Care Vision’s Thoughts and Predictions for the UK Care Sector in 2025

Care-Vision-thoughts-and-predictions-for-the-UK-care-sector-in-2025

Care Vision’s Thoughts and Predictions for the UK Care Sector in 2025

The rising number of older people in the UK, coupled with pressures on healthcare and social care funding means that those working in the care sector will be relied upon more and more into 2025 and beyond. Happily, technological advances are leading to better support than ever before in terms of diagnostics, care management and record keeping. Systems such as Care Vision are leading the way in automating laborious tasks and providing a ‘joined-up’ care system that prevents data from going missing, containing errors or being captured in the wrong format.

Here are some thoughts about how the care sector could develop during the next 12 months and ways in which those working in it might be affected.

Aging population, increasing needs

According to the Kings Fund (https://assets.kingsfund.org.uk/f/256914/x/e990992f08/health_care_system_2025_view_future_2013.pdf), numbers of people over the age of 85 years old are expected to grow rapidly, as geriatric medicine improves and quality of care helps people to live longer lives. More people over 65 years old are living alone than ever before too, creating a much higher need for community-based health and social care services and support. More of us also live with chronic health conditions, which also brings its own increasing demands on the UK care sector.

Preventative care

As demographics like these shift and change, there is a greater need for preventative care, rather than waiting until people are ill and unable to look after themselves before providing support. Resources will need to shift away from larger hospitals and medical centres and more towards home-based care. This is another area where systems such as Care Vision can really help support community-based carers who need to keep records of patients and clients living in their own homes or in smaller supported living facilities.

Interventions and person-centred care

2025 could see a greater focus on earlier interventions by GPs, community nurses and other medical professionals who see people more regularly. This would have a number of benefits, from helping to alleviate loneliness and identifying people at risk of becoming isolated to bringing health-related messages, e.g. around smoking or healthy eating to people in their own communities and spotting early signs of illness or mental health concerns more quickly. Coupled with this is the continuation of person-led care and giving patients, care home residents and their families greater say in how they are treated and what the long-term plan should be for their ongoing care.

Technology and connectivity

Technology can also help individuals access records, research potential treatment plans and stay in touch with medical professionals remotely as required.

Smart phones, wearable technology and the ‘internet of things’ could all help people remain connected to helpful technology and essential contacts and resources 24/7 to offer reassurance and potentially save lives. Additionally, someone who has an active say in how they are looked after is far more likely to engage in the treatment options proposed and to keep up with medication, therapy etc. than a person who does not have the same agency or empowerment to make their own decisions

Co-ordinated care

Again thanks to IT, internet connectivity and technological advances, medical teams can communicate with each other far more effectively – and rapidly, removing delays that could compromise a care plan and allowing greater co-ordination and co-operation for the good of the patient or care home resident being looked after. The UK Government’s efforts to support and encourage care providers to switch from paper-based records to digital care management systems is already helping enormously with this aim, and there could well be even more providers making the move to digital records in 2025 and beyond.