Embedding TEchnology in Care Homes (ETECH)

Introduction Care home residents in the UK have complex care needs and the sector remains digitally underdeveloped. Despite strong policy commitments to digital transformation, many care homes lack the infrastructure and support needed. This creates variation in digital maturity, which affects care quality, operational efficiency, and resident and staff well-being. Digital maturity refers to the extent to which an organisation has integrated digital technologies, related infrastructure, and workforce capabilities into operations. Existing digital maturity assessments have primarily focused on healthcare, offering limited relevance to care homes. Embedding Technology in Care Homes (ETECH) aims to generate care-home-specific evidence on digital maturity and co-design a practical toolkit to support sector-wide improvement. Research Question What is the current level of digital maturity in UK care homes for older adults, how does it influence the delivery and experience of care for residents and staff, and how can care homes be supported to enhance their digital maturity through practical and inclusive means? Methodological Underpinning ETECH adopts a mixed-methods design grounded in sociotechnical systems theory. This approach acknowledges the interdependence of people, processes, and technologies within complex settings. Data will be analysed using a combination of descriptive and thematic approaches guided by the TPOM framework (Technology, People, Organisations, Macroenvironment). Work Packages Overview The project is structured across four Work Packages (WPs): WP1 (Infrastructure): UK-wide survey of care homes to measure current digital maturity, including access to and use of digital technologies and infrastructure, self-assessed readiness for transformation, and contextual factors such as rurality and ownership type. Findings will serve as a sector benchmark and inform sampling for subsequent WPs. WP2 (Processes and Workflows): Case studies in ten Scottish care homes of varying digital maturity. Semi-structured interviews and observations will explore how digital technologies are currently integrated into daily care delivery and the influence of organisational structure and staffing. WP3 (People and Culture): Ethnographic study in one very digitally mature care home and one with low digital maturity, to explore how the process of digital transformation shapes resident and staff experiences. This longitudinal inquiry will capture real-time transformations, staff-resident interactions, and emotional responses to the digitalisation process. WP4 (Innovation and Adaptability): Draws together insights from the previous WPs to co-design a digital maturity improvement toolkit. This resource will be available in paper and digital formats, offering step-by-step guidance, real-world examples, and an implementation roadmap tailored to the diverse needs of care homes. Governance A steering group and stakeholder group provide strategic input, with representatives from Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care, HC-One, and academic and digital transformation experts from across the UK. Patient and Public Involvement (via ENRICH Scotland) is embedded throughout, with a care home manager as a co-applicant. Capacity Building ETECH is an interdisciplinary collaboration supporting an early-career lead applicant and will recruit a post-graduate student to explore remote and rural care home digitalisation. Conclusion ETECH will deliver actionable insights and a practical, co-designed toolkit to guide digital transformation in care homes, improving equity, safety, and quality of life for care home staff and residents.