Make Technology Central To Any National Care Service Plan

Technology – particularly around workforce planning and improving recruitment and retention – needs to be at the heart of any plan for Scotland to achieve a National Care Service, according to an industry expert.

Stephen Wilson, CEO of Netli, a Scottish tech company at the forefront of innovation in the social care sector, said the recommendation for a new structure is to be welcomed but the key to its success is in creating fundamental changes to the ways social care staff are valued and managed.

Stephen, responding the Independent Review of Adult Care in Scotland, said: “The Report has underlined the importance of responding to the power of the workforce to transform people’s lives for the better.

“We agree that we currently have a system that gets unwarranted local variation, too much reliance on crisis intervention, and an undervalued workforce.

“Recruitment remains is a major challenge for the sector; as does retention. This is impacting on way we deliver care to those people most in need – it is a cause of extreme worry that an estimated 36,000 people in Scotland are not receiving the care they need.

“So that’s why we are very happy to see the Review highlight that workforce planning and development needs to be provided within any National Care Service. And that by redesigning the system, there needs to be greater use of technology.

“We are already championing Scottish Government and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCP) to see the value of using technology to gather workforce data from care providers on local, regional and national levels. This service would support the identification of current and future workforce planning, as well as spotting staffing gaps and other risks earlier. 

“Armed with this bespoke information and other expert tools to improve the recruitment and retention of employees, each HSCP can make data-driven decisions to support social care provision in their communities. This is vital if a dream of a National Care Service is to be realised.”

Stephen said Netli would be delighted to talk with the Scottish Government to outline its case in more detail – and provide what support could be needed. It also about the roll out a proposal to all HSCPs to show how its software can ensure the continuous provision of consistent and uninterrupted care in communities across the UK.