July 20th 2026
Digital Care Hub welcomes Andy Burnham as Prime Minister and the renewed national focus on adult social care that his appointment brings.
Mr Burnham has said he does not want to leave office having failed to tackle the social care crisis, pledging to “use some of my political capital” on the issue. That gives Yvette Cooper, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a clear direction.
There are high expectations across the sector. Mr Burnham has long argued that social care should have the same moral status as the NHS. The Health Foundation has highlighted his shift towards “whole-person care”: joining up health, social care, housing and community support around people’s lives, not organisational boundaries.
That ambition depends on people and professionals being able to share the right information safely. If Mr Burnham wants prevention, neighbourhood health, place-based care and a national care service to work, adult social care data must be part of the design from day one.
Data sharing is essential to whole-person care
We recognise the caution around the use of technology and AI in public services.
If people are to trust services to share information safely, the public sector must be clear about who controls data, how systems are governed, and how technology supports people rather than displacing jobs or relationships.
But reform cannot be designed around blind spots. Whole-person care depends on care workers, clinicians, families and local partners having the information they need, when they need it, in a safe and proportionate way.
For people drawing on care, that can mean fewer repeated assessments and better coordination. For families, it can mean confidence that important changes are noticed. For frontline workers, it can mean safer support and earlier action when someone’s needs change.
Michelle Corrigan, Chief Executive of Digital Care Hub, said:
“We welcome the Prime Minister’s focus on adult social care. If we are serious about whole-person care, place-based care and neighbourhood health, social care data must be part of the conversation from the start. This is about giving providers the confidence, infrastructure and support to share information safely and improve people’s daily lives.”
Devolution and neighbourhood health depend on good information
Greater Manchester’s Live Well programme, supported by Mr Burnham as Mayor, shows the kind of place-based shift this could point towards: everyday support in every neighbourhood, with communities, public services and voluntary organisations working together to prevent crisis and reduce inequalities.
That approach has clear implications for adult social care. If more power moves to local and regional systems, those systems will need a fuller picture of people’s lives and needs. Care providers hold vital insight into day-to-day wellbeing, independence, risks and support networks, but that insight is too often fragmented or undervalued.
Place-based care and neighbourhood health will only work if social care can participate as an equal partner, with trusted relationships, clear governance, safe information sharing and practical support for providers at different levels of digital maturity.
Cyber security is now a care continuity issue
Safe data sharing depends on good digital infrastructure: reliable connectivity, usable systems, secure records and a workforce that feels confident using digital tools.
It also depends on cyber security. Cyber resilience is no longer just a technical issue. It is a business continuity issue and, increasingly, a care continuity issue. If systems are unavailable, records cannot be accessed or information cannot be shared safely, the impact is felt by people drawing on care and the staff who support them.
Digital Care Hub’s manifesto for digitisation in adult social care made this case at the general election. It called for digital and data innovation to be people-centred, properly funded, secure and shaped with the care sector.
Integration cannot be delivered by structures alone. It needs digital foundations that help care teams, NHS colleagues, councils and community partners work from a shared understanding of people’s lives.
Local support can deliver national change
Our work through Better Security, Better Care and support for the Data Security and Protection Toolkit shows that nationally consistent improvement can be delivered through trusted local support. Care providers need practical, local help that reflects how services really work.
As Mr Burnham, Ms Cooper and his new administration develop their plans, we will continue to champion a people-centred approach to data and digital technology: one that protects trust, strengthens cyber resilience and helps care providers improve daily life for the people they support.
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