The Homecare Association (HCA) is a longstanding representative and advocate for home care providers across the UK. They are committed to working alongside home care providers to drive positive change and share understanding and best practise. Their Technology and Home Care conference is a continuation of this legacy. Bringing home care leaders, care technology innovators and people with a passion for care together for a day that reflects on how we got where we are and discusses how we move forward from here. The day featured talks from well respected names in technology and social care covering topics that ranged from apps to AI and outcomes to Outstanding. As headline sponsor of the event we were proud to share our insights and very excited to learn from everyone else. 

The morning sessions of the Technology and Home Care Conference focussed on the potential of technology and home care. Dr Townson, CEO of the HCA welcomed The King’s Fund’s Pritesh Mistry to discuss how technology solutions can help move care closer to home. The talk centred on a piece of research The King’s Fund produced with Nourish. ‘The reality of, and potential for, digitally enabled care in the community’. It is an important piece of work that set the tone for the day, which we discuss in more detail in a blog we will release later this month. Crucially, one of Pritesh’s findings, that ‘technology for the sake of technology is not progress’, reverberated through the following panel discussion. 

The panel focussed on ‘Tech solutions for improving home care operations’. A practical reflection on the impact technology has on operational practises. Abbots Care’s Camille Leavold chaired a panel featuring ME Passport’s Carly Rochester, Lifted Talent’s Rachel Crook, Roger McDermott from NHS Arden & Greater East Midlands CSU, AI Dimension’s Mark Russell-Smith and Pairly’s Will Flint. These solutions are united by their commitment to designing technology solutions for the sake of care. Their innovations focus on established challenges care providers face. Whether it is recruitment or onboarding, capacity tracking or route planning. These solutions solved operational issues at the heart of home care. Reflecting the reality of tech-driven progress in our sector, as well as the potential for its development.

Following a quick break for chats and refreshments we returned to the main hall for the late morning talks. These panels turned their attention to outcomes, and how we can improve them with tech and data. The first talk centred on outcomes, and how we as a sector can be ‘people-led and tech enabled’ to improve them. Caroline Southgate of Doris Jones led a panel featuring Bellevie’s Trudie Fell, Gillie.AI’s Samuel Kivikari, Digi Rehab’s Arend Roos and Stephen Milne from Censis.

They shared insights from their respective technological innovations in care. Crucially, without losing sight of the people who define care. Something Arend Roos quickly reminded us of when we were all asked to stand up to start the conversation. Did you know AI is used to analyse approximately one-third of all home care in Finland? Or about the potential of the Internet of Things to support public bodies to move from analogue to digital? These examples proved just how much power technology can give providers to shape their own future. A point highlighted when Trudie Fell asserted: “It is up to us, not Local Authorities, to determine what outcomes we should focus on”

Of course, focussing on outcomes requires having the information to understand them. And that brings us to one of the key questions surrounding technology and social care, data. Our Chief Marketing Officer, Lee Gilbert, led the next panel in a discussion on exactly that. ‘What can we learn from the data in digital systems?’. Lee welcomed several leaders from prominent digital care solutions to join the discussion. Including our CEO Nuno Almeida. We discuss this incisive and informed panel in more detail here.

The post lunch session is always the most sluggish at any conference. It’s only natural. Any good organiser looks to put in a shocking, or otherwise stimulating, talk to wake everyone up. At Technology and Home Care 2024 this task fell to Right at Home’s Lucy Campbell and Lund University’s Laetitia Tanqueray. They set about their task with aplomb, sharing their understanding of ‘How robots will help us in home care in the future’. While we remain some ways off robots becoming commonplace, it is always exciting to be updated on their progress! 

From there attention switched to responsible use of AI and cyber security. AI is the hot-button topic across digital development. We share our sense of curiosity, excitement and apprehension with a wide range of sectors and institutions. Muhammad Damji of Caring Crew chaired the important panel. He set the table for Dr Green, of Oxford University’s Institute of Ethics in AI, Reed Screening’s Keith Rosser and Care4ocus’s Alex Joseph. They talked about the ethical use of AI, how to provide appropriate training and the rising need to be able to detect AI-created fake documents.  

“As providers, we have to be really careful that we adopt a piece of tech like AI with the correct adjustments in place. Always double-check any information that is produced by generative AI. Ensure that appropriate training is provided and reassure your team that AI and tech are being used to complement their work, not replace them.” Muhammad Damji, Managing Director, Caring Crew. 

The final session of the day featured one last discussion and Home Instead UK’s Martin Jones’s closing remarks. 

Steve Sawyer of The Access Group chaired the final panel of the day, stepping in for the unavailable Nathan Downing of TEC Services Association, to disucss ‘How can councils support innovation in home care. Stephen Peddie, Local Government Association and Steve Taylor of PA Consulting joined him. 
 
Our Steve speakers talked about how changing commissioning practices can support in-person care with technology and home care solutions. Highlighting three key mechanisms by which technology can impact the need for home care.  

The talk touched on many interesting undertakings across care. It also called back several ideas and initiatives detailed by other speakers earlier in the day. Fundamentally, we need to work together, with both our communities, and our councils, to deliver the outcomes we all want. 

Something Martin Jones reflected on in his closing address. 

“I do believe that conferences such as this gives us an opportunity to use and embrace new technology. We are going to need to use technology to support people as they grow older and to grow through the issues we have at the moment.” 

Martin Jones ended the incredible day with a simple thought exercise. He asked everyone to close their eyes and picture where technology and home care will be in 5 years. Once we all solidified an image in our minds, he asked us to open our eyes again. 

“It’ll take two years to get to what you pictured.” 

While the distance to our digital future remains debatable, one thing remains undeniable, we’ll need to work together to get there. 

If you would like to learn more about working with Nourish, contact us here. 

We’re delighted to announce that Nourish’s founder and CEO, Nuno Almeida will be speaking at a variety of events this summer.  

Nuno will share his entrepreneurial journey – from market identification, idea development, building a team and positioning the company in the social care landscape, to how his team architected the business to deliver impact and value, dealing with current challenges and staying focused on good execution, versus their aspirations of contributing to a more sustainable social care sector in the long term.

You can find out more about the event and book tickets here.

As the adoption of digital tools by care teams accelerates, there are increasing reports of the positive impact that is felt by all across the sector – care workers feel more empowered, registered managers more in control and better able to manage their teams, CQC is able to inspect more effectively, and more importantly – we are creating the framework to give people choice and control.

Nuno will share his experience of leading digital transformation across a large number of care providers, the opportunity, and the challenges we need to overcome to get it right.

The Residential & Home Care Show (part of Health Plus Care) focuses on how you can improve the quality of care you offer, workforce recruitment and retention challenges, support and advice for your business weathering the pandemic storm and how you can revolutionise the care you provide through the use of data, analytics and technology.

You can find out more about the event and book tickets here.

Nuno will be speaking with Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, about the challenges in social care as part of LaingBuisson’s Social Care Conference. The conference will hear from a variety of different speakers providing a platform to present arguments and engage in a dialogue with an audience of senior policy makers, providers, regulators and investors.

Bringing together an exceptional blend of key influencers in the sector and combining it with exclusive LaingBuisson insight and world class expertise, this is a must attend event for social care sector leaders.

You can find out more about the event and book tickets here.

Nuno will be speaking on a panel about digital transformation as part of the Care & Occupational Therapy Show. The conference will hear from a variety of different speakers and is the biggest event of its kind in the south west.

You can find out more about the event and book tickets here.