Step 2: Why is Technology Enabled Care important?
Technology Enabled Care (TEC) isn’t just about the technology, it is about helping people stay safe, well, and independent, while also supporting health and social care services to meet growing demand.
Across Scotland and beyond, services are under pressure, and there are several key challenges that need new and effective approaches. These challenges include:
- People living longer
- More people living with long-term conditions
- Rising demand for services
- Limited resources and tight budgets
- Ongoing workforce pressures
- The need to do things differently
In this step, we’ll explore each of these challenges in more detail and look at how TEC can be part of the solution, supporting individuals, teams, and services in practical and meaningful ways.
The Challenges in Health and Social Care
■ People living longer
More people are living for longer, which is a good thing! However, this often means they may need more support as they age, especially if they have complex health or care needs. Longer lives can lead to longer periods of needing help from health and social care services.
Did you know? Scotland is projected to have 341,300 more people aged 75+ by 2047.
(Source: National Records of Scotland, Jan 2025)
TEC can help by:
- Supporting people to stay well and independent at home
- Making care more flexible and easier to access
- Spotting health issues early through remote monitoring
- Reducing the need for travel by offering virtual appointments
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of a situation where TEC could help an older adult live more independently. What type of TEC could support them in that situation? |
■ More people living with long-term conditions
As people get older, many live with ongoing health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or lung conditions. Some people live with more than one condition at the same time, which can make managing their health more complicated. This also increases pressure on health and care services.
Almost half (47%) of adults in Scotland live with a long-term condition, rising to 73% of those aged 75+.
(Source: Scotland’s Census, 2024)
TEC can help by:
- Allowing people to check and monitor their own health at home (e.g. blood pressure or blood sugar)
- Sending alerts to care teams if something changes
- Making it easier to stay in touch with health or care professionals remotely
- Offering personalised tools, reminders, or advice to help manage daily health needs
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of an example where technology could help someone manage a long-term health condition more independently. What benefits might this have for the person and for the health or care service supporting them? |
■ Rising demand for services
More and more people are needing help from health and care services, often at short notice or in a crisis. This puts a lot of pressure on already stretched teams, and unplanned hospital admissions are becoming more common.
Unplanned hospital admissions in Scotland are expected to increase by 11.8% by 2034.
(Source: Public Health Scotland, 2025)
TEC can help by:
- Spotting health problems early, before they become serious
- Offering care and support at home, including virtual wards
- Making it easier to attend appointments using video calls
- Supporting prevention and early intervention to help people stay well
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of a situation where TEC could help someone get support earlier, avoid a crisis or unplanned use of services, like going to hospital or needing emergency social care. What kind of TEC might be useful in that situation? |
■ Limited resources and tight budgets
Health and care services are under financial pressure. Budgets are tight, and teams are expected to do more with fewer resources. This means it's important to find smarter ways of working.
By 2075, health and care could account for half of Scotland’s budget if we don’t change how services are delivered.
(Source: Audit Scotland, 2024)
TEC can help by:
- Reducing the need for unnecessary travel and in-person appointments
- Saving staff time through automation and better digital tools
- Helping services focus on those with the greatest needs in real time
- Expanding approaches that are already working well
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of an example where TEC could help save time or resources in your workplace or service. What difference could this make for the people you support or for your team and organisation? |
■ Ongoing Workforce pressures
Many health and care services are facing staff shortages. It’s getting harder to find and keep the people needed to deliver care. At the same time, the staff in post are often under a lot of pressure and working in very busy environments.
48% of care services in Scotland report staff vacancies.
(Sources: Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council, 2025)
TEC can help by:
- Reducing paperwork and admin tasks
- Supporting remote working and virtual team communication
- Helping staff focus their time on the people who need it most
- Providing digital tools to support learning, training, and upskilling
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of a task in health or social care where technology could save staff time or effort. How might this help reduce pressure on the workforce or improve the care people receive? |
■ The need to do things differently
Health and social care services are under pressure and can’t continue doing things the same way. To keep delivering high-quality care, we need to rethink how people access support and how services are designed. It’s about focusing on what matters most: the people who use services – and the staff who deliver them.
Across Scotland, services are already working in new and better ways. One example is the Digital Front Door, a secure online platform that helps people access and manage their health and care in one place.
A key part of this is the MyCare.scot, a new health and social care app, which gives people secure access to some personal health and care information, appointments, and local service details. This will help reduce delays, improve communication, and give more control over how and when care is accessed. (Source: Scottish Government, 2025)
How TEC can help us do things differently:
- Shifting from reactive care to more preventative approaches
- Creating care and support that is flexible and personalised
- Reducing barriers like distance, travel, or mobility issues
- Using data to make care safer and improve outcomes
- Helping design roles and services around what people really need
| Reflective Question |
| Can you think of an example where a digital tool or service improved someone’s care experience. What made it feel more person-centred, efficient, or empowering? |
Reflect on What You Have Learned
You’ve explored six key reasons why Technology Enabled Care (TEC) is important in health and social care. These highlight the real challenges services are facing and how TEC can support both people and the workforce. You’ve also had a brief introduction to how TEC can make a difference in practice.
Before you move on, take a few minutes to think about what you’ve learned and how it could be useful in your work, or for the people you support.
To help with this, there are two short activities for you to complete.
| Read |
This short news article from the Scottish Government (3-minute read) introduces Scotland's new health and social care app, part of the national Digital Front Door programme. Link: Scotland's new health and social care app Find out more: MyCare.scot - Our Digital Front Door |
| Time to Reflect |
Take a few minutes to think about what you’ve learned in this step. Consider the following:
You can write down your thoughts, share them with a colleague, or use them to start a team discussion about how TEC could support your organisation. |
