The National Care Forum (NCF) – the leading association for not-for-profit social care has responded to the government’s announcement today that four in five (80%) care providers now use digital social care records.
“This milestone is of huge significance in the journey towards a digital future for social care and support and serves as evidence of the response achievable when concerted effort is made by government to engage the sector in the digital agenda. Care Minister, Stephen Kinnock saw the benefits of digital social care records for himself when he visited Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
“The not-for-profit providers participating in the Adult Social Care Testbed we are delivering for the Liverpool City Region in partnership with the University of Liverpool have told us of the challenges they face in adopting digital solutions despite a growing realisation of their digital potential. They identified a feeling of social care being ‘neglected’ by policymakers and left behind in innovation plans which seemed to focus solely on the NHS. They expressed a strong desire to grasp opportunities to make better use of data, help staff gain digital skills and ensure the people they support feel connected and in control so they can make decisions about the technology used in their care.
“Partnership between government and social care and support providers is the spark that will ignite the flame of digital potential for the sector and help providers enhance the experience of both care workers and those who draw on services. The Adult Social Care Testbed in Liverpool provides an excellent blueprint to build on. The impact of the partnership it has created between providers, people with lived experience, researchers and technical experts will continue to be felt throughout the whole sector and set the foundations for a future where nobody is excluded from the benefit digital and data driven service delivery will bring.”
Image depicts the National Care Forum logo