Long-Term Care: Unlocking Better Support Through Digital Innovation

This article is part of our Digital Blueprint for Adult Social Care (ASC). In this piece, we focus on long-term support—how better tools for social workers, providers, individuals, and unpaid carers can reshape practice, free up time, and maximise independence while making the most of the limited resources available.

The Challenge

The UK’s aging population is growing rapidly, predicted to double by 2047, with a 4.3% increase reaching 3.3 million. This rising demand places immense pressure on ASC budgets, with long-term care needs increasing by an average of 2% per year since 2020. If this trend continues, the financial strain will be unsustainable without significant changes.

Moreover, with more individuals requiring long-term care, reliance on unpaid carers is set to rise. Without proper support, carer stress and breakdowns will become more frequent, further destabilising the system. Digital tools can play a crucial role in easing this burden and providing better support for both carers and those receiving care.

Previous discussions have emphasised the need for ASC to become more proactive, person-led, and preventative. By maximising independence throughout a person’s care journey, we can reduce the over-reliance on formal care services. However, achieving this requires a shift in mindset and investment in Technology-Enabled Care (TEC).

Key challenges include:

• A rise in demand and increased acuity of needs—people are living longer but not necessarily healthier lives.
• More individuals are living with long-term conditions requiring sustained care.
• A reduction in public-facing community services, such as gym access for older adults, which helps maintain independence.
• Events triggering long-term care needs, such as falls or hospital admissions, that could be mitigated with early intervention and digital monitoring tools.

Better Tools, Better Practice

The conversation around TEC in social care has often focused on increasing the use of TEC, developing hybrid care packages, and the reduction of traditional support. But this only scratches the surface. To meet the rising demand and transform long-term care, we need to unlock TEC at scale. That means fundamentally changing how the care system operates, how social workers work, and how we use data to get ahead of need.

TEC has the potential to transform the model of care itself—not just streamline it. This is the step change much of the sector has yet to fully grasp. When embedded system-wide, TEC enables a shift from reactive, high-cost care to proactive, preventative, and personalised support. It’s not just about plugging gaps—it's about reshaping the journey altogether.

Impact

The impact of implementing TEC at scale would be significant and far-reaching across social care. People would be supported earlier and more effectively, enhancing their independence, well-being, and quality of life. Overall, their outcomes would be improved significantly. By preventing escalation and reducing the reliance on high-cost interventions, there would be an easing of care budgets by way of cost savings. 

Other important impacts:

• Operational changes in the care system – Shifting from "care as tasks" to "care as enablement" demands changes in attitudes, funding, and leadership priorities. Enhanced integration with healthcare systems will facilitate more effective data sharing and facilitate proactive interventions. Care packages would be dynamic, adapting in real-time to evolving needs, rather than relying on fixed plans.
• Public and sector understanding – Recognising TEC as core to a reimagined social care model. Getting buy-in from the workforce, people who draw on care and support, as well as their families and support networks, means co-producing the solutions together and communicating the benefits clearly. 

Making It Work

A New Way of Working

This transformation requires a rethink of what it means to be a social care professional:

• Social workers and frontline staff must become comfortable with data and digital tools, using insights to guide interventions.
• Skills in digital confidence, collaborative triage, and proactive planning will be critical.
• Practice will become more agile and preventative, relying on real-time information and multi-agency coordination.

The Opportunity Ahead

Getting to TEC at Scale

• Embed TEC in the operating model: TEC should be a core component of every care plan—not an optional add-on.
• Integrate with health and housing: Align digital solutions across the system to deliver early intervention at the right time, by the right professional.
• Use data and analytics to predict and prevent: With better use of data, we can identify patterns of need and trigger timely support before crises occur.
• Targeted response models: Equip frontline teams with insight that enables them to match the right mix of professionals—health and social care—to the person, based on predictive risk or emerging change. 

Ultimately, this is about far more than digitising current processes. It’s about reimagining a more sustainable, equitable, and person-led model of care—one that enables people to live well for longer, with support that's timely, targeted, and empowering.

Achieving this vision won’t happen by chance. It will take bold leadership, co-production, investment, and a system-wide commitment to doing things differently. But the prize is enormous: a truly transformed long-term care system that works better for everyone.

To read or download our Digital Blueprint for Social Care, click here.

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