5 December 2025
Today, 5 December 2025, the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has responded to the announcement made by the Department of Health and Social Care that 80% of CQC-registered care providers now use digital social care record (DSRC) solutions.
A DSCR, also known as an electronic care plan, allows the digital recording of care information and care received by an individual, within a social care setting, replacing traditional paper records.
The previous government’s white paper ‘People at the Heart of Care’ made policy commitments to improve and increase the digitisation of social care through the digitising social care programme.
Today’s announcement represents a significant milestone for the sector, with DSCRs demonstrating improved care quality and safety.
This is a significant achievement for a sector that started from a position where only around 40% of providers were fully digitised, and many were still reliant on paper-based records.
Reaching the point where 80% of care providers are using digital social care records represents a fundamental shift in how care is planned, delivered and monitored. It also reflects the enormous commitment shown by providers, care staff, people who draw on care and support, local systems and national partners to modernise social care in challenging circumstances.
The government’s ambition for a left shift and to move from analogue to digital is only possible if strong digital foundations are in place. Greater uptake of digital social care records supports more joined-up assessments, better shared decision-making, and a clearer, more complete picture of a person across health and social care.
Learning from SCIE and The Access Group’s roundtables on national standards of care indicates that the biggest challenge now is not the availability of technology, but the collective will to redesign systems around people rather than processes. This should be accompanied by investment in relationships and infrastructure, ensuring that the drive to digitise strengthens, rather than diminishes, what matters most to people who draw on care and support. This must go hand in hand with supporting our workforce with the training and skills they need to continue to deliver solutions.
As the sector moves forward, the focus must now be on ensuring that digitisation is inclusive, well-supported and genuinely improves outcomes for people who rely on care and support every day.
Deborah Rozansky
Director of Policy, Research and Information at SCIE
About SCIE
The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) improves the lives of people of all ages by co-producing, sharing, and supporting the use of the best available knowledge and evidence about what works in practice. We are a leading independent social care charity working with organisations that support adults, families and children across the UK.
If you have any questions regarding this submission, please do not hesitate to contact Molly Pennington, Press and Media Relations Officer, at molly.pennington@scie.org.uk