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The UK care system is at a crossroads
Adult social care supports hundreds of thousands of people every year, from older adults needing daily support to people with disabilities who rely on care to live independently.
But the system responsible for delivering this support is under immense strain.
Our research reveals:
- Rising demand for services
- Growing administrative burdens on providers
- Fragmented systems across local authorities, NHS trusts, and care organisations
- Increasing public concern about the future of care
At the same time, the report identifies a powerful opportunity: technology is emerging as a key driver of transformation across the sector.
Care providers, local authorities, and the NHS are beginning to adopt new tools that can reduce administrative burden, improve oversight, and give carers more time with the people they support.
This report explores the challenges facing the sector today and the innovations shaping its future.
What you'll learn in this report
1. Public confidence in social care is fragile
Half of the British public have direct experience with the social care system, yet many are worried about relying on it themselves.
Nearly three-quarters of people are concerned about needing social care in the future, particularly those who have already experienced the system.
Cost, quality of care, and long waiting times remain the biggest public concerns.
2. Access to care varies dramatically across the UK
Local authority data reveals large disparities in service delivery.
Waiting times for homecare support range from just one day to as long as 297 days, reinforcing concerns about a postcode lottery in access to care services.
Nearly seven in ten people believe social care provision varies significantly depending on where you live.
3. Administrative burden is overwhelming frontline teams
Local authority social care teams are responsible for managing:
- dozens of external care providers
- large volumes of policies and procedures
- increasing demand from service users
On average, teams maintain 26 separate policies, rising to 53 in some areas, creating significant administrative overhead.
This complexity often prevents teams from focusing on what matters most: ensuring quality care.
4. The NHS and social care systems are under mounting pressure
The relationship between healthcare and social care is critical, but it is increasingly strained.
Our analysis shows that NHS staff sickness is rising significantly, with an estimated 28 million sick days taken in 2025, driven partly by growing mental health pressures on staff.
These pressures reduce staff capacity and weaken coordination between health and care services.
5. Technology is emerging as the sector’s biggest opportunity
Despite the challenges, the report highlights strong support for innovation.
Two-thirds of the public want greater use of technology to free up care workers’ time and improve services.
The most popular technology solutions include:
- Automatic recording of care notes
- Systems that flag concerns in real time
- Digital tools that improve coordination between care teams
The report shows that care providers themselves are leading much of this innovation.
From fragmented systems to care intelligence
One of the most significant barriers to improving care is the fragmentation of technology across the sector.
Care providers, local authorities, and NHS trusts often operate across multiple disconnected systems, many of which require duplicate data entry and manual oversight.
The Health Connect Care Intelligence System was designed to address exactly this challenge.
By connecting care records, automating documentation, and using AI to surface risks and insights, Health Connect helps organisations:
- Reduce administrative burden for care workers
- Identify risks earlier
- Improve coordination across teams
- Deliver safer, more proactive care
Instead of adding another system, Health Connect creates a single intelligence layer for care.
Explore Health Connect
The future of care will be defined by better systems, better data, and better technology.
The challenges facing the sector are significant, but the opportunities to improve care have never been greater.
Read the full report to understand what comes next for social care in the UK.
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