Integrated Adults and Social Care Services and Children's Social Care Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Statement of Purpose 2025 - 2028

We have a long-establish Care Call service in place supporting over 7,300 people within individual dwellings and specialist housing schemes. It delivers a Quality Standards Framework (QSF) certified service 24/7/365, providing effective emergency response that benefits not only the individuals supported as well as their families and carers, but also positively impacts the health, social care and housing system, as well as reducing the demand on emergency services.

"Social care is not all about treating or preventing ill health. It's about promoting dignity, independence, quality of life..." - Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, April 2025

Up to now, the service has predominantly focused on responding to emergency situations at times of crisis and, as of the end of 2024, utilised analogue solutions for most of its customers, connected to an analogue call monitoring platform. With the move to a digital telephony infrastructure across the UK, the council and the Care Call service are seizing the opportunity to develop a robust roadmap to move to a fully end-to-end digital Technology Enabled Care service which will see enhanced outcomes for the people of Gateshead.

With the ever-expanding range of new technologies available and the growth of AI tools, there is increasing opportunity to deliver care and support enabled by smart data at both individual and population level, and future potential for predictive data - while ensuring all information and data are stored safely and consideration to ethics and consent remaining paramount.

TEC must be embedded within the delivery of care and support as an all-age approach to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the population of Gateshead.

There is a clear role for technology in supporting the delivery of health, social care and housing outcomes, both for people across Gateshead and for the population as a whole to continue to support prevention and self-care, and to realise tangible cost and efficiency benefits at an individual level, a service level and a system level. We will seek to greatly enhance the TEC offer and work to embed a technology first culture at every point of contact within Gateshead across all customer groups and care settings, including the ability to support within Children's Services and Education.

Technology and its impact on supporting people in their own homes and communities is strongly referenced in both regional and council strategy documents and the opportunity for enabling technology and supporting services should be considered within all strategy and policy documents within the council:

• Integrated Adults and Social Care Services - Living Thriving Lives Plan (2023-28)
  • 'A strengths-based approach is embedded across the whole service, at the forefront of our practice and seamlessly links with our work around enablement and the use of technology.'
  • People value the strengths-based approach to assessment, and we can continue to improve their experience through learning from people and train our workforce in line with this.
  • 'The services we provide and commission support a strengths-based approach to care delivery.'
• Northeast and North Cumbria Health and Care Partnership Digital, Data and Technology Strategy (2023-26)
  • 'Working with colleagues from across our region and national partners, to create a workforce that have the skills and confidence to use new technologies and to digitally enable patients on supported self-management tools.'
  • 'By using digital technologies where appropriate, we will empower people to be partners in their own health and care needs.'
  • 'Citizens will feel more involved in their care and will have a range of digital options to help manage their own conditions care needs, ultimately helping citizens with life-style decision support, and enabling illness prevention.'
• The Gateshead Standard for Ageing Well (2024)
  • The Gateshead Housing Standard for Ageing Well is intended to be used by commissioners, designers, planners, and developers as a tool when considering providing housing for people as they age across all tenure types. It is intended to be used as a best practice guide for: New build housing that is designed from the outset for ageing well and, Adaptations and changes to existing housing so that it can support people to age well and live better.
  • The standard focuses on seven key components: safety and security, remaining independent, affordability, good quality and energy-efficient homes, designing for ageing well, location, and inclusivity. The standard is targeted towards improving the quality of life for older adults by ensuring their housing is well-suited to their needs and promotes ageing in place. 
• Gateshead Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2020)
  • 'We know our health and care services are changing, and demand is increasing as our population gets older and technology advances. We must ensure that our services support everyone's needs. We will involve local communities and the voluntary and community sector in the planning of services to reflect local priorities and needs. We will integrate our health and care services whilst ensuring they are placed based and bespoke to the needs of individuals.'
  • 'Our health and care system will measure success in terms of improved wellbeing, independence and social connections. We will try to move existing resources away from expensive acute care provision, so we can reinvest in prevention and early intervention measures. We will keep people who need complex support, living at, or near, home, to have the support of their family and community.'
• Children's Social Care Data and Digital Strategy (2023)
  • 'Stable homes, built on love is the government's plan for how we re balance the children's social care system away from costly crisis intervention towards meaningful and effective help for families to deliver better outcomes for children'.
  • 'To raise the capabilities of digital systems used in children's social care in order to overcome current shortcomings in data sharing'.
  • Children, young people and families will be better able to share their stories through improved technology, which can capture their voice'. 
• Co-Production Framework "Working Together for Change" (2025)
  • Making co-production part of the way we work in Integrated Adults and Social Care Services.
  • This means working together, listening to what people need to co-produce better services and support.
  • Shows a commitment to working with people from start to end.