As the UK's population ages, a crisis is brewing in adult social care. According to The Department of Health and Social Care, 57% more adults aged 65 and over in England will require homecare in 2038 compared to 2018. The NAO report also forecasts a 106% rise in total costs of care for adults aged 65 and over by 2038 compared with 2018.
Current underfunding has left councils struggling to meet demand and as budgets spiral, many vulnerable older people risk missing vital support.
However, emerging technologies could provide a much-needed lifeline for the sector.
Join our free webinar on February 29th at 10am to discover how technology enabled care can create budgetary breathing room for hard-pressed local authorities.
Insights from Leading Experts
Our panel brings a wealth of expertise spanning technology, social care, and local government:
- Kevin Doughty, Visiting Professor of Digital Transformation of Care at the University of Cumbria, provides academic analysis of techled change. His 25 years in assistive technology inform strategic adoption models.
- Norman Niven, CEO of Medication Support draws on three decades of experience creating sensorbased medication management tools. He will reveal how better adherence monitoring creates efficiencies.
- Richard Keyse, Founder of 2iCCare, leverages extensive IT project management background to drive adoption. He will share how strong governance and change management makes implementation sustainable.
Richard commented "I'm thrilled to participate in this timely discussion about the future of adult social care alongside our esteemed guest panel. Bringing together leading voices from across technology, academia, and care provision is a fantastic chance to explore innovative solutions collaboratively. Having implemented transformative technology systems at scale, I'm excited to share my hands-on perspective while also learning from other experts about how we can drive positive change through strategic adoption for this vital sector facing immense challenges."
Grace Thomson will expertly guide the discussion, ensuring viewers gain well-rounded understanding of how technology can drive efficiency savings while enhancing outcomes for vulnerable adults relying on vital care services.
This cross-section of industry-leading specialisms delivers a robust, multidimensional examination of technology’s transformative potential for social care.
The Social Care Funding Gap
It is difficult to estimate the actual size of the ‘funding gap’ and forecasts often vary, however everyone seems to agree that there is a substantial one. For example, the 2020 Health and Social Care Committee report suggested a “starting point” would be an additional £7bn per year required by 2023/24. And The Health Foundation suggest that up to £14.4 billion a year more would be required by 2030/31 to meet future demand.
The Causes Behind the Deepening Funding Crisis
There is not one clear answer to what exactly is causing and impacting the care funding crisis. A few contributory factors include:
- An exponentially aging population placing increasing strain on overloaded services.
- Years of austerity and budget cuts to local authorities compound shortfalls.
- Complex policies like the social care precept prove difficult to implement amid other competing council priorities.
Despite rising demand, real-terms expenditure on social care provision continues to fall. Vulnerable older adults all too often bear the brunt. Technologies that drive efficiency and oversight for TEC services offer perhaps the only chance to reverse this trend.
Can Technology Bail Out The Social Care System?
Integrating smart assistive technologies like integrated alarm units, sensors and monitoring software can revolutionise stretched care services through:
- Realtime insights spot inefficiencies in expenditure and workflows.
- Preventative tools like fall detection monitors empower independent living, reducing costly residential placements.
- Remote personalised alerts and virtual medical communications can minimise unnecessary resources strain in social care and the NHS. Such as in the Wirral, Andi, the endto-end care solution, provided data for carers to identify an earlystage kidney infection and prevented a hospital stay.
Reserve your free spot now to unearth the tech tools that could sustainably rescue adult social care!