Technology and homecare in the UK: Policy, storylines and practice

Abstract UK policy discourse presents technology as a solution to challenges facing care services, including issues of quality and the mismatch between workforce supply demand. This characterises ‘transformative’, homogenous wholly positive for delivery, eliding diversity digital devices systems their varied uses. Our paper draws on data gathered through 34 interviews with sector stakeholders four in-depth case studies homecare providers comparatively analyse ‘storylines’ technological solutions expressed by (macro-level), (meso-level) managers workers (micro-level) alongside enacted experiences technology-in-use. The presented converged those discourse, emphasising technology’s capacity enhance efficiency. however highlighted several implications work organisational practice in provision: technologies we observed sometimes produced additional tasks responsibilities, undermining efficiency storylines. engaging warrant further investigation greater prominence challenge which is at times overly simplistic optimistic.