Councils ‘struggling to make case for preventative digital care’

Local authorities are missing out on opportunities to prevent ill-health because they are struggling to make the investment case for proactive and preventative digital care services, according to a commission established to explore the issue.

The commission, led by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the TEC Services Association (TSA), has heard from more than 50 social care leaders at councils across the UK, with the majority saying a lack of evidence, guidance and best practice is hindering their ability to fund and scale preventative services that use technology enabled care (TEC).

A common issue experienced by local authorities is a focus on getting investment to purchase technology solutions, without consideration of everything else it takes to deliver real service transformation.

To tackle this issue, ADASS and TSA have spent eight months collecting proven approaches and benefits cases to create a free blueprint for planning, implementing and scaling digital proactive and preventative care services.

Sir David Pearson, chair of TEC Quality and co-chair of the commission, said: “With increasing need and pressure on resources, councils need to innovate more than ever so people and families can draw on the right support that improves their lives.

“Proactive and preventative services can help the government achieve its vision of shifting care from hospitals to the community, from treating sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital services.

“I believe this blueprint offers a practical roadmap to enable councils to realise these aspirations with the communities they serve.”

Building on examples of successful investment in proactive and preventative care services by UK councils, the blueprint provides a step-by-step guide, a services overview and financial models that other local authorities can adopt.

More than 100 people working in and drawing on social care have been involved in designing this practical tool, including individuals with lived experience, social workers, occupational therapists, local authority TEC commissioners, TEC suppliers and directors of adult social services.

Melanie Williams, ADASS president, executive director for adult social care and public health, Nottinghamshire County Council, and co-chair of the commission, said: “This work is a great example of how councils, TEC providers and people with lived experience can work together to develop a practical approach to support directors of adult social services to make the argument for introducing proactive and preventative services at a local level.

“After all, in our 2024 autumn survey, only 25% of directors stated that they had evidence of positive return on investment where benefits are measured as financial savings for assistive technology (including telecare and digital communications), indicating that councils need more support in evidencing the business case for digital and tech.”

Meanwhile, the Royal Borough of Greenwich has launched a digital health and care technology service to help residents stay safe and independent at home.

From April 2025, the service will bring technology such as video doorbells, voice assistants and tablets into people’s homes, with the aim of offering extra support, peace of mind, and early help when needed.