In December 2024, I spent a transformative week as the youngest resident in a Sussex care home. As the Chief Executive Officer at the UK’s leading medication software provider, I was no stranger to the care industry. Yet, fully immersing myself – living and working alongside residents and staff, day shifts and night shifts – opened my eyes in ways I had not expected. The experience left me with powerful insights and stories I am passionate about sharing to help shape the future of care.
Medication management is a critical operation in care homes and it is far more complex than it might seem. It involves a critical workflow of ordering, checking in, auditing and, most importantly, administering medications. While giving someone their medication might sound straightforward, the reality is far more intricate.
Residents often require an average of 10 or more medications, administered across four different time slots daily. Some medications, like those for Parkinson’s disease, are extremely time sensitive and must be given within a strict 15-minute window. Others, such as insulin and anticoagulants, require vital measurements to be taken before administration. To add to the challenge, some medications have fluctuating dosages and complex schedules that vary from day to day.
Despite these complexities, around 75% of care homes in the UK still rely on paper-based Medication Administration Records (MAR) to manage medications. This outdated approach contributes to a staggering reality: nearly 70% of residents experience medication errors every day, putting vulnerable lives at risk.
During my visit to Nyton House in Sussex, I saw firsthand how its investment in digital technology is transforming the quality of care provided. Gone are the days of carers juggling stacks of paper. Now, all medication information and schedules are neatly displayed on a tablet, leading to a noticeable drop in both medication-related errors and the time spent during each round.
Simply put, digitising medication management makes care homes safer and more efficient. By saving carers valuable time, it allows them to focus on what truly matters – connecting with residents. For instance, one carer told me during her medication round that sometimes residents like to have a nice chat, and technology allows her time to do that more often.
Introducing technology into care homes is not just about installing software – it is about transforming care itself. Digitising adult social care goes far beyond improving efficiency and reducing errors; it is about humanity. It is about empowering caregivers with the time, energy and resources to focus on what truly matters: caring for people.
With demand for care services projected to rise by nearly 50% by 2038, we are facing one of the most profound challenges of our generation. Meeting this demand will require unprecedented collaboration between the public and private sectors. Government leadership is essential. Digitising care homes is not a luxury – it is a necessity.
The Government must provide the funding, incentives and guidelines needed to help care homes transition to digital platforms. Without this critical support, many will be left behind, unable to embrace the future of care. And without a strong digital foundation, the sector risks missing out on groundbreaking innovations – from AI-powered health monitoring to robotics – that could redefine quality of life for millions.
While at Nyton House, I had the privilege of meeting a remarkable 92-year-old resident who spent decades working on IBM’s mainframe computers. Even today, his passion for technology remains unwavering. When I demonstrated the eMAR system to him, his eyes lit up with pure excitement, thrilled not just by the remarkable advancements in technology but by the fact that innovation like this is now actively safeguarding hundreds of thousands of people’s wellbeing, including his own.
I hope soon we will see all care homes in the UK embark on their digitisation journey to enhance the quality of life for residents.
How does technology facilitate day-to-day life in your care home and what further digitisation would you like to see implemented? Leave a comment on this column or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Kehan Zhou is Chief Executive Officer at Camascope.  Email: @[email protected] Linkedin: Kehan Zhou, Camascope