Interview: how supporting digital skills and confidence can support retention

Claire Smout, Skills for Care’s Programme Head - Sector Digital talks to us about the importance of supporting staff to confidently use digital technology, and how getting this right can be key for staff retention.

What do we mean when we talk about digital skills in social care?

It can be anything from how to use a handheld device like a mobile phone, to inputting into an electronic care planning system, or supporting people who draw on care to use a voice assistant or play an online game.

For a care co-ordinator it would being able to create online rotas, use emails and liaising with external companies such as health or local authorities. For a chef in a residential or nursing home it could be doing an online food shop and researching different food options. It will vary for people in different roles.

What level would you say digital skills and confidence are at across the sector currently?

It varies so much, and the NHS X Skills Review that came out in December really highlighted that. The review spoke to over 6,000 people working in different roles across social care and it found a very varied approach to digital. We've got people of all ages who are just starting their digital journey, who may not even have a smartphone or tablet, and then we have people who are using technology on a day-to-day basis. But often for this second group it’s about relating these everyday digital skills and uses into the workplace too.

What are some of the reasons that employees might lack confidence with digital processes?

You only know what you know, and I think that's really key to this; if you lack the confidence and you don't have access to try new technology, you're always going to be staying on that same pathway of not using technology. Also, technology can be seen as scary and there can be a worry about whether too much digital processes will reduce the need to have people working in particular roles.

Of course, that isn't the case; technology is there to enhance the delivery of care and also enable staff to be able to have time back so they can actually spend more time with the people who are accessing care and support. Implementing digital processes comes with a whole change management process as well and a huge culture change, there’s a time and cost of investment that organisations need to prepare for. It isn’t just about the financial investment in purchasing the technology or software but it’s also the time to train staff, embed it across the current process you have and the time it takes to take your paper records and input them into the online system, but the return on investment is huge and makes it all worthwhile.

What can be done to help staff to embrace new technology?

It will differ for each organisation. Some may choose to do a self-assessment of their digital skills for staff right at the very start, even at the recruitment stage, just to get a baseline in terms of what their workforce looks like and what learning and development is required to support them.

It does take time, it's not going to happen overnight, and it’s a culture change. There needs to be support. You need to ensure that you're speaking to your team in meetings and you're letting them know the benefits of technology and giving clear reasons why it's being implemented. It’s also about hearing the voice of the person who’s accessing care and support, if they’re currently using a piece of technology to support them and it’s had a positive impact on their lives then enable that individual to be able to communicate to staff the reasons why.

Encourage other staff who are more confident to lead the way and be an advocate for digital. That allows other staff to speak that champion as well if they may not feel comfortable talking to their manager about it.

How can supporting digital skills and confidence help to improve staff retention?

As we’ve discussed, bringing in new technology is a culture change, it can be scary, and it needs to be well managed in order to keep staff feeling happy and secure in their roles. In fact, once technology is embraced and working effectively it can make staff happier in their roles.

People work in care because they want to spend time with the people that they’re supporting, once technology is embedded, it enables you to spend more time with people.

Technology also opens up new career pathways for people working in care, and I'd say it's been really accelerated since the pandemic. We've got people who have been employed in the sector specifically to support staff with their digital skills and confidence. These are new roles that wouldn’t have existed years ago and offer progression and new challenges for people working in care, as well as a way to attract new people.

What support is available to help providers with digital skills?

Skills for Care has several resources on its website, including a tool that looks at digital maturity. This asks organisations a set of questions and then highlights where there are areas of improvement for their digital ways of working. Our ‘Core skills resource’ gives an overview of different digital skills needed in the sector and signposts to further information and learning.

Our ‘How to become a digital social care organisation’ guide goes into everything in a bit more detail and gives a step-by-step guide on what to consider.

We also have a partnership with Barclays Digital Wings. This is an e-learning resource which organisations can create for themselves, so you can build your own learning platform and tailor it to suit whatever type of technology that you're using. The platform can cover a range of things from using Microsoft Office to thinking about cybersecurity.

What do you think the future of digital social care looks like?

The Government has stated a very clear vision of where they want to be in two and three years’ time in the social care reform white paper, in terms of organisations having technology and care planning software in place.

For me in terms of future, what I personally would like to see is more technology being used for health and wellbeing for individuals that are accessing care and support.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing and helping to support for example prediction of falls or illnesses. We’ve already seen organisations using robots to help with health and wellbeing, and loneliness, and I think there’s opportunities there.

With the current population and the age ranges of people who access technology there’s going to be a need for the sector to adapt. We need to ensure that there's Internet access available for people who want to stream videos or access Facebook. Technology is in our personal everyday lives and if we were to move into a residential nursing or supported living site, we’d want that technology to be available.

Skills for Care can support with accessing funding for developing digital skills. Contact your local Skills for Care locality manager to find out more.

Find more information and support around digital skills.

Find more recruitment and retention information with our #BuildingYourWorkforce spotlight.

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