In this issue of Healthcare Matters, we are pleased to feature Digital Care Hub as our Digital Technology Company of the Year.
Over the past year, Digital Care Hub has established itself as one of the most influential organisations working at the intersection of digital technology, data protection and adult social care.
At the heart of this success is the Better Security, Better Care programme. Since its launch in 2021, the programme has driven a fundamental shift in how adult social care providers engage with data protection and cyber security. The clearest indicator of this progress is the Data Security and Protection Toolkit: completion rates have risen from just 15% of providers in 2021 to 76% today.
This represents one of the most significant improvements in digital assurance the sector has seen in recent years. It also reflects a deliberate design choice. Better Security, Better Care was never framed as a compliance exercise alone. Instead, it has focused on sustained, practical support, delivered through trusted local and regional care provider trade associations. The emphasis has been on building confidence, understanding and capability, helping providers see data protection and cyber security as part of everyday care delivery rather than an external regulatory burden.
Local support and practical tools
Importantly, Digital Care Hub has used this success as a platform rather than an endpoint. Rather than stopping at Toolkit compliance, the organisation has shifted its focus towards embedding data protection and cyber security into the culture and day-to-day business of care providers. The goal is long-term behaviour change, supporting leadership, workforce development and organisational learning.
This shift has shaped the next generation of Digital Care Hub’s products and services. Drawing directly on insights from Better Security, Better Care, the organisation has strengthened local support and invested in practical learning tools designed specifically for care settings.
E-learning has been central to this approach. In the past 12 months alone, more than 60,000 users have accessed Digital Care Hub’s e-learning modules. Developed for care workers, managers and data leads, the training translates complex legal and technical requirements into clear, practical guidance using real-world scenarios. The scale of uptake reflects both a significant unmet need and the organisation’s ability to deliver learning that fits the realities of care work.
Alongside this, the organisation introduced an interactive Data Policy Builder, designed to help care providers develop meaningful, tailored data and cyber security policies. The tool was developed in response to research – commissioned by Digital Care Hub – into care providers’ management of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ practices: a risky area where care workers are permitted to use their own mobiles or other devices for work purposes. Research showed that generic, off-the-shelf policies often fail to reflect how care staff actually work. By guiding providers through key decisions, the Data Policy Builder helps care providers to explore the issue and then select policy options to suit their organisation. The tool is now being extended to include other key policies.
Taken together, these developments mark a clear evolution in Digital Care Hub’s work – from supporting compliance to supporting long-term skills, understanding and culture change across the sector.
Secure finding
This strong track record underpinned another major milestone during the year: the successful re-tender to continue delivering Better Security, Better Care through to March 2029. Valued at £21 million over the full contract period, the funding represents sustained national investment in strengthening cyber security and data protection across adult social care.
Crucially, most of this funding is used locally rather than held centrally. Digital Care Hub works with 32 local care provider trade associations across England, which provide hands-on support to providers in their areas. This model builds skills and capacity across the sector, creating a legacy that extends well beyond the life of the programme itself.
Alongside its core programmes, the organisation continued to diversify its activity. A notable example was Cyber Resilient Care, a service developed specifically for small care providers and funded through the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s Cyber Local programme. Recognising that smaller providers often face high cyber risks with limited access to tailored support, the time-limited programme focused on practical, proportionate steps to improve resilience.
Innovative solutions
That focus on relevance and engagement is also evident in the launch of the sector’s first Cyber Game for social care staff. The interactive game allows learners to explore cyber risks through familiar workplace situations, encouraging reflection, discussion and shared learning. It reinforces Digital Care Hub’s belief that effective learning in care must be accessible, engaging and grounded in everyday practice.
Profile and partnerships
The past year has also seen Digital Care Hub significantly raise its profile. The organisation now has a regular presence at national and regional conferences, sector events and webinars, contributing practical insight to debates on digital transformation, data use and cyber security. It has also launched the Ctrl+Care podcast, creating a new platform for shared learning and sector-wide conversation.
Partnership working continues to underpin this growth. Beyond government-funded programmes, Digital Care Hub is collaborating with academic institutions to strengthen the evidence base around data and digital technology in adult social care. Its engagement with the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI reflects a commitment to ensuring ethical, care-centred perspectives shape the development and use of emerging technologies.
Recognition
Being named Healthcare Matters’ Digital Technology Company of the Year recognises not only Digital Care Hub itself, but the wider network of trade associations and partners that make its work possible. It also reflects growing recognition that digital capability, data protection and cyber resilience are no longer optional extras for adult social care, but essential foundations.
As digital technology and the safe, intelligent use of data become central to the ambitions of care providers, the NHS and government alike, Digital Care Hub plays a critical role. It ensures the care provider sector is represented in those conversations – translating complexity, reflecting frontline realities and supporting better outcomes for people drawing on care and those who work in it.
For an organisation with such a small central team, the scale and depth of impact achieved over the past year make a compelling case for Digital Technology Company of the Year.
For more information, please see below:
T 0808 196 4848
help@digitalcarehub.co.uk
https://www.digitalcarehub.co.uk