Technology and homecare in the UK
Policy, storylines and practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2116450 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kate Hamblin (0000-0001-8207-4414, University of Sheffield, corresponding author), Diane Burns (0000-0002-2011-9127, University of Sheffield), Cate Goodlad (0000-0002-6979-4051, University of Sheffield) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 54 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 412-428 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Policy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2794 • E-ISSN: 1469-7823 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0047279423000156 |
| OpenAlex | W4365451847 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 20 |
UK policy discourse presents technology as a solution to challenges facing care services, including issues of quality and the mismatch between care workforce supply and demand. This discourse characterises technology as 'transformative', homogenous and wholly positive for care delivery, eliding the diversity of digital devices and systems and their varied uses. Our paper draws on data gathered through 34 interviews with care sector stakeholders and four in-depth case studies of UK homecare providers to comparatively analyse 'storylines' of technological solutions expressed by policy (macro-level), sector stakeholders (meso-level) and homecare managers and care workers (micro-level) alongside enacted experiences of technology-in-use. The 'storylines' presented by care sector stakeholders and homecare managers converged with those of the policy discourse, emphasising technology's capacity to enhance quality and efficiency. Our case studies however highlighted several implications for care work and organisational practice in homecare provision: the technologies we observed sometimes produced additional tasks and responsibilities, undermining the efficiency and quality storylines. The experiences of care providers and workers engaging with technologies in homecare warrant further investigation and greater prominence to challenge a discourse which is at times overly simplistic and optimistic
Business · Diversity (politics) · Economic growth · Economics · Political science · Public relations · Quality (philosophy) · Sociology · Transformative learning · Work (physics) · Workforce · Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Social Policy and Reform Studies
The social shaping of technology
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Technologies in caregiving
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Remote care technologies, older people and the social care crisis in the United Kingdom
Coercive Care
Technology in care systems
Thematic networks
Theory Construction in Qualitative Research
When Caring and Surveillance Technology Meet
Innovation and evaluation
Digitally Networked Social Services
A lost decade? A renewed case for adult social care reform in England
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |