Welcome to Kirsty Meets!
Each month I meet key stakeholders and business leaders in the social care sector. This month I met Patrick Wallace, Director and Co-Founder, Curam. I caught up with Patrick to discuss reforming the social care sector with investment and technology in mind.
So Patrick, can you tell us a little about Curam?
Curam is a digital online healthcare marketplace connecting care users (whether self-funded, public sector or business) with vetted, experienced and high-quality care professionals.
We have rigorous background checks for our care workers in the UK, using banking-standard and biometric technology to confirm their identity, as well as standard DBS and qualification checks. Carers must pass these checks and interviews before they can advertise on the platform, they must also have two checkable references and at least two years relevant work experience in the UK, our average carer has over ten. Once on the platform, patients and their families can search for carers based on their requirements such as care expertise, location, language and more, in real-time (via in app video call) and job posts will receive curated applications in minutes.
What is the current state of investment in the social care sector? What more can the Government be doing?
The UK’s care system is broken. It’s difficult for local authorities to get government funding for care and it’s expensive and time-consuming to hire a carer privately. Added to that, the huge shortage of trained, experienced carers impacts the NHS’s capacity for timely patient discharge even if they are well enough to leave hospital.
Due to the expense and shortage of care workers, there is also a huge issue around unpaid carers in the UK – individuals forced to take extended leave from work to provide care.
There are obvious changes needed in the sector. The Government must, in our opinion, provide more targeted financial support for domiciliary care, such as tax-deductible carer costs for family members, similar to what is available in other European countries. Also social care provision has to be better integrated into the overall healthcare system not just reacting to demand but just as importantly pro-actively intervening earlier to prevent issues like hospitalisation, particularly amongst the elderly, occurring in the first place.
However, there is a long road ahead before this becomes a reality. In the absence of true reform of the social care sector by the Government, we must see more support from the private sector to support caregivers as part of employee benefit packages. Organisations must take the initiative to provide access to effective, ethical and affordable care services as part of their employee benefits to help bridge the gap left by statutory support.
“In the absence of true reform of the social care sector by the Government, we must see more support from the private sector”
As a tech platform, where do you see the future of technology for social care? What role does innovation have to play in reform?
The future of technology for social care will complement and enhance human connection rather than replace it. A combined approach of AI and other technologies will improve patient-centricity and streamline services for care facilitators by taking on mundane tasks and freeing up the caregiver’s time and talent for creativity and innovation.
The introduction of remote intelligent monitoring and predictive analytics will also be used by carers to capture an accurate overall picture of a patient’s well-being to design better care programmes in advance, rather than spending too much time during an in-person appointment on data capture.
However, the successful implementation of future technologies in the care sector requires careful consideration of how it can meet the needs of patients. Ultimately, it needs to work alongside carers, ensuring they have more time to put the needs of patients at the heart of their work.
And finally Patrick, where can we learn a little more about Curam?
To find out more about Curam, visit https://www.curamcare.com/ or you can follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curam-io/