Technology and social care in the spotlight at Liberal Democrats Party Conference fringe event
Bournemouth University is sponsoring and participating in a roundtable discussion on the role of technology in social care at the Liberal Democrats Party Conference taking place this weekend in Bournemouth.
The fringe roundtable event will be led by Policy Connect, alongside the Social Care Institute for Excellence and Bournemouth University, and will aim to make technology and independent living a priority in the Liberal Democrats Party’s social care policy agenda.
The fringe event will bring together people with lived experience, alongside key politicians and advisers, leading experts from industry and academia, and civil society. It will highlight how technology can be used in the adult social care system to support a person-centred approach to care and support.
A feature of the event will be discussion of Policy Connect's Smarter Homes for Independent Living report, which was sponsored by Bournemouth University, and its key findings. University experts supported the collation of the findings.
The meeting will be chaired by the former Minister for Social Care and Liberal Democrats member Paul Burstow. It will be addressed by the Liberal Democrats Party’s Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Daisy Cooper MP.
Professor of Social Care at Bournemouth University Lee-Ann Fenge will be speaking as a member of the panel at the roundtable event. Professor Fenge has worked alongside Policy Connect on a range of care and technology (CareTech) initiatives, including the report into Smarter Homes for Independent Living exploring CareTech at scale across the social care sector.
Professor Fenge said, “Technology in the care sector is already starting to make a difference to the way care is delivered in the UK, but there is so much more that could be done to increase care quality, reduce admissions to hospital and help to increase support for people to live independently in their own homes. We are calling for MPs and policy makers to make the investment in technology that will help to make this possible, to support independent living for people in the UK and provide tools for carers to support them in their jobs and in the care they offer.
“It is good to take part in a Conference on our doorstep and to talk directly to politicians about policy interventions that could be made that will make a real difference to peoples’ lives.”
The event will take part as a part of the Conference fringe on Saturday 23rd September from 12pm in Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel.
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