Hi Lydia

Yes the ‘disconnect’ between care managers’ perceptions of staff digital skills and staff’s own perceptions has been noted in several bits of research over recent years, including some we did for Skills For Care on the ‘digital capabilities of the social care workforce’ http://bit.ly/1dZ0TEo
I think part of the problem here is what we mean by digital skills – managers tend to think of these as ‘office digital skills’ and include things like understanding digital data management; staff tend to think of competence with particular devices/interfaces.
There is a lot to get to grips with for the average care manager.
Good luck with your reflection app!

Hi Richard
Thanks for your comments. I totally agree about the business case, and part of this is an understanding on the part of tech suppliers of what constitutes a business case in sectors like social care. This means understanding the benefits to service provision, expressed in terms that make sense to social care SMEs and speak to their core values based in person-centred care. And also understanding just how tight the financial margins are in charities and SMEs. I think many tech suppliers simply do not get this!

Wifi in homes is often lamentable. There are governance issues which need to be addressed if staff are to BYOD (Bring your own device). Relatives and other professionals would need to recognise that using a phone is work related. None of this is straight forward but surely cannot be impossible to resolve?

Another barrier is perceived cost. If supporting and developing carers leads to higher quality of service, with better life outcomes for service users, how can this be quantified? What is the cost/benefit analysis to encourage finance departments to make a small investment in the use of tech which leads to more effective care and better outcomes?

Carers are the unsung heroes of social care. A “bottom up” approach which encourages carers to use digital tech that is easy, accessible and inexpensive, and which provides them with support and opportunities to develop, is a way of breaking down barriers to using new technologies. Most tech focuses either on strategic IT to help run the institution or directly on the service users. By encouraging carers to use a development tool which helps them deal with difficult situations more effectively, other tools and solutions would surely follow. Talk Reflection™, an App for collaborative work and support, is an easy way to introduce tech whilst also supporting carers to deliver better outcomes. Organisations wishing to participate in future trials should get in touch.