Supporting people to make confident decisions about sensor-based care technologies

This project sets out to bring clarity, confidence and consistency to falls prevention and detection technology in adult social care, so it truly works for people, services and systems.

Falls are one of the most common reasons that people experience serious harm, hospital admission or a loss of independence as they get older or live with long-term conditions. Technology is increasingly being used to help prevent falls and respond quickly when they happen, but not all technology works in the same way, and it can be hard for councils, care providers and people drawing on care to know what is safe, effective and trustworthy.

This project is about changing that.

We are working to define clear, practical national standards for sensor-based falls prevention and detection technology. These standards will help everyone involved in care make confident decisions about which technologies to use, how they should work, and how they fit safely into everyday care.

What we are doing

We are developing a clear set of functional requirements and minimum capabilities for falls prevention and detection technology used in adult social care.

In simple terms, this means:

• Defining what this type of technology must be able to do
• Setting out clear pass or fail criteria so products can be assessed consistently
• Ensuring technology works safely, reliably and in real-world care settings
• Supporting technology that can connect with other systems, now and into the future

This work is not about buying or designing new products. It is about creating a shared baseline of minimum requirements of sensor-based falls technologies, to meet the needs of care recipients, care providers and commissioners.

Why now is the right time

Adult social care has made significant progress in its digital foundations, particularly through the rollout of Digital Social Care Records. This creates a timely opportunity to set clear, shared standards for care technology. The project supports the NHS 10 Year Plan by enabling more preventative, joined-up care at neighbourhood level, where health, social care, housing and community services work together around people.

As falls-related technology is increasingly used across care homes, extra care housing, reablement services and people’s own homes, it is vital that systems can connect safely, are secure and resilient over time, and work in practice for staff, carers and people drawing on care. Setting nationally consistent standards now supports safer innovation, reduces risk, and helps technology strengthen neighbourhood health and everyday care where people live.

Who we are doing this with

This project is overseen by the London Borough of Redbridge, working in partnership with the national Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme. Care City are delivering the work, bringing practical experience from across the country and engaging stakeholder nationally as part of this research.

Who we want to engage with

This project is grounded in lived experience and frontline reality. We are engaging with people who use, deliver, manage, commission and develop care technology because they understand what works, what doesn’t, and where technology can genuinely add value. Their insight helps ensure the standards we develop reflect real care environments, everyday workflows and the needs of people drawing on care and support. We are looking to work with:

• People drawing on care and support
• Family members and unpaid carers
• Frontline health and care staff across different settings
• Managers, commissioners and digital leads
• UK and international technology suppliers
• National and representative organisations

Engagement will take place across care homes, extra care housing, reablement services, domiciliary care, supported living and people’s own homes.

How we will engage

Our approach is collaborative, transparent and evidence-based. We are using a mix of workshops and focus groups, one-to-one interviews, supplier roundtables, and surveys to gather wider insight and validation sessions to test and refine emerging standards.

Participants are supported to take part meaningfully and will be compensated for their time. Throughout the project, we are actively checking who is being heard, where gaps exist, and how learning can be strengthened.

What this will deliver

By the end of the project, we will have:

• A national framework of functional requirements and minimum capabilities for falls technology
• Clear definitions and pass/fail criteria
• A self-assessment toolkit
• Evidence from real-world care settings to support adoption and assurance

This work will help:

• Councils and commissioners to make confident, consistent decisions
• Care providers to understand what to expect from technology
• Suppliers to design and position products more clearly and make investment decisions
• People drawing on care to feel safer using technology in their homes and communities