We’ve heard what care experts think of the newly announced social care plans, now, Ric Thompson of OneAdvanced details how they’ll impact businesses and offers insight on how to manage the change.
Twenty twenty five kicked off with with a series of government announcements relating to health and social care. Following the Budget in autumn 2024, where it was made plain that reform of the NHS and social care would be a top priority, technology providers have been working closely with care providers to establish the best ways of modernising the sector and help deliver a social care offering that exceeds the high expectations we all have of it.
The government’s Plan for Change aims to keep older people out of hospital and living independently at home for longer, while those living with disabilities will receive more support to help them keep living independently at home. Central to all of this is a shift towards embracing the technology that will allow this to happen.
With this in mind, Labour announced an additional £86m on top of the £86m earmarked for social care in the Budget, and outlined plans to support care workers to take more autonomy in their roles. An independent commission will review adult social care in the UK and recommend steps to help it meet the current and future needs of the adult population.
Alongside the funding, part of the immediate action to support adult social care includes focusing on how technology can help to transform care and support people living at home for longer. This is a common theme among government announcements under the new Labour administration, and it’s clear that a focus on using technology to solve historic issues and deliver joined up care is a top priority for this government.
So, how can technology offer practical help and solutions to adult social care providers, and what do you need to consider before making an investment decision?
Choosing the right technology for the job
Managing the balance between providing high quality care and ensuring sound financial health can be like walking a tight rope for providers. The new commission can be expected to make demands that require capital investment in the form of technology, so it will be vitally important that your organisation selects the right provider.
Buying new technology is rarely cheap and making the wrong choice for your organisation will cost you more than simply losing the initial financial investment. Choosing the right solution requires planning and consideration and it is often helpful to look at the level of integration support you’ll receive from your shortlisted software providers.
While national funding exists, no guidance has yet been given on its timelines, distribution or parameters and therefore it’s important that care providers consider the future of any technological investment they make. The potential to adapt to future changes, frequency of updates, approach to cybersecurity, and so on are all vitally important considerations that providers must be clear on before engaging a technology partner.
How technology can help boost care performance
‘Technology’ is an incredibly broad definition and there are lots of different types of tech with different impacts on the sector. Many will have positive user-focused deliverables – like sensor-based technology which can help with e.g. falls detection – but technology can also play an active role in supporting better business practices.
There are numerous cloud-based software solutions ready to plug into care providers’ systems and support with everything from rostering to care management plans, keeping everything in one place and providing a cost-effective, accessible, secure record of all activity. Being hosted in the cloud means an easier deployment, more secure solution and usually a smaller financial investment. Running a successful business in any sector requires the integration of solutions that can automate repetitive and time-draining tasks, and care is no different. In this respect, investing in technology is a way of safeguarding the future of the organisation.
Care providers are under immense financial pressure and deliver incredible work every day with limited resources. If the government’s commission recommends a significant shift towards embracing technology – as I expect it will – organisations will need to be in a position to make investments in tech. They will need to choose their providers wisely, which will help them to implement technology that will deliver a tangible return on investment and, crucially, empower their organisations’ stability and future.
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