December 23rd 2025
Our final CTRL + Care podcast of 2025 is a festive but thought-provoking one, bringing together a packed news roundup and a wide-ranging conversation about cyber security, data protection and digital change in adult social care.
With Michelle off on Christmas leave, Katie was joined by Digital Care Hub colleague Dan O’Shaughnessy as guest co-host, alongside legal expert Ben Pumphrey, Legal Director and Head of Data Governance at Anthony Collins Solicitors. Together, they reflected on what 2025 has taught us — and what care providers should be thinking about as we head into 2026.
Trust, AI and doing technology properly
The episode opens with a look at TrustX, a new health and care research initiative focused on testing and validating agentic AI — systems that can act autonomously with minimal human oversight. While AI has dominated headlines for much of the year, the discussion focuses on the need to slow down and get the basics right.
There was agreement that generative AI arrived faster than many organisations were ready for. With agentic AI still emerging, there is a chance to be more intentional this time, focusing on safety, reliability and real-world impact rather than rushing new tools into practice without proper checks.
Lessons from electronic patient records
The news roundup also covered a report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body on risks linked to electronic patient records. While these systems can bring real benefits, the findings underline how much depends on good procurement, implementation and governance.
Dan drew parallels with digital social care records, noting that most providers now use them. The challenge, he suggested, is making sure technology is regularly reviewed and evaluated, rather than assuming it is working simply because it is in place. Katie added that poor implementation is often where problems arise, and that “tech for tech’s sake” rarely delivers better outcomes.
Data gaps and frontline reality
Another story discussed was Careline Live’s State of Home Care report, produced with the Care Workers’ Charity. One of its most striking findings was the continued lack of access to NHS data for care providers.
Quotes from care staff describe supporting people without essential medical information, making care feel unsafe and undermining efforts to prevent hospital admissions. This linked closely to wider conversations about shared care records and the long-term ambition for better data flow across health and social care.
A big year for cyber awareness
The second half of the episode focused on a detailed discussion with Ben Pumphrey, who reflected on whether 2025 might finally be the year when cyber risk started to be taken seriously.
Ben pointed to a series of high-profile cyber attacks affecting household names, arguing that these incidents helped shift national awareness by showing just how disruptive and personal cyber attacks can be. Within social care, awareness of risk is growing, but Ben warned that practices such as bring your own device can significantly increase exposure if not properly managed.
What the new data law means
The conversation also unpacked the Data Use and Access Act, which amends existing data protection law. Ben highlighted changes that matter for social care, including new digital information standards to support interoperability, a clearer lawful basis for data sharing in the public interest, and more proportionate rules around subject access requests.
Looking ahead, Ben described shared care records and tools like GP Connect as genuine opportunities for social care — as long as organisations understand the governance, contracts and responsibilities involved.
If you want a clear, practical roundup of cyber and data developments — and what they mean for adult social care — this episode is well worth a listen.
Ctrl+Care podcast is published every Friday on YouTube and Spotify.
Episode 23 on YouTube and on Spotify
Next session 9 January 2026 after the Christmas break.
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