Without interoperability, digitalisation can simply create bigger, faster data silos. Information moves quickly, but only within narrow boundaries. Decisions are made with apparent confidence, but on partial information. The result is the ability to make poor decisions more quickly and with misplaced certainty.
The alternative is far more compelling. Faster, better decisions grounded in a fuller picture of someone’s health, care, circumstances and aspirations. Less time spent chasing information across organisational boundaries. Fewer gaps when people move between services. More confidence that professionals are working from the same, accurate understanding.
Interoperability determines which of these futures we build. Put simply, it means digital systems being able to talk to each other, sharing information safely, accurately and at the right time, with the right people.
As Clenton Farquharson, Associate Director at Think Local, Act Personal, puts it, ‘I hope 2026 is the year we finally make information flow safely around the person, not the other way round. With the work on interoperability platforms, we have a real chance to reduce friction for people and staff. Success is when someone only has to tell their story once, when information follows them across services, and when digital fades into the background because the experience simply feels connected.’
Why interoperability matters and why now
The problems interoperability aims to address are already familiar. Information sits in multiple systems. Staff re-enter the same details repeatedly. Discharge information arrives late or incomplete. Medication lists do not align. Important context is lost when people move between services. These gaps increase risk and add pressure to an already stretched workforce.
When systems do not connect, staff compensate with phone calls, emails and informal workarounds. That time comes directly out of care. Providers regularly tell us that staff are still acting as the bridge between disconnected services. Instead of technology reducing friction, people are absorbing it.
Expectations are also changing. People drawing on care and their families increasingly assume services will work together. They do not see organisational boundaries and are understandably frustrated when they have to repeat the same information to multiple professionals.
What has shifted most recently is the strength of national direction. Government announcements on the digital revolution in care make clear that digitalisation is now a core expectation. To be considered fully digitalised, care providers are expected to use a system from the Assured Solutions List and to have reached Standards Met on the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT). Digital capability, cyber security and interoperability are now tightly linked. As systems become more connected, expectations around assurance and governance rise alongside them.
The national picture and what is coming next
There are already practical examples of what safe interoperability can look like. GP Connect enables authorised professionals to access specific GP information, such as medications, allergies and consultations, based on their role and a defined care purpose, rather than organisational membership.
Clinicians and care staff can access information in minutes that previously took hours, supporting faster and safer decisions, including reducing unnecessary hospital admissions. This role-based approach is critical. It demonstrates that interoperability is not about opening records to everyone. It is about carefully designed access that supports care while protecting privacy.
Building on this foundation, Government is exploring how assured digital social care records (DSCRs) can integrate with wider health systems and the Single Patient Record (SPR) through an interoperability platform. The focus is on shared standards and national infrastructure, rather than bespoke local solutions, so that social care and NHS systems can exchange information more consistently.
Shared Care Records (SCRs) already operate in many integrated care systems (ICSs). While social care involvement has historically been limited, this is beginning to change. In some areas, shared records bring together health and selected care information to support more co-ordinated decision-making, particularly for people with complex needs.
The ambition for a SPR signals a longer term shift towards more joined-up information. While this work is currently led by the NHS, Government announcements make clear that connections with social care data are expected to develop over time, subject to clear standards, consent and governance.
The direction of travel is clear. Interoperability is being designed into future systems, not added on afterwards, and adult social care will increasingly be part of that landscape.
Implications for care providers
Interoperability brings both opportunity and urgency. The potential benefits are significant. Timely access to relevant health information can support better care planning and safer transitions between services. Accurate medication data can reduce risk. Improved data flow can support smoother hospital admissions and discharges.
Evaluations of SCRs consistently show reduced duplication and less time spent chasing information. Over time, this can make a meaningful difference to workload, morale and continuity of care.
However, challenges remain. Digital maturity varies widely across the sector. Not all providers are using DSCRs, and not all systems are designed with interoperability in mind. Consistent use of identifiers such as NHS Numbers is still uneven. Cyber security expectations increase as systems become more connected.
Providers often tell us their biggest concern is not the principle of data sharing, but the practical reality. Will this genuinely make life easier for staff? Will it improve care? Or will it add another system, another login and another process? These are valid questions.
Interoperability should reduce burden, not add to it. Achieving that depends on good design, strong governance and meaningful involvement of social care in how systems are developed and implemented.
Trust, governance and role-based access
As data sharing expands, trust becomes even more important. Interoperability must be built on strong governance, clear legal bases, transparency and data minimisation. Organisations should continue to apply the Caldicott principles when considering data sharing.
A critical principle is that access should be limited to those who need it, for a clear purpose. GP Connect shows how this can work safely in practice. This approach protects privacy, supports safe care and builds public confidence.
Cyber security underpins everything. DSPT compliance, strong authentication and secure audit logs are essential foundations. Interoperability should mean controlled and auditable access, not
open access.
How providers can prepare now
There are practical steps providers can take now. Reviewing current digital systems and data quality is an important starting point. Poor data will not become more useful simply because it is shared.
Engaging early with ICS digital teams can help providers understand local plans, including how SCRs and future SPR developments may affect social care.
Strengthening DSPT compliance and investing in staff confidence are increasingly essential. Interoperability will only succeed if it reflects the realities of adult social care. Providers’ voices matter.
Joining the dots
Interoperability will shape the future of adult social care, whether providers actively engage with it or not. The question is not whether systems will connect, but how, on whose terms and with what safeguards.
Now is the time to review and plan for interoperable systems. That means looking critically at existing technology, understanding how it aligns with national direction and anticipating what future standards, including those linked to the SPR, will require. It also means challenging technology suppliers and system partners to ensure interoperability is delivered in ways that genuinely support care.
Digitalisation without interoperability risks creating faster, more confident silos. With it, there is a real opportunity to support better decisions, safer care and a clearer, more complete picture of the people adult social care exists to support.
What are your organisation’s digital goals for 2026? Comment on this feature or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Katie Thorn is Director of Innovation at Digital Care Hub. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @Digital-Care-Hub