techUK’s new white paper, launched at its inaugural CareTech 2026 conference, sets out why adult social care (ASC) must sit at the heart of NHS reform and how the technology to deliver this shift already exists.
Its publication comes at a pivotal moment. The NHS 10-year plan, the Casey Commission, local government reorganisation, the analogue-to-digital telecare transition, and national interoperability programmes are all converging but risk progressing independently rather than as a coherent whole.
It sets out a clear argument that ASC is no longer a supporting player in NHS reform but the infrastructure underpinning the three shifts at the centre of the NHS 10-year plan, from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Treating ASC as an equal partner, not as a downstream pressure or a competing budget line, will be critical to delivering the ambitions of neighbourhood health.
The challenge is no longer whether the technology exists, but whether the system is ready to use it. Predictive monitoring, interoperable records, AI-enabled decision support, digital telecare and data-driven prevention are already being deployed across a growing number of settings. They are improving outcomes for people and supporting the teams around them.
The paper highlights that more than 80% of adult social care providers now use digital care records, millions of people already rely on telecare and predictive tools are increasingly able to identify risk weeks before crisis occurs.
The impact of these capabilities is already being seen in practice, with a number of case studies. In care homes, AI-enabled night-time monitoring is transforming how risk is identified and managed. By using sound and movement sensors to detect early changes in behaviour, care teams can intervene earlier and avoid unnecessary disruption. According to Ally Cares, this approach led to an 84% reduction in high-risk falls, alongside residents waking up to 50% less frequently at night, improving both safety and wellbeing.
At system level, the case is equally clear. NHS Confederation analysis shows that areas investing in community-based care see 15% lower non-elective admissions and 10% fewer ambulance conveyances, with a £131 return for every £100 spent.
The coordination layer
The question is not whether innovation is possible but how to connect, coordinate and scale what is already working.
What is missing is a “coordination layer” such as the aligned commissioning, funding, governance and delivery needed to connect these solutions and enable them to scale. This includes consistent use of open standards, interoperable systems, and shared accountability across health, care, housing and industry.
Crucially, much of this can be acted on now rather than waiting on new funding.
The paper calls for:
- Existing funding to be redirected and pooled more effectively through NHS prevention funding at regional and neighbourhood level
- Greater use of established mechanisms such as the Better Care Fund and section 75 arrangements
However, realising this in practice will require strong leadership and courage. Significant barriers remain, including fragmented governance across too many organisations, short-term funding models and legal and organisational arrangements that permit collaboration but do not consistently make integration investable.
The path forward
The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for government, local authorities, the NHS, ICSs and ICBs. It also sets out clear principles for how the technology industry can work alongside the wider system to deliver meaningful, scalable change.
If you are a care technology supplier or an NHS commissioner of digital services and would like to discuss the issues raised in this blog, please contact Gayle Curry.
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