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Quarter of social care staff don’t use technology to deliver care

Government-commissioned survey finds 27% of care providers do not use any technology to provide care for patients

Lis Evenstad
By
Published: 06 Mar 2026 0:45

A survey by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has found that some care providers still do not use any technologies to deliver care.

A report on the results, published on 6 March, said that despite the government’s progress on introducing digital technologies in the care sector, 27% of those surveyed reported they use no technology in their jobs.

The survey, which was conducted in February and March 2025, found that within micro providers, the number of those using no technology to provide care and support rose to 40%.

Of those that did use technology, the most commonly used was monitoring sensors and equipment, personal alarms, and video appointments.

According to the survey, results showed that larger social care providers tended to use technology more than smaller providers.

One of the key barriers to using technology, cited in the report, was the cost and licensing fees, staff training, and cyber security. Staff reluctance to use technology, alongside a lack of digital skills of both staff and care recipients, also featured as barriers.

Another reason why staff are unable to use technology is a lack of connectivity.

Business management

The survey also asked care providers about their use of technology to support business management, such as digital records, e-rostering, HR software and video conferencing.

In line with the government’s target to increase the number of care providers using digital social care records, 80% of providers have adopted digital records.

As previously reported by Computer Weekly, this is a doubling of baseline figures from December 2021, when only 40% of UK care providers had adopted digital records.

Initially, the government had set a target date for having 80% of providers implementing digital records by March 2024, however, it was more than a year later before the target was reached.

Read more about social care and technology

  • The adoption of digital social care records has reached 80%, over 18 months after the UK government’s initial target date.
  • As part of the government’s plan to create a digital national care service, social care leaders will be trained in adopting and using cutting-edge technology.
  • Whitepaper by telecare provider Tunstall calls for government to develop a national strategy to resolve fragmentation between health and social care.

The survey results also showed that 63% of providers use digital rostering software, and just over half use video conferencing.

However, there are still disparities between providers. While 90% of those surveyed from large care providers used financial accounting software, only 49% of small providers did so.

Social care has long been struggling with the adoption of digital technologies, and there is huge fragmentation between health and social care. The Labour government is in the process of creating a National Care Service to improve public provision of social care, which includes an increased focus on technology and national budget allocations.

There is currently no national social care budget, and each local authority will manage and spend funding based on their priorities.

To ensure social care leaders are equipped to transform social care from analogue to digital, the government launched a digital leadership qualification in April 2025.

The aim of the level 5 qualification award is to ensure social care leaders have the knowledge and skills necessary to adopt and use digital innovations and technology in the sector.

Organisations can choose which technologies they focus on, including smart home technologies, telecare, digital social care records, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Read more on IT for government and public sector