really useful addition to help the workforce to provide the best care and support that they can during the current crisis,’ she added.

The app will be available to download from on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as well as being accessible online at https://workforce.adultsocialcare.uk.

Photo Credit – Stevepb (Pixabay)