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DC143-Technology-Enabled Care and Telecare Policy

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Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Technology-Enabled Care and Telecare Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish clear guidelines for the use, management, and implementation of Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) and Telecare Services within {{org_field_name}}. The integration of digital technology in care services enhances safety, promotes independence, and improves service delivery efficiency. {{org_field_name}} is committed to adopting innovative solutions while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and best practice standards.

This policy outlines our approach to selecting, implementing, and managing TEC solutions to benefit service users while maintaining the highest levels of data protection, staff training, and ethical considerations.

{{org_field_name}} recognises that technology-enabled care must enhance, and not diminish, person-centred care, human contact, dignity, privacy, safety and accountability. TEC will not be used as a substitute for necessary care delivery, professional judgement or safeguarding oversight.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

It covers:

This policy applies to all forms of TEC used by the service, including telecare alarms, falls sensors, door sensors, medication prompts, GPS/location devices, remote monitoring, video consultation tools, digital care records, mobile care apps, smart home devices used in care delivery, and any surveillance or recording technology used or encountered in connection with care.

3. Legal and Regulatory Framework

This policy shall be read alongside, and implemented in accordance with, the current legal and regulatory framework applicable to domiciliary care services in England, including but not limited to:

{{org_field_name}} recognises that technology-enabled care does not sit outside existing care regulation. The use of TEC, telecare, digital records, remote monitoring, video communication, falls technology, medication prompts, GPS/location technology, environmental sensors and other digital tools must always support compliance with the same legal duties that apply to all regulated care: safe care, lawful consent, dignity, privacy, safeguarding, good governance, accurate record keeping and openness when things go wrong.

4. Role of Technology-Enabled Care and Telecare in Domiciliary Care

TEC and telecare solutions offer multiple benefits, including:

5. Selection, Deployment, and Management of TEC Solutions

{{org_field_name}} will only introduce or continue to use Technology-Enabled Care where it is demonstrably safe, appropriate, proportionate, person-centred and likely to improve or support outcomes for the individual.

Before any TEC solution is introduced, the service will complete and record an assessment covering:

TEC must not be used as a blanket replacement for direct human contact, professional judgement, observation, safeguarding vigilance, or planned care delivery. Technology must support care, not become a substitute for necessary care visits, welfare checks, escalation or professional review.

Each TEC intervention must be reflected in the individual’s care plan and risk assessment, including:

All devices and systems must be subject to pre-use checks, ongoing maintenance, software/security updates where relevant, and periodic review to confirm continuing suitability, accuracy and effectiveness. Where a device is supplied or maintained by a third party, contractual and governance arrangements must clearly set out responsibilities for information security, support, maintenance, incident reporting and business continuity.

6. Consent, Capacity and Best-Interest Decision-Making

Consent to care or treatment must be obtained lawfully before TEC is introduced, where consent is required. This includes technology used as part of care delivery, remote monitoring, environmental sensors, video communication, medication prompts, door sensors, location-based technology, or any device that collects, generates or transmits personal information in connection with care.

Before introducing TEC, staff must explain in a way the person can understand:

Where there is doubt about a person’s capacity to consent to the proposed TEC, capacity must be assessed in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in relation to the specific decision. A person must be supported to make their own decision wherever possible. A decision must not be treated as lacking capacity merely because it is unwise.

Where a person lacks capacity to consent to the TEC arrangement, any decision to proceed must be made in the person’s best interests, must be clearly recorded, and must evidence that the option chosen is necessary, proportionate and the least restrictive available. Those lawfully involved in the person’s care and decision-making should be consulted as appropriate.

Consent and capacity are not one-off considerations. They must be reviewed whenever the technology changes, the person’s condition or wishes change, concerns arise about distress or intrusiveness, or there is a complaint or safeguarding concern.

7. Accessibility, Inclusivity, Dignity and Safeguarding

{{org_field_name}} will ensure that TEC is used in a way that promotes safety, independence, dignity, privacy and inclusion.

When selecting or reviewing TEC, the service must consider:

Technology must not be used in a way that is degrading, punitive, overly intrusive, discriminatory, or inconsistent with the person’s rights and dignity. Where a TEC arrangement may affect a person’s privacy or freedom in a significant way, the provider must be satisfied that the arrangement is necessary, proportionate, justified by the care need, and kept under regular review.

Any safeguarding concern arising from the use, misuse, failure or non-response to TEC must be reported, investigated and escalated in line with the safeguarding policy, local authority safeguarding procedures and internal incident procedures.

8. Surveillance, Audio/Video Monitoring and Privacy Safeguards

Where TEC includes or may amount to surveillance, live video, audio monitoring, CCTV, image capture, recording functions, body-worn cameras, or any comparable monitoring technology, {{org_field_name}} will apply enhanced privacy safeguards.

Surveillance or recording technology must only be used where there is a clear, legitimate and proportionate justification linked to care, safety or safeguarding. Its use must never be routine by default, and it must not be introduced solely for staff convenience.

Before introducing surveillance-based technology, the service must:

If surveillance equipment is discovered to have been installed by a person using the service, family member or other third party, the service will put the interests, safety and rights of the person at the centre of its response, investigate any concerns raised, and manage the issue in line with CQC guidance, safeguarding duties, privacy law and contractual arrangements.

9. Information Governance, Data Protection, Cyber Security and Record Management

{{org_field_name}} recognises that TEC and telecare frequently involve the processing of personal data and, in many cases, special category health and care data. All such information must be handled lawfully, fairly, securely and transparently in accordance with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, confidentiality requirements and relevant sector guidance.

The service will ensure that:

Where surveillance or higher-risk data processing is proposed, a Data Protection Impact Assessment will be completed before implementation and reviewed thereafter when circumstances change.

TEC must never be used in a way that obscures accountability for decision-making. Records must show what alerts were received, who reviewed them, what action was taken, when escalation took place, and whether the outcome was satisfactory.

10. Staff Training, Competence and Responsibilities

All staff involved in assessing, installing, monitoring, responding to or recording TEC activity must receive training and competency assessment appropriate to their role.

Training must cover, as relevant:

Competence must not be assumed solely on the basis of attendance at training. Staff must be supervised and assessed in practice, with refresher training provided where systems change, incidents occur, competence concerns arise or new risks are identified.

Managers are responsible for ensuring that staffing levels, on-call arrangements and escalation pathways are sufficient to monitor and respond to TEC safely and in a timely manner. No system should be introduced unless the service has the staff capacity and competence to act on the information it generates.

11. Incident Management, Duty of Candour and CQC Notifications

Any TEC-related incident, near miss, missed alert, delayed response, equipment malfunction, incorrect data, battery failure, connectivity failure, privacy breach, cyber incident, unauthorised surveillance, misuse of a device, or failure to follow monitoring or escalation procedures must be reported promptly through the organisation’s incident reporting process.

Each incident must be reviewed to determine:

Where a notifiable safety incident has occurred, the service will act in an open and transparent way with the person receiving care and/or the relevant person, in line with Regulation 20 Duty of Candour.

The provider and registered manager will also ensure that incidents are notified to CQC where required under the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, including Regulation 18, and that records of notifications, investigations, actions and lessons learned are maintained.

12. Business Continuity, System Downtime and Failure Response

Because TEC and telecare may depend on power, batteries, charging, internet access, mobile signal, software availability, third-party platforms and staff response arrangements, {{org_field_name}} will maintain contingency procedures to ensure continuity of safe care when systems fail.

The service will identify, document and test contingency arrangements for:

Care plans and risk assessments must specify the interim arrangements to be used during downtime, including manual welfare checks, alternative contact routes, emergency services escalation, family notification where appropriate, and paper or offline record processes where needed.

High-risk TEC users must be identified so that outages affecting them trigger urgent review and immediate safeguarding of continuity of care.

13. Monitoring, Compliance, and Continuous Improvement

{{org_field_name}} will maintain effective governance arrangements for TEC and telecare in accordance with Regulation 17 Good Governance.

Monitoring arrangements will include, as a minimum:

Audit findings must lead to clearly recorded actions, named responsibilities and timescales. Where learning identifies that a technology is unsafe, ineffective, too intrusive, unreliable or no longer in the person’s best interests, use of that technology must be reviewed without delay and amended or discontinued as appropriate.

References to external digital guidance should be updated to NHS England / the NHS Transformation Directorate rather than “NHS Digital”.

14. Policy Review and Updates

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where required by:

Each review must consider whether the policy remains lawful, operationally effective, proportionate, person-centred and aligned to current practice in domiciliary care services in England. Any amendment must be communicated to staff promptly, with additional training provided where necessary.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

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