EXCLUSIVE: The future of care and how tech is supporting a workforce in crisis
High staff turnover, coupled with difficult-to-fill vacancies, is putting increasing pressure on resources and frontline caregivers, leading to a workforce crisis.
To address this crisis and enhance the future of care, technology will be essential in tackling these challenges as it can help providers anticipate needs, allocate support efficiently, and maintain high-quality care.
Kate Fairhurst, Managing Director at Howz, shares her vision for a future model that relies less on direct intervention from caregivers.
Utilising technology
Technology is already enhancing care delivery through wearable devices and home sensors that monitor vitals, movement and sleep patterns, helping carers identify risks before they escalate. This proactive approach enables caregivers to identify potential risks before they escalate.
For instance, user-friendly digital dashboards have been seen to improve real-time visibility for care teams, translating complex data into comprehensive outcomes for easier care decision-making.
However, as we look to the future of care, predictive analysis will become more prominent as it can detect subtle behavioural and physiological changes, supporting early interventions and smarter resource allocation by teams mobilised to assess and analyse these small changes.
As these systems become more integrated, technology can expand workforce capacity, improve care quality and allocation to proactively meet rising demand.
Aligning care providers
As the system faces growing strain, the industry must adopt more flexible and creative approaches to care. It’s essential for care commissioners to understand individual needs and prioritise cases, enabling carers to focus on proactive interventions.
Creating tailored care packages requires alignment among care providers, commissioners and frontline workers, centred around user experience and system outcomes.
Technology now enables a 24/7 objective view of patients’ routines, allowing carers to detect critical changes like disrupted sleep or inactivity.
This shift to proactive care empowers carers with essential information and helps prevent emergencies, therefore improving workforce planning.
Additionally, commissioners can transition from outdated block contracts to more responsive, personalised care models. Frontline workers will experience this benefit too, receiving support from technology that directs care where it’s needed most.
In the example of the partnership between Everon and Howz, care assessments are informed by user-based insights, meaning a bespoke approach to reviewing requirements for each individual.
The potential of this technology was recently evidenced in a new study conducted by Howz, which found that changes in behaviour and routines, even subtle behavioural changes, particularly in mobility and sleep, can act as early indicators of health decline.
Technology and the future of care
As the UK faces rising demand for social care and a strained workforce, technology will be essential in supporting care providers and those receiving care. By enabling targeted and responsive support, it can deliver care where needed most.
Embracing technology and breaking down traditional barriers will create a more resilient system that benefits both providers and patients.
Additionally, technology enhances human interaction by allowing personalised care that focuses on everyday experiences, improving relationships among patients, carers, and families.
This approach will increase the quality and efficiency of care while fostering a compassionate culture that acknowledges individual complexities and optimises resource allocation.
For more information about Everon Group & Howz, visit here.
