The Department of Health and Social Care has announced £3 million in funding to support four transformation projects in adult social care.
Through the Adult Social Care Technology Fund, four projects have been identified, including a digital fall prevention programme, sensors to monitor a person’s daily habits, virtual care delivery, and an electronic medication administration record system.
The funding programme is open for applications on a rolling basis, which are then evaluated in waves, the DHSC stated.
In this round, the projects include:
- National Care Group will 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.
- Shropshire Council, in partnership with domiciliary care providers, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB, My Home Life and TEC suppliers will use funding of 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.
- 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 sensors technology to monitor any significant changes to a person’s daily habits that may cause concern.
- Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board: 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 the in the community who receive care and support at home.
Minister for Care, Helen Whately, said: “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.”
In the statement, the Department of Health and Social Care noted the “adoption of digital social care records by Care Quality Commission-registered providers has increased from 40% in December 2021 to 55% in September 2023.”
