Tech-proofing: a risky business made safer

As part of our Care Trends Report 2024, 41 per cent of care home providers told us their current IT systems are inadequate — potentially putting their residents at risk. In a world where technology sits at the centre of almost everything we do, it is shocking that so many providers continue to grapple with software that is not up to the job. This simply should not be the case.

Many of us have likely seen news articles about organisations that have unfortunately failed to provide safe care. Just recently, the CQC published information about a care provider in Northamptonshire who was ordered to pay over £200,000 after it failed to protect a resident from avoidable harm. Another provider in the West Midlands recently pleaded guilty to causing a resident avoidable harm, being ordered to pay almost £23,000.

The care sector is, of course, a highly regulated industry, and we can all agree that compliance is absolutely necessary to protect residents from harm and to ensure providers are delivering high-quality care. But this is often easier said than done — especially if you are unable to effectively identify and manage your risks before they become an issue, instead being stuck with the inadequate processes that we know are holding so many residential care providers back.