鈥檚 new survey of the UK鈥檚 home care sector, which cares for many of society鈥檚 most vulnerable people, has revealed major information gaps that leave carers working with dangerously incomplete NHS聽data.
The latest State of Home Care Report, commissioned by CareLineLive in conjunction with the聽, found that 67 percent of providers 鈥渞arely or only sometimes鈥� receive complete patient information from NHS services.
One provider warned researchers: 鈥淲e鈥檙e saving lives with only half the information we聽need.鈥�
Another said: 鈥淏eing unable to access NHS systems leaves us caring for people with聽incomplete聽information.鈥�
Others described wider system failures that force home care teams to operate without the medical details needed to keep people聽safe.
One respondent said: 鈥淲e often have to care for people without essential medical details 鈥� it feels unsafe.鈥� Another added: 鈥淭he whole system relies on us, but we鈥檙e still working with outdated, incomplete聽information.鈥�
The report also found rising concern that home care staff are being pushed to manage increasingly complex聽needs.
One provider noted: 鈥淐lient needs are getting more complex but the training and guidance hasn鈥檛 kept pace.鈥� Another added: 鈥淐lients鈥� needs are getting more complex every year and we need more support to keep聽up.鈥�
CareLineLive – Empowering home care with cutting-edge technology
Delays in NHS communication were also highlighted, with one respondent stating: 鈥淲e often receive NHS information too late to plan care safely.鈥� Another said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to deliver complex care when we鈥檙e missing key medical details.鈥� A further provider added: 鈥淲e spend too much time chasing information that should come automatically from the聽NHS.鈥�
CareLineLive CEO Josh Hough said the relationship between health services and home care agencies was vital, but that delays and gaps in NHS data were costing both lives and money.
鈥淗ome care teams are doing heroic work but they cannot do it blindfolded. They need complete information to keep people safe. Digital tools are helping providers work smarter and many agency staff now attend appointments with smart devices, but they require full patient information to flow into them if you want to unlock the full benefits. As one survey respondent explained providers have invested in digital tools themselves but NHS data gaps mean that frontline care providers struggle to unlock their full value.鈥�
The report, which surveyed more than 100 providers across the UK, also highlights severe recruitment pressures, increasing burnout and worsening workforce聽strain.
Providers pointed to transport barriers as a key reason for staffing challenges. One explained: 鈥淭he biggest barrier to recruitment isn鈥檛 pay 鈥� it鈥檚 finding people who can drive.鈥� Another said: 鈥淭ransport is a deal-breaker 鈥� without a car, carers simply can鈥檛 reach聽people.鈥�
Burnout was described as a rising issue across the country. As one respondent put it: 鈥淪taff burnout is real. We鈥檙e constantly plugging gaps just to keep people聽safe.鈥�
Josh Hough added that the sector cannot survive on goodwill alone. 鈥淭his report shows the system needs more than minor adjustments. Home care must be recognised as a core part of healthcare, not an聽afterthought.鈥�