BU expert speaks on use of technology in social care
BU’s Professor Lee-Ann Fenge spoke to policymakers and key influencers on the considerations needed for assistive technologies in social care.
Professor Fenge, an expert in social care, spoke at the Royal Society and Policy Connect workshop on the ethical considerations of data-drive assistive technologies in social care, held at the Royal Society.
The workshop brought together experts in social care, alongside key stakeholders in AI, data privacy, ethics, disability, and accessible technology development. Crucially the event also included the perspectives of those with lived experiences and user experiences with smart technology to understand the implications of such tech on those who most need it.
Professor Fenge gave a presentation on what digitally enabled care means for social care. She explored how the use of digital technologies within homecare can support the workforce in a variety of ways to deliver and improve the quality of care including:
supporting the independence of service users within their own homes through increased use of smart-home technology.
ensure carers react to changing health conditions appropriately.
supporting integrated working through information sharing and personalised care.
providing quick access to valuable resources and information through care apps.
She discussed the recognised digital skills gap in the care workforce and suggested that the drive to digitisation is more complex than policy suggests as it is a social and behavioural phenomenon that takes place in the context of the care setting and worker interaction with digital tools. Access to and use of technology is lower among care workers than other workforce groups, suggesting a need to define the specific digital skills required and targeted training and support. Although digitally enabled care offers real potential to enhance the wellbeing of service users and enable them to have more control over their environments, it is vital to explore the diverse learning needs of the homecare sector to support digitally enabled care, the ethical challenges of using data-driven systems in social care situations, and issues around digital exclusion for both service users and the workforce.
The event will support a project led by the Royal Society to investigate the role that data can play to inform decision making to help people live independently for longer through the use of technology.
Professor Fenge said of the event, ‘’It was good to have the opportunity to discuss the use of assistive technologies with experts in AI, social care, technology companies, and those with lived experience to explore some of the challenges of rolling out such systems at scale. This is an important topic which offers great potential for social care. It is good to see the Royal Society and Policy Connect driving cross-disciplinary debate on this important but complex topic.”
The work builds upon a report by Policy Connect, which Bournemouth University supported, looking at smarter homes for independent living. The workshop also included a number of breakout discussions looking at technical challenges, design of technology with the user in mind, privacy, and affordability considerations.
