Streeting announces cutting edge tech in social care

Care leaders will be trained to use the latest cutting-edge technology to improve patient care, free up staff time and help people live independently in their own homes for longer.

In a bid to shift adult social care from analogue to digital as part of the Plan for Change, the Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting has announced a new qualification that will equip care leaders with the skills to use and rapidly deploy technology across care homes and other settings.

The training will focus on tools which have been shown to improve the quality of care and reduce pressure on staff. This includes motion sensors that can detect and alert staff when a patient has had a fall; video telecare to allow remote appointments with doctors and carers to reduce the need to travel; and artificial intelligence which can automate routine tasks like note taking or predict when a patient might need additional care.

Care technologies like these will help people to receive the best possible care in the community and prevent avoidable trips to the hospital, reducing pressure on the NHS.  It supports the government's 10 Year Health Plan to make health and social care fit for the future.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

We will harness the full potential of cutting-edge technology to transform social care, helping people to live independently in their own homes and improving the quality of care.

By investing in skills training for care workers, introducing a Fair Pay Agreement, and providing more opportunities for career progression, we will help retain the incredible professionals we need. 

Our Plan for Change will make sure we have the people and the skills needed to build a National Care Service.

Speaking at Unison's 2025 National Health Care Conference, the Health and Social Care Secretary also outlined a series of wider measures to boost the recruitment and retention of care staff. The plans will professionalise the adult social care workforce and help staff progress in their careers, leading to better pay and recognition.

This includes:

• Setting up new job roles - like deputy managers, registered managers, personal assistants and a new enhanced care worker role - in recognition of increasingly complex care requirements. It will mean their skills will be recognised across the health service, so that GPs, doctors and other health professionals understand their expertise.
• £12 million to fund courses and qualifications for carers to develop new skills, build expertise and advance in their careers.

The boost for social care careers will support the 1.59 million strong workforce which provides vital care and support to people of all ages and with diverse, complex needs and is in recognition of the vital work they do.

The measures come as unpaid carers' see the biggest rise in their earnings limit since the 1970s this month, and the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for the sector continues to progress through Parliament.

Baroness Louise Casey will soon begin her independent commission into adult social care which will look at how we recruit, retain and support the workforce as part of its focus on building a social care system fit for the future.

Background

Care Workforce Pathway

• The Care Workforce Pathway is the first universal career structure for the adult social care workforce. It focuses on direct care and support roles. The second part of the Pathway includes four further role categories to continue to match the breadth of careers in adult social care.
• The Pathway provides clear guidance for progression and development for professionals in the adult social care sector by outlining the necessary knowledge, skills, values and behaviours they will need in their work/practice. 8 It sets out how people can develop across a long-term career in adult social care with support and training; attracting people to join and remain in the sector and supporting sustainable workforce growth. 

Level 5 Digital Leadership Qualification

• This new qualification will ensure adult social care leaders and managers have the skills they need to adopt digital innovations and new technology to help transform the sector.
• This supports the fundamental shift from analogue to digital in adult social care will support high quality, safe, efficient and person-centred care. This shift is dependent on the adult social care workforce feeling confident, skilled and supported to embed digital ways of working. 
• Awarding Organisations can decide which technologies to focus on and these are included, but not limited to: smart home technologies, assistive technologies, technologies worn by staff, telecare, diagnostic tools, digital social care records, business software and AI and robotics technology. Further information can be found in the Level 5 Award in Understanding Digital Leadership in Adult Social Care Qualification Specification. 

 Publication of updated care certificate standards

• The Care Certificate standards have been refreshed to bring the contents up to date and in line with the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification that was launched in June 2024. 
• The Care Certificate Standards were developed for use in England and are the recommended minimum training, supervision and assessment that staff new to care (health and adult social care) should receive as part of induction and before they start to deliver care. It provides a foundation for healthcare support and social care worker roles, ensuring that the new worker can provide a compassionate and caring service.

International Recruitment Fund

• Additionally, the government will also reduce reliance on overseas recruitment for social care. £12.5 million has been made available for the international recruitment fund to tackle the exploitation of international care workers. This will help find new employment for displaced overseas care workers, prioritising those already in the UK before hiring internationally. 

Health and Social Care Secretary's UNISON speech