Conversation starter: Angela Thompson 

Angela framed the question in the context of the care sector. The organisation she works for supports 21,000 employers and organisations. They are struggling to recruit and train staff. It is a challenging backdrop – there is a huge demand for digital solutions to improve the current system. 

Maeve talked about how we might be able to better support leaders in the care sector in implementing digital technology. 

We talked about A.I solutions, how tech like Pepper the robot might work in a care setting. Funding would certainly be an issue for this type of project, but Angela mentioned they have trialled A.I to help prompt patients with dementia. Again, there is a big cost factor involved. 

Raising digital skills amongst the workforce is important, but worth remembering many care home staff won’t have access to a PC – it is likely to sit behind a door in their manager’s office. 

Ideally, some form of centralisation of communication between services would be beneficial. One way of connecting everyone, a single platform. There are so many local variations, processes are clunky. It would be simpler and more streamlined if everyone used the same tools.

Discussion turned to how you measure the success or failure of a project. Is that determined by the ones who hold the purse strings? It should be decided by everyone: managers, staff, patients and their families. “If you can enable someone to die a good death, then that is the most important thing.” 

Processes are complex, but fears around safety and risk have led to a reluctance to change. 

“Technology has not been embraced in the way it should be in this underfunded sector.”