As a key event in the social care leadership calendar, ADASS Spring Seminar enables the sector to share insights, engage in discussions and offer commitments that steer the direction of travel for social care in the coming months and years. Our team learned a lot from the workshop, breakfast meeting and on-stand conversations we had, and it was encouraging that there was positive reinforcement of what we are saying and doing in the sector when it comes to digital and system-wide transformation. There is a strong and positive focus on digitally enabling lives in social care.
Rich Amos, WM ADAS Co-production Advisor and panel member of our leadership breakfast meeting, summed up digital’s role in social care transformation perfectly:
The rhetoric we so often hear about digital in social care is prevention-focused. Digital though has the ability to empower, so let’s talk more about how it can enable lives. We need to invest in digital because it is the right thing to do.
This year, Spring Sem focused on three key themes:
- Carers;
- Workforce; and
- Prevention.
Our team took the role of applying a digital lens to each of these areas, ultimately answering the question “How can digital support the social care sector to address its key challenges?”
Digitally enabling lives in Nottinghamshire
One of the pivotal moments of the event was our session with Melanie Williams, incoming ADASS president, and her colleague Sue Batty. My Channel 3 colleagues Nyasha and Stuart shared the transformative journey we have embarked on in Nottinghamshire, showcasing the tangible benefits for those people with digitally enabled lives from across the county. The session underscored the power of collaboration and innovation in reshaping the social care landscape.
Here are the slides from that session (if you have any questions, then drop us a line):
Aligning our vision for the sector with reality: The Digital Blueprint for Health and Care
At the heart of our discussions lay the Digital Blueprint for Health and Care—a roadmap we have developed through collaboration with sector leaders. While not flawless, this blueprint offers a structured approach to propel the sector forward across the key areas of demand growth, market fragility, workforce constraints and financial pressures. Its positive reception among delegates reaffirmed our belief in the collective vision for a digitally empowered future.
Here is the digital blueprint along with an overview of the national challenges facing the UK social care sector:
Unveiling and unpacking the insights from our sector survey
Another highlight from Spring Sem was having the opportunity to release the insights from our sector survey and subsequent Adult Social Care Digital Maturity Report, conducted in collaboration with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). The findings shed light on the foundational elements necessary for the transformation of social care. While the results reveal the challenges ahead, they also illuminate the vast opportunities awaiting if we muster the will to act decisively on digital.
Here is the Adult Social Care Digital Maturity Report 2024 summary:
Continuing the conversation about digitally enabling lives
Whether you were present at Spring Seminar or not, the journey towards digital transformation in social care is one we must undertake together. Let’s keep the dialogue alive.
If you have questions, ideas, or aspirations about digitally enabling lives in your local system, we invite you to reach out. Together, let’s pave the way for a future where every individual receives the care they deserve, from a workforce empowered by the potential of digital.
If you would like to learn more about our work in Nottinghamshire and across the UK, our Digital Blueprint for Health and Care or the Adult Social Care Digital Maturity Report, then please drop me a line.
Ralph Cook
Social Care Partner
