How technology can promote wellbeing in the adult social care workforce

Self Care Week is the annual national event that raises awareness of what we can all do to improve our physical health and mental wellbeing. This year, the theme is Exercise Self Care for Life.

The organiser of Self Care Week is the Self Care Forum, a charity which aims to empower and encourage everyone to make self care their everyday habit. Incorporating the practice of self care into our everyday lives can help us to live as healthily as possible. And there’s evidence that suggests being as healthy as we can also helps us to better cope with life’s challenges that come our way.

It’s no secret that for staff working in social care there are many challenges. The CQC State of Care 21/22 report tells us that care services are struggling to attract and retain staff. Pay conditions are so poor that many care workers are leaving in favour of other industries with higher salaries and reduced stress.

Self Care Week is the perfect time to think about your workforce, and what small changes you could make as a provider to improve staff health and wellbeing, as well as your own. There are resources available to help you improve the wellbeing of your staff and one thing you may not have thought about is how technology can help.

Meeting the needs of the people you support depends on good communication and sharing information with others involved in a person’s care plan. By 2024, the government aim to have 80% of care services using digital social care records which is a strong indicator of the direction social care is moving towards.

Holding digital care records not only benefits your clients but can also have a positive impact on staff. By having digital care records, care can be coordinated more efficiently as records are easily accessible to the people involved in a person’s care plan. This frees up time otherwise spent on administration and means that care workers can get back to spending time with the people they care for. In addition to this, all staff involved in a person’s care plan are able to access vital information at the click of a button. Having access to information in a timely fashion can reduce burnout and stress in the workforce as time is not spent on trying to navigate a client’s care plan.

Regardless of whether you hold digital or paper care records, it’s important that you follow best practice with the information you hold and complete the Data Security & Protection Toolkit (DSPT). The DSPT is a self-assessment tool that demonstrates you have good processes in place and demonstrates you are compliant with data protection laws. The Better Security, Better Care programme hosts a wide range of resources and support for free to help providers complete the toolkit and keep people’s information safe.

Further information

• Self care week webpages.
• Register for a free online yoga class for self care week hosted by the Royal College of Nursing.
• Skills for care staff wellbeing resources.
• Free advice and information on completing the DSPT.