By David Anderson
MANY of us already rely on smartphones and tablets to lead our daily lives and digital innovations are consistently advancing in a bid to make life easier.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping in touch with friends, family and colleagues through the aid of technology has never been so important. As most of the UK population now works from home where possible, we’re all exploring new ways of interacting and are relying on technology to communicate effectively.
From Zoom to Microsoft Teams, workforces across the nation have had to adapt to working across these platforms in order to engender business continuity and this this seems to be working, in the main, well. Before the Covid-19 crisis, those that adopted innovative technological tools often did so to add convenience, now for the majority of us, it is a necessity. At the other end of this crisis, I wonder whether some in the business community will conclude that it is a better way of working altogether.
However, for some of the more vulnerable and elderly in society, access to digital devices or technological tools is difficult and therefore creates a barrier to continuing regular communication with family, their local community and, in some cases, lifeline services.
The importance of technology has been underlined throughout this pandemic, with the UK Government and NHSX launching TechForce19 – essentially a grant of £500,000 to help launch new technologies that can help support the vulnerable, elderly and self-isolating.
With a focus on establishing digital advances to support remote social care, mental health and optimising staffing in care and volunteering sectors, innovators were invited to bid for funding of up to £25,000 to test their solution and following appropriate testing. They will soon be rolled out throughout communities across the country.
This could see tech being leveraged to help care workers find additional healthy and qualified carers and support the delivery of mental health services – both of which will be crucial over the coming weeks and months.
I’m encouraged to see such funding put in place for the tech sector which recognises the important role it can play in helping those who really need support right now. I’d of course welcome more. Our fintechs and techs are known for their agility, and I’m confident that given the level of talent we have across the sector, we will see simple yet innovative ideas coming forward despite these challenging times.
Recently Scottish Care – the body which represents the largest group of independent sector social care providers across Scotland – launched Tech Device Network. This initiative asks for the donation of tech devices to care services to ensure those with limited or no access to smartphones or tablets are provided with one. This is incredibly important as restricted visitor access to care homes will impact the wellbeing of thousands of elderly people and subsequently, that of care staff.
Social distancing and isolation are undoubtedly difficult, but tech is proving its value in keeping friends, family and colleagues connected across the globe. It is supporting positive mental health, minimising the negative impact of social isolation, and connecting communities.
Tech now has an even more important job in ensuring we stay connected and support the most vulnerable people across society in ways that nobody could have predicted.
David Anderson is a Corporate Partner and Technology Lawyer at Addleshaw Goddard, specialising in the digital and technology sector
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