Peter Skinner, programme director for Digitising Social Care, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, outlines what comes next for the digital transformation of adult social care in England

More than three-quarters of adult social care providers in England will be using digital approaches to care planning this year, but this shift away from paper is just the beginning.

There are so many opportunities for technology to support the delivery of social care, helping people to live independently for longer and making services more efficient, safer and person-centred. As the sun rose on 2025, the government set out a series of reforms for adult social care, including a new independent commission led by Baroness Casey. The announcement also included commitments to continue the digital transformation of adult social care.

As we move into the new financial year, we’ll be focusing our work in two areas; setting technology standards for the sector and using technology to join up health and social care services.

What does this mean in practice?

Setting standards for the use of technology in care
We all know that there’s lots of great technology out there which can support care and help people to live independently. But finding it can be an issue. You can only find what you need if you know what to search for. We want to make it easier for people to find relevant care technology that’s fit for purpose and meets a clearly defined set of standards.

This will mean that people who draw on care, their families and care providers can confidently buy care tech that works best to suit their needs. Over the next few years, we’ll be working with partners to categorise different types of technology, providing guidance on where it can be used and the effect it can have.

Each category of technology will have a list of minimum functionality that must be offered, as well as the standards that apply to that technology. We’ll then publish a list of solutions that are compliant with those standards.
Joining up health and care data

While care technologies will play an increasingly vital role in supporting a person’s care needs, connecting them to other systems increases their benefit even further. Linking care technology to digital social care records and then linking data across care and health will radically change the way care can be managed and delivered. Care staff will have the information they need to support a person’s care, when and where it’s needed.

Some of this is already happening. The digital social care record solutions that have been assured by us, now have access to GP Connect. It means that care providers will be able to see a restricted view of the primary care record for the people they care for – in particular changes in medications. We will be helping care providers to switch on and use GP Connect in their care records over the coming months. It will mean that care staff will have relevant health information at their fingertips whenever it’s needed, saving valuable time spent trying to contact the GP for updates.

Looking to the future, as people’s homes become ever more connected and smart technologies grow more widespread, we will undoubtedly see them being used differently as people age or their care needs change. Whether it’s a smart speaker giving medication alerts, sensor-based lights that alert care teams if someone hasn’t got out of bed in the morning, or artificial intelligence that tracks behavioural changes, there is already so much out there helping us rethink how care can be provided and how people can have agency and control over their own lives. And making sure front line staff have the information they need will improve the quality and safety of care.
Social care could be transformed in the coming years. Our job is simple. We need to enable that transformation to happen and make sure it’s done in a safe and secure way.