Guest blog (2iC-Care): Celebrating Technology's Role in Enhancing Social Care
As part of Skills for Care’s #CelebratingSocialCare month, it is important to acknowledge how the advent of innovative technologies within the care sector will adapt and evolve the skillset of the incredible professionals providing hands-on care. In the future, carers will use technology more and more to enhance their ability to deliver high-quality, personalised care experiences.
Why must technology enhance care?
As the UK population ages, the number of people requiring care is set to increase beyond national capacity. Therefore, carers and care services must use technology to scale their services. Rather than replacing human carers, new and interoperable technology acts as a force multiplier, providing the real-time data insights they need to provide timely interventions and avoid emergency situations.
What will change for carers in a data-led era?
Modern care solutions are also designed to leverage data to empower care staff by providing greater oversight and actionable intelligence. Combining in-person care with 24/7 remote monitoring will enable face-to-face care hours to target specific challenges which may have gone unnoticed in the absence of centralised health and care data. By supporting in-person care with data and insights more proactive interventions can occur and care teams can ensure their operations are highly effective.
Where has technology enhanced care to date?
In a recent pilot with Wirral Council Extra Care Co-Ordinator at Professional Carers Angie Buckley shared how new technology “answered any queries we had, we're not just guessing, the data is telling us the story." During this pilot, technology enabled carers to promptly diagnose a kidney infection, administer antibiotics at home, and avoid an acute hospital admission. This was possible due to the technology detecting increasing bathroom visit frequency for a service user, triggering an alert to the carers.
Upskilling the care workforce to reap the benefits of technology
As we celebrate the social care workforce this month, it is critical that care leaders are devising robust training programmes to ensure that new care technology can reach its potential to support carers to focus on what they do best, in-person, quality care for those who need it most.
Technology and centralised care data will enable carers to apply their passion and skills more effectively while delivering better outcomes. Join us in embracing technologies that elevate social care for all.
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