27% of adult social care providers not using technology for care
- 11 March 2026
- More than a quarter (27%) of adult social care providers are not using care technologies to provide care and support, a DHSC survey found
- Large providers were more likely to use technology for care (89%)
- Set-up costs and licensing fees were seen as the most common barrier to adopting care technology
More than a quarter (27%) of adult social care providers are not using care technologies to provide care and support, a survey from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has found.
The ‘2025 adult social care provider technology survey‘, published on 6 March 2026, was completed by 1,085 Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered adult social care providers in February and March 2025.
A higher proportion of respondents from large providers (supporting 200 or more people) used technology for care and support compared to the smaller providers, with 89% using at least one technology.
‘Micro providers’ (supporting 10 or fewer people) were the group least likely to use technology, with 40% not using any care technologies to deliver care and support.
Commenting on the survey, Gerard Crofton-Martin, interim chief executive at the Social Care Institute for Excellence, said: “We’ve seen first-hand how digital solutions don’t just deliver efficiencies, but can support better care outcomes—helping people remain independent and in their homes, where they want to be, for longer.
“The technological innovation emerging across the sector is inspiring, but these findings show that there is still work to do to address the barriers holding it back.”
Barriers to tech adoption
The survey aimed to understand the barriers to adoption of care technology. Set-up cost of technology (73%) and licensing fees (70%) were the most frequently selected barriers to adoption.
Other barriers highlighted include staff training costs and high staff turnover (52%), cost of cyber and data security (41%), the availability of good internet connectivity (40%), lack of digital skills among staff, lack of digital skills among care recipients (39%), and staff reluctance to use the technology (34%).
Crofton-Martin added: “In our work with practitioners, we see how, as we invest in new technology, we must ensure the workforce is supported so they both understand the benefits for people and have the confidence to adopt it and use it effectively.
“We must also ensure that technology is designed and implemented with people who draw on care and support.
“Otherwise, we risk investing in tools that are not trusted, not used and not capable of delivering the improvements our sector urgently needs and the people drawing on care and support deserve.”
Funding support for ongoing costs was identified by 82% of respondents as the support most needed to overcome barriers to adoption, followed by funding for up-front costs (67%), and upskilling of the workforce (58%)
Across all providers, the most common technology used for care and support was monitoring equipment with sensors, used by 43% of respondents.
This was followed by personal alarms (35%), video conferencing (34%), health and wellbeing apps (25%), audio assistants (14%), smartwatches (6%), voice-operated or remote-controlled tech (5%), and virtual reality (3%).
Digital social care records (77%) and digital rostering tools (63%) were the most common types of business management technologies used by providers at the time of the survey.
Adoption of the records, also known as an electronic care plans, by CQC-registered providers increased from 41% in December 2021 to 80% in July 2025 after support from the Digitising Social Care programme.
The government’s ambition is that all care providers are fully digitised by the end of this Parliament.
