January 29th 2026
Our final article in our Digital Care in Focus innovation series sets out some reflective questions for different stakeholders.
Over the past month, Digital Care in Focus has looked at what digital innovation really looks like in adult social care. Not as a list of new tools, but as the everyday choices organisations make about data, technology, risk and relationships.
These questions are designed to support honest conversations about how data and technology are chosen, commissioned and used, and whether innovation is genuinely helping people experience better care.
For care provider leaders
Care providers are often closest to the challenges innovation is trying to address. They also tend to carry the consequences when technology does not work as planned.
Questions to reflect on:
- What are you actually trying to improve through digital innovation right now, and is that clear across your organisation?
- Do your digital systems make it easier for staff to use their judgement and build relationships, or do they mainly focus on recording and reporting?
- Who, if anyone, has clear responsibility for overseeing data and technology across the organisation?
- When you talk to technology suppliers or agree contracts, how clearly do conversations cover safety, cyber security, interoperability and ongoing support?
For policymakers
Policy sets the direction of travel for digital innovation, but it also shapes where pressure and risk land.
Questions to reflect on:
- How clearly do current policies connect digital innovation with better outcomes for people drawing on care?
- Are expectations about digital transformation realistic, given funding pressures and workforce capacity?
- How is policy making space for experimentation and learning while still managing risk, particularly around artificial intelligence and data sharing?
- Where might policy be nudging organisations towards short-term or compliance-driven technology choices?
For commissioners
Commissioning decisions have a big influence on what kind of innovation is possible and sustainable.
Questions to reflect on:
- Do commissioning approaches encourage innovation that improves quality and prevention, or mainly focus on efficiency and compliance?
- How visible are cyber security, data protection and interoperability in procurement and contract discussions?
- Are providers able to adapt and learn over time, or are they locked into systems that are hard to change?
- How are people drawing on care and families involved in shaping digital priorities through commissioning?
For organisations representing people drawing on care and families
Lived experience brings insight that data alone cannot.
Questions to reflect on:
- How can people drawing on care and families be involved earlier in conversations about data and technology, not just asked for feedback later?
- What opportunities exist to share lived experience directly with care providers and technology suppliers?
- How are concerns about data use, consent and trust being raised and taken seriously?
- Where might digital tools make things harder or more excluding for some people, and how can that be challenged?
For technology suppliers
Suppliers play a major role in shaping how innovation works in practice.
Questions to reflect on:
- How well do your products reflect the day-to-day reality of care delivery and workforce pressures?
- Are claims about automation or artificial intelligence explained clearly and honestly?
- How are cyber security, data protection and interoperability built in from the start, rather than added later?
- How do you involve care providers, staff and people drawing on care in design and development?
Keeping people at the centre
Digital innovation in adult social care is not owned by any single group. It emerges from how providers, commissioners, policymakers, suppliers and people drawing on care work together.
The real question is not whether the sector should innovate, but how to do so in ways that are safe, inclusive and grounded in what matters most to people.
Explore all our Digital Care in Focus content on innovation, including research and policy briefings, case studies and the webinar recording.
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