According to the UK government’s official website, people who rely on social care are already benefiting from millions of extra hours of safer, better-coordinated support, thanks to the rapid rollout of digital social care records.
These records are a core building block of the government’s ambition to create a Single Patient Record under the 10-Year Health Plan. The Single Patient Record, designed to meet national security standards, will hold an individual’s health and care information in one secure place so that the right staff across the system can see what they need, when they need it.
Digital social care records are replacing paper-based care plans in the majority of services. Four in five (80%) care providers are now using them, covering almost 90% of people who draw on care. Previously, most providers relied on handwritten notes and folders for recording care plans and people’s histories.
By digitising this information, care plans – which record people’s needs and medicines – can now be drafted and signed off within three days instead of seven. Reviewing those plans takes around 30 minutes rather than four hours. Because information is available at a glance on secure devices, care workers can see the latest details immediately and add new observations quickly, cutting down repeated conversations and reducing the risk of errors.
Overall, the government estimates that this digital-first approach will free up about 30 million administrative hours each year. That equates to at least 20 minutes saved per care worker on every shift – time that can instead be spent directly supporting people.
On Tuesday 2 December, Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock visited Kallar Lodge, a 24/7 residential home in Dagenham, to see how digital social care records work in practice and to talk to staff about the impact on their day-to-day roles. Kallar Lodge’s system is linked to the London Shared Care Record, enabling care staff to securely view relevant primary care information to support decision-making.
Digital social care records bring together key elements of a person’s care in one place, including:
- personal and demographic details
- health conditions, including diagnoses, allergies and medical history
- treatments and medicines (type, dose and timing)
- care needs, care plans and personal goals
- risk assessments (for example falls, pressure sores or safeguarding concerns)
- a log of the care delivered – such as meals, fluids, mobility support, interventions and social activities
- records of communication between families and the care provider
Because the same information can be seen by care staff working on different shifts and in different settings, continuity of care is strengthened and the chance of mistakes caused by outdated or inaccurate records is reduced. Digital records also make it easier to spot changes – for example trends in weight or increased risk of falls – so staff can respond earlier and more effectively.
In some cases, families and friends can also be given secure access to parts of the record, allowing them to see important updates about a loved one’s care.
The government is also making it simpler for social care staff and NHS teams to share appropriate information. Through certain accredited digital social care record systems, social care professionals in suitable roles can see a limited view of GP records via the NHS IT service GP Connect. Data that can be accessed securely includes:
- the last three GP encounters
- current and past medications
- allergies and adverse reactions
- active concerns and medical history
- immunisations
- test results and referrals
Looking ahead, work is under way to link digital social care records that comply with agreed data standards to the wider Single Patient Record, so that information can flow more smoothly across services as care increasingly moves out of hospitals and into the community.
At the end of the announcement, key figures highlighted why this matters for staff and people drawing on care:
Stephen Kinnock, Minister of State for Care, said digital records are
“making a major difference for people drawing on care and their carers,” acting as a “one-stop shop for a person’s care information” that frees up more “time to care.”
Jules Hunt, Interim Director General for Technology, Digital and Data, emphasised that greater use of digital records is “freeing up staff from burdensome bureaucracy” and that moving to “digital by default” is already delivering better care, experience and efficiency across the NHS and social care.
Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the National Care Forum, called the scale and speed of digital adoption “a testament to everyone involved in the delivery of social care” and stressed that this is “just the beginning of the digital potential for social care,” urging continued partnership between government and the sector to build on these new digital and data foundations.