A dedicated app for the adult social care workforce in England has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support staff through the coronavirus pandemic.
The Care Workforce app, developed with NHSX and the NHS Business Services Authority, will be introduced under the new CARE brand and will act as a single digital hub for social care workers to access relevant updates, guidance, support and discounts from their phone, the department said.
As well as providing access to learning resources on infection control and advice for mental wellbeing, the app shows how care workers can take advantage of offers available to NHS and social care staff, including free car parking and discounts through organisations and initiatives like Discounts for Carers and the Blue Light Card.
In addition, the app signposts free access to apps like Silvercloud, Daylight and Sleepio, which can help boost users’ mental wellbeing through programmes covering sleep, stress and resilience.
“As part of our continued work to back the care sector, we have launched a new app specifically for care workers to make sure they have the most up-to-date guidance to keep them safe, connected with their colleagues across the country, which also allows them to access discounts like their NHS counterparts,” said DHSC Secretary Matt Hancock.
“It’s available to download right now, and I would urge everyone in social care to do so,” he added.
The app can be downloaded from on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as well as being accessible online at https://workforce.adultsocialcare.uk.
Care England chief executive Martin Green gave the app his backing, saying it would help “keep the social care workforce fully informed of all the issues in social care, and it will provide an easily accessible and portable resource for every care worker”.
