FEATURE
Calling For A Revolution
Decreasing budgets and an increasing strain on services could see the social care sector running headlong into a crisis unless action is taken. The care system will be in dire straits if it doesn’t deploy mobile technology to ensure it can make best use of its resources, says Colin Reid, CEO of TotalMobile.
Mobile technology is making services more accessible and effi cient in certain areas, but digital communications still has a way to go in many regions to enable social workers to share opportunities, best practice and easily reach and communicate with service users.
There is one fact that can’t be escaped. The use of digital technologies, based around the internet, mobile devices, social networks, telecare and telehealth solutions, will become increasingly important in enabling people to live more independent and fulfi lling lives, irrespective of their health and care needs.
The elderly are going to make up a much larger proportion of the UK’s population in the future. The Offi ce for National Statistics forecasts that the number of over 80s is set to more than double from 3 million in 2012 to 6 million in 2037. At the same time, analysts are estimating that the number of people with learning disabilities will rise by a third by 2030. With this growing demand on services, mobile technology can offer many advantages in the care context.
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Putting the right mobile technology in the hands of frontline workers as part of a social care system is the recipe for success. Making sure social workers are better connected — and can work offl ine where connections are poor — can actively increase the amount of care available for those who need it and reduce the amount of time social workers spend on travel, data entry and admin.
The mobile platform provides a mutual place from which to initiate health and social care integration. A social worker can access up-to- the-minute case notes, care plans and assessments, based on which they can make the best decision for the person they are supporting, and easily get the person involved in their own care. This creates a scenario of better decision making and can cut unnecessary hospital readmissions.
Mobile technology is such a large part of our daily lives, both in and outside work that most professionals can instantly work with the technology via intuitive interfaces, without the need for lengthy training. With mobile technology, they can carry out aspects of their jobs they previously could not do unless they
were physically in the offi ce and able to access data held in the central database. They can complete tasks on the move, such as replying to emails, updating reports and acquiring patient signatures for treatment plans, simply and effi ciently.
Various barriers have been put up to mobile technology in social work. These include software compatibility, unreliable connectivity and a reluctance to bring technology into service users’ homes. These can all be very easily overcome by simply talking to the practitioners and providing them with the mobile tools they need.
For social workers, face-to-face time with people is crucial. The key to increasing time social workers spend with clients and reducing travel time is mobile technology, which also empowers staff to carryout tasks with all the facts in front of them. Mobile technology has to be the answer to improving care management for workers today and in the future.
www.totalmobile.co.uk
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