The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has awarded a total of over £3 million to four adult social care IT enabled projects to improve people's independence and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
The awards have been made through the Government’s Adult Social Care Technology Fund to transform the use of digital technology in adult social care.
The funding, said DHSC, will help identify care focused technology solutions that have the potential for wider roll out within the sector, and in doing so provide evidence to prioritise investments in care technology.
The money is being disbursed to:
- National Care Group, which is set to receive over £300,000 to improve the quality of medication management and recording and promote independence in taking medication using an electronic medication administration record system. This will improve the accuracy of recording medication and improve health outcomes for the 1,236 people supported
- Shropshire Council, which in partnership with domiciliary care providers, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB, My Home Life and TEC suppliers is getting almost £1.2 million over two years to embed technology in people’s homes alongside a virtual care delivery service to help meet care and support needs digitally. This aims to support independence in the home, help people manage their daily needs and promote self-care
- Reading Borough Council, in partnership with Henley Business School, will use funding of just over £1 million to trial and understand the benefits and potential of sensor technology to monitor any significant changes to a person’s daily habits that may cause concern. The aim is to trial systems that support people to live sustained or increased independence, a sense of well-being, safety, and security
- NHS Greater Manchester and the University of Manchester and partners will receive almost £380,000 to deliver a project to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using a digital falls prevention programme for older people living in the community who receive care and support at home. This, said DHSC, will enable the user to undertake a personalised falls prevention programme and incorporates health literacy games to improve the awareness of activities that promote bone health, diet, safety at home, and hydration.
“These exciting projects will use technology to improve quality of care and help people live independently for longer,” said the Minister for Care Helen Whately.
“More care at home and more personalised care is what people want and helps reduce pressure on the NHS. We are also investing in digital care records to join up care and reduce the burden of admin on staff. I look forward to seeing these projects develop and scale up the use of technology in social care, better meeting people’s care needs and helping us build a sustainable care system.”
Move away from paper
DHSC says the news comes as over 55% of regulated care providers now have a digital care planning system to move away from paper record keeping. Over 1,300 care providers can now access GP records to provide safer care, it adds, while people who receive care will benefit from new technology to help improve their independence and reduce avoidable hospital admissions, the government has announced today.
Adoption of digital social care records by Care Quality Commission registered providers has also increased from 40% in December 2021 to more than 55% in September 2023, it states.
“These projects will support the Skills for Care digital leadership, digital champions and digital skills programme where we are working with the adult social care sector to build the confidence and skills of our workforce to embrace, adopt and embed technology,” added Skills for Care CEO Oonagh Smyth.
