Connected Care > Key messages

1. Mobile connectivity offers huge potential to aid the delivery of adult social care.
   For example, only 40% of social care providers are fully digitised, with the rest using paper records. With greater adoption and use of digital technologies and processes, there are opportunities to meet the multiple challenges of funding constraints, increased demand, problems with the recruitment and retention, and the morale of the social care workforce.
2. Significant advances are being made in digital technologies that are enabled by mobile connectivity.
   These advances enable councils to deliver adult social care more cost effectively, without compromising on quality. One example is the range of new digital devices that will mean residents can live independently for longer. For every week that someone can stay living independently rather than going into residential care, a council could save £648 a week, or £33,700 a year (or 80% of cost). Another example is remote care. A trial has found that remote monitoring to ensure that medication is taken means a 60% reduction in hospital admissions.
3. The digitisation of the adult social care sector – delivering connected care – will help with recruitment and retention of staff and in the procurement of services.
   Digitisation will help to attract and retain staff through better working conditions and upskilling, shape better provider markets and bring new commercial opportunities. More than a third of councils are using entrepreneurial methods in areas such as waste, leisure and tourism, IT/back office and housing, and could do the same with connected care.
4. The potential of connected care will only be realised with good quality mobile connectivity.
   Councils can ensure the highest quality mobile connectivity is available by working with the telecoms providers; referencing the importance of mobile infrastructure to economic development and social inclusion in all Local Development Plans; continuing the promotion of full-fibre deployment to facilitate mobile and 5G rollout.
5. Councils should appoint a Digital Champion to turn the vision for connected care into a reality.
   Appointed Digital Champions can help set the local strategy and policy around digital connectivity, raise awareness, advocate for connectivity, and coordinate both internally and externally with the council itself and telecommunications providers. Digital Champions could influence and guide the 56% of senior management teams in councils yet to formally discuss the impact of 5G on their local authority, despite recognising the transformative effect it could have within environmental, housing and social services.