May 20th 2025
Samir Patel, Director of Oaklands Rest Home, is on a mission to raise the standards of care through collaboration, shared learning, and the smart use of technology. Through Care Home Digi Hive, he’s helping care providers avoid the mistakes he made early in his own digital journey.
When Samir Patel first entered the care sector nearly 20 years ago, he brought with him a fresh perspective from his background in law, recruitment and pharmacy. After opening his first care home, he was struck by how little technology was used day-to-day.
“Nurses were writing the same resident details multiple times a day. It felt incredibly inefficient,” he recalls. “Coming from recruitment, where it was largely digital, even back then, I knew there had to be a better way.”
That moment sparked what would become a long-term commitment to digital transformation. With support from his brother, who had an IT background, Samir began wireframing ideas for a care management system. Before long, he connected with the founders of PCS (Person Centred Software) and became one of the earliest adopters.
Since then, he’s gone on to support dozens of other providers with their own transformation journeys, especially focusing on smaller providers with no dedicated IT departments.
Learning from failure and supporting other providers
“In the early days, we tried to go digital and completely fell flat,” Samir admits. “That experience taught us what not to do, and now we help other providers avoid those same mistakes.”
Through Care Home Digi Hive, a free, peer-led support community for care providers, Samir and his team help others plan their digital strategies, implement systems in a sustainable way, and learn from what’s already working in the sector.
“Most providers are busy just trying to run their homes. They don’t have the time or the resource to trial ten different systems. Care Home Digi Hive is about speeding up that learning process.”
Whether it’s through shared forums, online events, or one-to-one conversations, Care Home Digi Hive gives providers a safe, honest space to learn from each other’s wins and missteps.
“If someone’s already done it, let’s learn from them instead of starting from scratch.”
Values in the Front, Technology in the Back
For Samir, digital transformation isn’t about new tools, but instead about values. He applies what he calls the “Four Pillars” to every technology decision:
- People – Does it benefit our team and residents?
- Profitability – Is it a good investment and trackable?
- Quality – Does it improve the care we deliver?
- Time – Does it give us more of it, to spend with residents?
“We always say, tech should give us more time for cake and a natter, or a puzzle,” he smiles.
That mindset shapes every aspect of Care Home Digi Hive’s offer. Providers can use a digital maturity quiz to understand where they are now, explore tailored recommendations, and access webinars and newsletters to keep learning at their own pace. Everything is designed to meet providers where they’re at with no pressure, no jargon, and no assumption that digital is easy.
Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Care Home Digi Hive’s approach is based around sustainable long-term improvement that add value to the provider, and most importantly, the people they care for.
“Transformation isn’t about the tech. It’s about the team using it. We always involve staff early and give time for demos and feedback. It’s not fast, but it’s sustainable.”
That cultural shift away from top-down decision-making and towards collaborative improvement is at the heart of Care Home Digi Hive’s mission. It’s not just about what software you choose; it’s about building confidence and trust across your whole team.
As the care sector faces increasing pressures, from workforce challenges to regulatory demands, Samir believes shared learning and open dialogue will be key to keeping standards high.
“If we keep doing the same thing and expecting different outcomes, we’re going to be disappointed,” he says. “We need to stay open. That’s how we improve.”
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