Digital confidence is part of great care

Michelle Corrigan, Programme Director, Digital Care Hub explores the importance of digital confidence in delivering great care.

Digital skills in adult social care are no longer a “nice to have”; they're part of everyday safe, high-quality practice.

But when we say digital skills, we don't mean coding or complex IT knowledge. We mean practical confidence.

It's knowing how to update care records securely.
It's understanding how to protect someone’s personal information.
It's spotting a suspicious email.
It's feeling comfortable using the systems your organisation relies on.

And increasingly, it's about understanding the data those systems produce.

What digital skills look like in real life

Think about everyday scenarios.

A care worker logs into the care planning system using their own phone after a visit. Do they have a passcode set? Are they avoiding public Wi-Fi? Do they log out properly?

Someone needs to take a photo for monitoring a health concern. Do they use an approved system rather than their personal camera app? Do they understand consent and where that image will be stored?

An email arrives asking for an urgent password reset. Would staff recognise it as phishing and know who to report it to?

These are digital skills. They're also about dignity, safety and professionalism.

It’s not just using systems — it’s understanding the data

For team leaders and managers, digital confidence goes a step further.

Care systems, rota software, incident logs and medication records all generate valuable data. But that data only becomes powerful if someone can interpret it.

• Can you spot patterns in missed visits or late calls?
• Can you identify trends in falls or medication errors?
• Can you use data to review care plans and improve outcomes?
• Can workforce data help you plan recruitment or identify training needs?

Analytical skills are now part of digital leadership. Managers increasingly need the confidence to read dashboards, question trends, and use insights for:

• Improving care planning and outcomes
• Managing staff performance and wellbeing
• Preparing for inspections
• Identifying long-term business opportunities

This doesn't mean becoming a data scientist. It means being curious, confident and able to ask, “what is this data telling us?”

How to identify what skills are needed

Before planning training, it helps to understand where you are now. There are several free tools to support this.

The Digital Skills Self-Assessment Tool (Digitising Social Care) helps individual care workers assess their digital knowledge and confidence, and identify training gaps.

The Adult Social Care Digital Skills Framework (Skills for Care) sets out the skills required across roles, with “Digital skills for all” and a “Go further” section for managers and leaders — including using and managing data.

You can also use the Digital learning search tool (Digitising Social Care) to find training linked to specific digital skill areas.

For a broader organisational view, the ‘What good looks like’ (WGLL) for Social Care, developed with support from the Local Government Association, helps providers measure digital maturity and strengthen leadership, workforce capability and data use.

Together, these resources help services move from general awareness to a clear development plan.

Free training to build skills and confidence

Once you know what skills you need, there are high-quality free learning options available.

The Skills for Care Digital Skills eLearning modules are aligned with the Digital Skills Framework and provide bite-sized learning to build practical confidence across teams.

For managers and leaders who want to go further, the Level 5 Digital Leadership Qualification supports strategic digital leadership in care services.

At the Digital Care Hub, we offer free, practical training including our Data Security and Protection elearning for care providers, supporting all staff and Data Security and Protection Leads to handle information safely and meet Data Security and Protection Toolkit requirements.

If you're looking for something interactive, our free Cyber Game helps teams recognise and respond to cyber risks through realistic care scenarios.

Make digital learning part of everyday upskilling

Digital confidence doesn't grow from a single training session, it builds through regular conversations, shared learning and reflection.

• A five-minute phishing discussion in a team meeting.
• A review of trends from your care system dashboard.
• Protected time for short eLearning modules.
• Supervision conversations using the Digital Skills Framework.

Small steps add up.

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