The rise of technology has been inexorable this century, from widespread internet adoption to the ubiquitous presence of smartphones. The advances are clear, but with so much on offer, choosing the right solutions can feel like guesswork. It can be like heading to your local DIY store to pick up some white paint; there are at least 37 different options. Which one do you choose? The process of digitising social care and utilising digital home care software to underpin and support your care services can feel exactly the same. 

It can be a challenge in identifying your own needs sometimes, too. Your current process might work for you, but you can accept that it’s inefficient versus what the rest of the market is using. You don’t want to miss out, but at the same time you don’t want to commit to spending time and money on a solution which provide the answer to a question you weren’t asking. 

To help, CACI recently launched a white paper, The top seven features you need from your care management software. It’s free to download here. 

In this article we’re going to look at the importance of digital home care software and the difference that technology can make to care providers, their clients and their staff. 

Digital home care software to support care providers

The rise of digital has touched every area of care provision. Peter Skinner, programme director for Digitising Social Care, noted in 2024 that some 70% of care providers have a digital social care record. That number is expected to surpass 80% in 2025. 

Recording and maintaining digital care records is crucial for a number of reasons: 

• Record information at source in a uniform manner across your services
• Easily search for records 
• Use data gathered to report on your care services 
• Understand the skills and experiences of your care workers 
• Share information with external agencies, such as the NHS and other care providers, easily 
• Provide a friends and family portal with real-time information 
• Keep your records securely in one place 
• Make data gathering for inspections easy 
• Comply with regulations such as GDPR 
• Easily recover data in the case of a disaster event – you can’t recover paper records if an event such a fire occurs 

With the right technology in place, care providers can enhance the service they provide to clients. With a digital record, it removes duplication of questions, with each care worker able to access a single source of the truth. There’s no more waiting for care records and their information to be manually logged in the office. Rather, such information can simply be captured at source on a mobile device. 

Digital home care software to support care workers

With a single source of the truth, your care workers can then administer the right care at the right time. With full visibility of previous care provided and a robust and reliable record of each client’s bespoke needs, you can reduce the risk of error and duplication. 

Digitisation can also support more efficient and effective care worker scheduling. With a central record of care workers as well as clients, you can match the skills and experiences of care workers to the needs of clients. Does a care worker have a good relationship with a particular client? Do they have more experience catering for certain needs? 

You can further plan the route of their care visits to make the most efficient use of their time, potentially facilitating more care visits from a single shift. 

As your care workers complete their care visits, they can simply record the outcomes of each visit via their mobile device. No need to write down notes, carry them with them and submit them to the office. This reduces the administrative burden on care workers, freeing them to focus on what they’re good at – delivering outstanding care to your clients. 

None of this can be achieved without digitising social care and your provision of it.  

Digital home care software to support your clients

In the modern day, clients, as well as their friends and family, expect an interactive service. This cannot be achieved with manual data entry, paper records and an inability to share information beyond the walls of the office. 

When digitising your care services, you open up new opportunities such as friends and family portals. These can display to your clients and their loved ones the status of their care, what has been administered and planned visits. 

This also makes it easier to communicate with your clients where short-term exceptions arise. If, for example, one of your care workers is unable to fulfil their shift that day, you can communicate this clearly and make clear what you are doing to reschedule or rearrange the care visit. 

With digitised care records, you can also share and receive information on clients. If a client is joining your care service from somewhere else, being able to receive all of their information and history of care gives you invaluable insight whilst preparing for them. Similarly, outgoing clients can be supported in their next setting in the same way. 

There is also vital information to be recorded in those instances when clients leave your care services and receive treatment in an NHS or other setting such as a hospital.  

Whilst the sharing of data between the NHS and care providers is far from seamless, it can only be achieved and improved upon with the digitisation of social care and digital care records. This link can make a tangible difference to your clients, helping to return them to a residential setting as soon as possible. This minimises disruption to their lives and your care services. 

Conclusion

Digitisation isn’t going away. The advances have been too rapid and too all-encompassing for there to be any scope to row back on it. It is, therefore, essential that you digitise your care services and ask the right questions in selecting care management software providers. 

Our white paper looks at the top features you need: 

• Care planning 
• Rostering 
• Mobile app 
• Financial management 
• Reporting 
• Friends and family portal 
• Support, security and compliance 

Hopefully it offers some guidance as to what you can expect from care management software and how it can support you in digitising your care records.  

The technology landscape is rapidly changing. So, you might have a solution in place that no longer supports all of your needs. If you’re looking to go digital for the first time or are looking at your next software solution for your care service, please visit www.caci.co.uk/certa for more information on how CACI can support you. 

Two weeks ago, CACI’s Certa team attended one of the largest celebrations of the care sector, The Care Show London 2025. The event brought together care providers, tech innovators and policymakers to explore the future of social care. The use of AI, both good and bad, was one of the hot topics of the event, along with a . This blog takes a closer look at the key topics we found most interesting at the Care Show London 2025.

Generative AI in social care: the Oxford initiative of the responsible use of AI in social care and onwards

This thought-provoking session by Daniel Casson (Digital Transformation Advisor at Casson Consulting), Katie Thorn (Project Lead at Digital Care Hub), and Dr. Caroline Green (Early Careers Research Fellow at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford), delved into the pros, cons and ethical considerations of introducing AI into social care. Much of their talk centred on the use of large language models (LLMs) and concerns with how their use fits in with the values of person-centred care.

To combat this, the talk covered how The Digital Care Hub will soon release official guidance on the responsible use of AI in care settings. This included examining why technology suppliers need to pledge their commitment to creating ethical, collaborative solutions that genuinely serve the care community.

A point that was stressed at the Care Show London 2025 was the need for close alignment with the CQC and the Department of Health and Social Care, to ensure AI is applied responsibly. Dr. Caroline Green gave a memorable analogy to explain AI’s predictive nature: if someone goes to the pub every Thursday, eventually their phone might suggest a message like, “Going down the pub, will be back late,” highlighting how AI learns through pattern recognition, not understanding.

Daniel Carson rounded off the session by urging AI developers to consider both the care workforce and the care recipient, ensuring AI meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Outstanding at home: transforming quality in domiciliary care

This session at the Care Show London 2025 from Caroline Cosh (Director at The OS & Clifton Home Care), Rob Hargreaves (Information Service Manager at Skills For Care) and Patricia Conteh (Head of Clinical Services at Prestige Nursing & Care), focused on how to raise standards in home-based care. A particular emphasis of the talk was on how businesses can achieve an ‘outstanding’ rating from the CQC.

Key actionable takeaways for home care providers included:

• Maintaining clear evidence logs
• Capturing positive client feedback
• Demonstrating strong safeguarding practices
• Providing robust documentation and audit trails
• Preparing for both service-led and leadership-focused inspections

It was a valuable reminder that proactive, well-documented and values-driven care is essential for both compliance and excellence in a domiciliary setting.

A regulatory lens: CQC’s forward focus unveiled at Care Show London 2025

Another standout moment from the Care Show London 2025 was the keynote from James Bullion CBE (Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care and Integrated Care) at the CQC. His update provided a long-awaited look into the regulatory landscape shaping the future of care.

Bullion acknowledged the backlog of inspections, stressed that the number of inspections is increasing and structural changes are on the horizon. “We’re underway with more inspections, we’re dealing with backlogs and we’re about to make some structural changes in the organisation,” he said, signalling a proactive shift in CQC’s approach, with further announcements expected this summer.

He emphasised the shared responsibility between providers and the regulator, noting: “It is in our joint interest for there to be a strong regulator that works effectively so that we can show the public and the government that care is good.”

A major focus for the CQC going forward includes a reshaped leadership structure to bring back sector-specific expertise. The appointment of Sir Julian Hartley as CEO in December, followed by Dr. Arun Chopra as Chief Inspector of Mental Health, marks the beginning of this leadership refresh. New chief inspectors will be responsible for overseeing inspection programmes, enabling faster, more informed decision making.

This update was particularly relevant given the increasing intersection between regulation, technology and person-centred care. This was a recurring theme throughout the event. For providers, the message was clear: being prepared, transparent and responsive to evolving expectations will be key to delivering quality care and achieving compliance in the years ahead.

Final thoughts on the Care Show London 2025

The Care Show London offered a vital glimpse into where social care is heading, from the use of ethical AI and performance enhancing platforms to best-in-class home care delivery. As a team, CACI left feeling inspired by the people and ideas driving innovation across the sector.

“With Certa, we’re committed to supporting the transformation of home care companies through tools that empower teams, streamline care processes and improve outcomes for everyone involved. Attending The Care Show reinforced just how vital innovation is to the future of care. We’re proud to be part of that journey.” Greg Ayles, Director, Certa