COVER STORY
TRUST, AND TECHNOLOGY
TRANSPARENCY
Michelle Corrigan, Chief Executive of Digital Care Hub, reflects on the past year, offers her predictions for the next 12 months, and highlights the challenges that lie ahead for digital care.
Aſter years of cautious pilots and slow progress, 2025 felt like the year adult social care finally changed gear. Digital tools are no longer an add-on. They are influencing how providers record care, communicate with families and make everyday decisions.
At the Digital Care Hub we have seen record demand for help. Providers want clearer guidance, practical examples and reassurance that they are using digital and data systems safely, and not navigating this landscape alone. We are therefore delighted that funding for our Better Security, Better Care support programme has been confirmed until 2029.
Seventy-six per cent of providers now have the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) in place. This is impressive progress, but the question is shiſting from 'Have you completed it?' to 'How are you living it?' Safe digital practice is about culture, confidence and day-to-day behaviours – not just forms or frameworks.
REVIEW OF DIGITAL, DATA AND CYBER IN 2025
DIGITAL MOVES FROM PILOTS TO DAY-TO-DAY PRACTICE
One of the clearest trends of 2025 was the shiſt from pilots to routine digital work. Many providers are now embedding digital social care records, using electronic medicines administration (eMAR) and linking with shared care records for the first time.
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Cyber security is no longer just technical. It is now a leadership responsibility. Providers must protect personal and financial data if they are to claim they offer safe, high-quality care. In 2025, the Care Quality Commission gave an inadequate rating to a service due to uncontrolled use of AI with confidential records – a
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
Others are focusing on implementation: training staff, redesigning workflows and integrating new tools into everyday routines.
Just as importantly, early adopters are reviewing older systems to check whether they still meet their needs. Birtley House, a family-run home in Surrey, first adopted digital care records in 2016. They later recognised they had bent their processes around the soſtware rather than examining their practice first. Instead of abandoning digital, they started again with process at the centre. Staff were ready, the system was mobile and user-friendly, and they now have a personalised platform that reflects how they work.
CYBER SECURITY BECOMES A TEST OF LEADERSHIP
Cyber incidents were relentless in 2025: fake emails, spoofed bank details, supplier breaches and AI-generated scams all caused disruption. One care service almost issued a legitimate refund to a fraudulent account aſter a family member’s email was hacked. A bank warning prevented financial loss, and the provider responded with staff training, stronger processes and better cyber hygiene.
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