Vincent Buscemi, Partner at Bevan Brittan, reflects on the third Championing Social Care Thought Leaders in Care Lunch which focused on the current and future role of technology in care
In the evolving landscape of social care, technology is no longer a distant enabler, it is part of the infrastructure that underpins compassionate care. The latest Championing Social Care Roundtable, “From Compassion to Code: Rethinking Technology’s Role in Social Care,” brought together a diverse group of operators, innovators, investors, and digital leaders to explore one central question: how can technology help us provide compassionate and consistent care?
The conversation unfolded across a spectrum of perspectives, from data ethics to workforce and education, but a shared sentiment ran through the day: technology’s true potential in social care lies not in replacing compassion, but in reinforcing it.
Technology as a Utility: The New Pipework of Care
One of the most striking ideas to emerge from the discussion was the reframing of technology as a utility, the unseen pipework of modern care. Just as electricity powers our daily lives, digital infrastructure now powers the continuity, coordination, and quality of care delivery.
When viewed this way, technology is not an optional add-on but the connective tissue that links caregivers, care receivers, and the wider ecosystem, from commissioners to regulators. It is the enabler that reduces friction, streamlines administrative load, and ensures that compassionate care can be delivered consistently and safely, regardless of geography or scale.
Yet, seeing technology as utility brings a responsibility: utilities must be dependable, equitable, and transparent. This demands robust digital foundations, interoperable systems, and the resilience to protect care continuity in moments of disruption. It also means ensuring the “pipework” of technology does not privilege the largest operators at the expense of smaller providers. Equity in infrastructure must mirror equity in care.
From Tools to Trust: Technology as an Enabler, Not a Substitute
The Roundtable made it clear that whilst technology can empower, it must not supplant the human connection at the heart of social care. Compassion is not something that can be coded into a system; it lives in the relationships between people. However, what technology can do is create the space and time for those relationships to thrive.
When designed thoughtfully, digital tools can reduce the administrative burdens that weigh on frontline care givers. Voice-enabled records, automated care notes, and smart coordination platforms can transform the daily rhythm of care delivery, freeing teams from repetitive documentation so they can focus on what truly matters: being present with the people they support.
In this sense, compassionate technology is not cold or mechanical. It is intuitive, personalised, and responsive, an ally that enhances rather than replaces human connection. The future of care is not us versus machine; it is us with machine, united by shared purpose.
Measuring What Matters: Outcomes, Not Outputs
As social care modernises, the conversation is shifting from activity-based measures to outcome-based accountability. Technology can be a powerful enabler of this shift, but only if we use data intelligently and ethically.
Digital systems allow us to monitor outcomes in real time, identify trends, and personalise interventions. They also provide the evidence base needed to make informed commissioning and investment decisions. However, the use of data raises essential questions around consent, privacy, and transparency.
Roundtable participants emphasised the importance of trustworthy data frameworks; systems that not only protect personal information but actively reinforce confidence in the way that information is used. Transparency must be designed into the data lifecycle, ensuring that individuals understand how their information supports better care outcomes.
When data is treated as a shared asset rather than a private commodity, it becomes a force for good. It supports defensible decisions, drives accountability, and ensures that compassion and consistency are not just values, but measurable realities.
Digital Equity and Inclusion: Designing for Everyone
Technology promises empowerment, but only when everyone can access and use it with confidence. Digital exclusion remains a significant barrier, particularly among older and more vulnerable populations. However, this is not a static picture. Many older adults are now adopting digital tools with surprising speed, demonstrating increased confidence in using devices to connect with family, carers, and services.
The opportunity lies in designing for inclusion from the outset. Interfaces must be intuitive, accessible, and sensitive to the varying digital literacies of users. Support must be available to bridge the gap, not only for care receivers but also for those tasked with delivering digital-enabled care.
Digital equity also extends to providers. Smaller operators often face structural barriers, from funding constraints to inconsistent infrastructure, that hinder adoption. A shared, interoperable ecosystem can level the playing field, enabling innovation at all scales and ensuring that no provider is left behind in the digital transformation.
Care Givers: Linchpin of Compassionate Digitisation
Technology in social care succeeds or fails with the care givers. Without their engagement, the most advanced digital solutions risk becoming little more than compliance tools, seen as administrative burdens rather than empowerment instruments.
A recurring theme in the discussion was the critical importance of education and cultural change. Digital transformation is as much about mindset as it is about mechanics. It requires building digital confidence, competence, and curiosity across every level of an organisation, from frontline carers to managers and executives.
Embedding Digital Champions or “system sages” within care teams is one approach. These individuals act as connectors, interpreters, and advocates, bridging the gap between technology and practice. By nurturing this digital confidence, organisations can transform adoption from obligation into ownership.
Investing in education is not merely a training issue; it is a cultural investment. When individuals feel confident in using digital tools, they also feel empowered to deliver higher-quality, person-centred care. Compassion, consistency, and capability rise together.
Interoperability and Ecosystem Thinking
No single platform, provider, or solution can meet the full spectrum of social care needs. True transformation demands ecosystem thinking and the ability for technologies to work together seamlessly, across organisations and sectors.
Without interoperability innovation risks becoming fragmented and providers risk vendor lock-in that stifles flexibility and choice. A healthy digital ecosystem should function like a well-connected neighbourhood, each system distinct, but all part of a shared infrastructure serving a common purpose.
This interoperability is not just technical but relational. Collaboration between care providers, local authorities, regulators, tech developers, and policymakers is essential. The more aligned these relationships are, the more cohesive and resilient the care system becomes. In this sense, interoperability is as much about trust as it is about technology.
Safety, Privacy, and the Ethics of Innovation
As social care becomes more digital, safeguarding must evolve to encompass data protection, cybersecurity, and ethical AI. Compassionate care in the digital age means not only protecting people from physical harm but ensuring the security of their personal information and digital dignity.
Participants at the Roundtable highlighted the need for clear guardrails, not to inhibit innovation, but to ensure it proceeds responsibly. Ethical frameworks should be transparent, enforceable, and publicly accountable. Informed consent must be genuine, not buried in small print. And disaster recovery plans must ensure that digital failures do not compromise care continuity.
The integration of emerging technologies such as robotics and AI introduces new opportunities and new moral questions. Robots may assist with physical tasks or routine coordination, but will they replace the irreplaceable: human empathy? The challenge lies in designing systems where automation amplifies compassion rather than dilutes it.
Reframing Digital Transformation as Cultural Transformation
Perhaps the most profound takeaway from the Roundtable was that digital transformation is cultural transformation. Implementing technology is the easy part; changing mindsets, behaviours, and organisational DNA is the real challenge.
For many, digital adoption begins as a compliance exercise, a requirement to meet regulatory standards, reporting obligations, or commercial expectations. But when approached as a cultural journey, technology becomes a shared enabler of purpose. It invites everyone to participate in shaping a better model of care.
Successful transformation therefore depends on leadership that communicates vision, invests in people, and models transparency. Compassionate leadership and compassionate technology are two sides of the same coin. Both require humility, accountability, and courage to rethink the familiar.
Looking Ahead: Designing for Compassionate Consistency
The future of social care will not be defined by the sophistication of its technology, but by the humanity with which that technology is deployed. Compassion must remain the organising principle guiding every algorithm, data dashboard, and device.
To achieve this, we must design systems that are:
- Human-centred: Built around lived experience, not just efficiency metrics.
- Transparent: Open in purpose, process, and impact.
- Interoperable: Able to connect across sectors and scales.
- Inclusive: Accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.
- Trustworthy: Grounded in ethical design and robust data governance.
- Empowering: Enabling the teams to deliver care with confidence and compassion.
The road ahead requires patience and persistence, but as one participant aptly noted, “Technology doesn’t remove the human touch, it gives us more time to use it.” That is the promise worth pursuing: care that is digitally enabled but fundamentally human.
Final Reflection: From Compassion to Code, and Back Again
Technology has always been a mirror for our values. In social care, it reflects our collective belief that every person deserves dignity, safety, and connection – to live their best life. The goal is not to automate compassion but to operationalise it and to translate empathy into design principles, data systems, and digital tools that work in harmony with human care.
As the sector continues to innovate, one certainty stands: technology succeeds only when it strengthens the human bond at the heart of care. From compassion to code – digital transformation is a journey of trust.
