Note: This article was originally published. care market June 18, 2026
Digital technologies are now firmly integrated into social care, from AI-powered care planning and fall detection to remote monitoring and electronic care records, with healthcare providers using technology to improve quality, support staff, and meet increased demand. However, as care becomes more digital, rather than eliminating risk entirely, the risk profile of healthcare providers also changes and becomes more data-driven.
The challenge for providers is not whether to deploy technology, but how to do so safely, sustainably and confidently. What is often needed is clear, practical direction: simple “golden rules” for avoiding AI, cybersecurity, and broader digital risks.
Why we need a different way of thinking about nursing care technology
While it is tempting to treat digital tools as IT projects or operational upgrades, many of the systems used in care are clinically adjacent and directly impact resident health decisions. These systems can collect large amounts of sensitive personal data and generate insights that influence care decisions, and if they fail they can have real-world consequences.
Malfunctioning fall detection tools or inaccurate AI summaries can pose risks to individuals and providers. Therefore, technology-enabled care needs to be treated as a governance and risk management issue, not just a procurement activity.
Golden Rule 1: Be clear about AI
AI is increasingly being incorporated into care technology, such as tools that summarize records, flag risks, and support decision-making, but it’s not always obvious that these tools have AI in them.
Before purchasing digital tools for use in social care, it is essential to carry out due diligence to identify and mitigate risks. Healthcare providers need to ensure they have the right information to assess risks to their organization, staff, and residents.
Key challenges facing providers include understanding the regulatory regimes that may apply to AI tools, such as medical device regimes, and ensuring that supplier compliance with the applicable regulatory regimes is properly demonstrated, verified, and then monitored throughout the contract period.
The risk of not getting this right from the start is introducing products and services that pose a safety risk to residents, staff and the public, thereby exposing providers to increased risk of liability for damages sustained. Providers purchasing AI tools must ensure that they have the appropriate technical resources and expertise for these purposes.
Golden Rule 2: Governance comes first
Successful digital adoption consistently starts with strong governance as the first line of defense. All providers should be able to identify who is responsible for digital risk within their organization. In practice, this should include data governance leaders such as board-level sponsors for strategic oversight and accountability, registered managers for operational ownership and quality of care, IT/digital leaders for technical resiliency and system performance, and senior information risk owners (SIROs) for privacy, data protection, and breaches. These roles should not operate in silos. An effective approach is to establish a digital risk group to ensure coordinated decision-making.
Equally important, governance needs to be documented, embedded in risk registers, linked to incident reporting and escalation processes, and reflected in CQC’s ‘well-guided’ evidence. If something goes wrong, regulators and commissioners will expect a clear framework to be in place.
Golden Rule 3: Don’t underestimate cyber risk
Cybersecurity is more than just a technical issue for IT teams and suppliers; it’s a core risk for your organization. Healthcare providers are increasingly being targeted because they hold sensitive medical and medical data, financial information, and operationally critical systems. Recent incidents in the healthcare sector have shown that cyber events can disrupt services and compromise safety. In reality, providers cannot completely outsource cyber risk to suppliers and must set minimum cybersecurity standards in their contracts, require evidence of certification and testing, agree to clear breach notification and response times (i.e. service level agreements), and consider cyber insurance and supplier indemnification.
Internally, regular training of staff on phishing and password security, robust access controls, and business continuity plans in the event of an outage can also make a big difference. Cyber incidents are a matter of “when” rather than “if”, so preparation is essential.
Golden Rule 4: Get the deal right
Contracts are often ignored until something goes wrong. But with technology-enabled care, contracts are a safety net. There are some non-negotiables that your provider should always cover.
- Data protection clarity
The provider is often the data controller and is ultimately responsible for how the data is used. At a minimum, the contract should specify roles (controllers and processors), data uses and restrictions, subprocessors, and data retention and deletion. - Responsibilities that reflect real risks
Where system failures or data breaches can have serious consequences, liability limits must be realistic, suppliers must have adequate insurance, and remedies for failures must be clear to ensure adequate protection. - Cyber and security obligations
Contracts should include minimum cybersecurity standards, breach response obligations, and ongoing compliance requirements. - Interoperability and integration
Because providers rarely operate a single system, contracts must ensure access to application programming interfaces (APIs), integration with existing tools, and flexibility as the digital ecosystem evolves. - withdrawal plan
Exit must be planned from the beginning with data export in a usable format, migration support, and clear timelines to avoid vendor lock-in that can limit flexibility and increase costs.
Golden Rule 5: Build trust with your employees
Technology only works if staff use it correctly and confidently, and assuming people will simply adapt often leads to failure. Providers should invest in clear policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), structured training programs, and practical guidance for daily use. Staff need to be clear about what technology is and isn’t suitable for, and how to report problems or failures, especially when technology interacts with care decision-making.
Golden Rule 6: Respect privacy and dignity
Many digital tools involve continuous or ambient monitoring, such as sensors, cameras, and audio capture, and can offer real benefits if handled carefully. Appropriate, necessary and transparent approaches must be applied to ensure that residents and families understand what is being monitored, why and who has access to it, that data collection is minimized to what is necessary, that clear consent and best interests processes are in place, and that data is kept secure and stored appropriately. Privacy is not a barrier to innovation, but it needs to be built in from the beginning.
Golden Rule 7: Plan for what can go wrong.
Healthcare providers should consider what would happen if their systems fail and consider scenarios such as system outages, data corruption, supplier bankruptcy, and erroneous outputs that impact healthcare. Plans should include business continuity to ensure safe continuity of care, backup processes such as manual records, incident response and escalation, and supplier obligations during a crisis. The goal is not to eliminate impossible risks, but to prepare for them.
Achieving digital transformation correctly
Technology has great potential to transform care by improving outcomes, supporting staff and enabling more proactive and personalized services. However, sustainable innovation requires governance, culture, and contracts that evolve with technology. Success lies not in maximizing the adoption of technology, but in employing it well. In modern medicine, good technology is defined not only by what is used, but also by how safely and thoughtfully it is used.
