New technology is helping to change the face of social care for people across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, to improve care and enable people to stay independent in their own home for as long as possible.
We’re introducing innovative new ways to support our residents. That means doing things such as working to create a ‘digital social care record’ – a way of securely allowing health and care professionals to see relevant information in a person’s health and care records to give them better, safer care.
We’ve also launched some exciting projects that will make a big difference to people, their carers and loved ones, and our care homes. Our aim is to help prevent the problems that lead to serious health issues and stays in hospital.
Update on DiSC programme: April 2025
The original NHS England (NHSE) three-year Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme came to an end in March 2025, and NHSE is now working on the outline programme for 2025/26 and beyond. Read more on the national Digitising Social Care website.
Over the next few months, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) DiSC Team will evaluate the projects that are coming to the end of their pilot term and agree next steps, alongside the continued delivery of projects from separate funding streams.
Having been recognised as one of the country’s leading ICSs in digitising social care, we have been invited to work with NHSE as a supporting partner to help develop the forthcoming national programme. As part of this work we will be engaging with the local authorities in BLMK to help shape and test how the national plans will be delivered locally.
Further details will be shared in due course. For further information, please contact:
- Clare Steward, Programme Director (Digitising Social Care) for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS: Clare.Steward@nhs.net
- Anna Ellis, Digitising Social Care Programme Manager for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS: Anna.Ellis6@nhs.net
How will all this help?
- Safer care: Bringing social care and health data and care records together in one place reduces the risk of errors, duplication and lost information. It also enables automated alerts and reminders for carers.
- Improved resident care: People will get better care that’s built around their needs. That’s because care staff will have the information they need, when they need it – and people who use services and their carers will be more involved in the conversations that count.
- More time to care: The reduced administration and more automated processes will increase productivity and release time to care – resulting in better experiences for residents and more meaningful interactions.
- Remote monitoring: Using digital tools to measure vital signs removes the need for frequent check-ups or disturbances to daily routines. It enables residents to stay in their own home for longer – safe in the knowledge that medical teams will know if issues arise and react accordingly.
- Falls prevention: Fewer people will fall and suffer from any injuries – whether they live in their own home or residential care.
- Better communication: Streamlined processes and faster decision-making – care staff can contact clinicians quickly to discuss any concerns or trends such as weight loss or changes to vital signs.
- Reduced pressure on ambulances: There will be less need to call ambulances, as people receiving residential care or home support will become safer and have more technology to help them stay that way. This will also help our ambulance and accident and emergency services as not as many people will need their help.
- Fewer hospital admissions: For those who need a hospital stay, digital records will enable quicker and safer discharges or transfers to other services. It will also be much easier to arrange temporary or permanent care to support them to leave as soon as they’re well enough.
- Better for families: Increased satisfaction and better experiences through more interactions with care staff who can share test results and photos. Assurance that queries can be investigated in detail as all the data is available.
- Better for care providers: What we’re doing will also help the organisations that provide care. Using technology will mean they can improve the care they give and the accuracy of their records, while saving time, effort and costs.
- Improved digital literacy: And to help them make the most of what’s on offer, there’ll be training sessions so staff can learn new skills. Managers will see the satisfaction and confidence of their staff grow.
Case studies and media releases
- Burlington Hall uses various innovations from the DiSC programme
- MiiCare is helping people to stay safely in their own homes
- Whzan speaks for residents at Oasis House who can’t talk
- 90 local care homes are using Whzan Blue Boxes to reduce hospital admissions
- Prime Care uses Digital Social Care Records to provide better, safer care
- Digital Social Care Records bring benefits to residents at Peter’s Place
- Digital records help care homes to work smarter and safer
- Video: Local GPs explain how Proxy Access improves care and safety for care home residents
- Video: Local care home staff explain how Proxy Access helps them to safely manage medications
- Raizer chair cuts A&E visits by local care home residents
- PainChek™ facial recognition technology improves pain management in care homes
- Whzan is reassuring families of local residents receiving home care
- PainChek™ supports local care homes to understand and manage their residents’ pain
- Whzan remote monitoring toolkit reassures care home staff, managers, residents, and their families
- Video: Local care homes embrace PainChek™ to help manage their residents’ pain
- Robotic pets provide comfort and companionship for local residents
BLMK Future Digitisation of Social Care Conference
Every year since 2022, we have held a conference for care sector providers covering care homes and home care.
Presentations and videos from our 2023 and 2024 conferences are available below.
Digital Care Hub masterclass 4 Sept 2024: The Hubble Project: Elizabeth Finn Homes
You can find out more about what we’re doing by clicking on each of the links below. For more information on the programme, or any of our projects, please email the team.