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SENSITISE (optimiSing tEchNology’S contrIbuTIon to Social carE)

What is SENSITISE?

SENSITISE is a national research project that aims to understand what people in social care value in the technologies they use, commission or deliver. Many tools and devices promise to support safety, independence and better ways of working, yet adoption across the social care sector remains uneven. One reason is that technology often does not reflect the preferences of those who rely on it most in social care.
In this first programme of work, we are focusing on technologies in social care used by older people and their families, care workers, managers, commissioners and technology developers. If the project is successful and useful then we hope to extend SENSITISE to other areas of social care: people with learning disabilities or those living with enduring mental health problems.
Our aim is straightforward. We are building a free, open-access database (and the tools to use it) of what different groups in social care say matters to them when choosing or using technologies. We use preference-elicitation methods that are widely used in healthcare, economics and industry to help organisations make choices involving trade-offs and design better products. By applying these techniques to social care, SENSITISE offers a clearer, more transparent way of understanding what people want, and what they are willing to trade when we cant always have everything we need in a single piece of technology.
The project will contribute to:
  • Better design of technology for real-world social care settings
  • More informed commissioning and purchasing decisions
  • Clearer evidence for policy, practice and investment
  • A stronger voice for older people, families and the workforce in shaping digital social care

How Does SENSITISE Work?

SENSITISE is organised into a series of work packages that run from early engagement to delivering an open-access database.

1. Listening and Reviewing

We will begin by reviewing existing evidence on technology use in social care, and by speaking with older people, families, care workers, managers, commissioners and technology developers. These conversations help us identify what people value in technologies and what problems they want them to solve.

2. Developing a Preference Survey

We will turn these insights into a set of realistic technology features (for example, usability, training needs, data handling or cost). We then develop and pilot-test a survey using recognised preference-elicitation methods. These surveys are designed to capture trade-offs in a clear and accessible way.

3. National Data Collection

We will invite a large and diverse group of people involved in social care to complete the survey. This helps us understand how different groups—such as frontline staff, family carers or commissioners—may prioritise technology features differently.

4. Making Sense of the Findings

Our team of qualitative researchers, health economists and choice-modelling experts will analyse the data to understand:

  • What matters most to different groups
  • Where there is agreement or disagreement
  • How preferences might shape the use and value of technologies in practice

5. Sharing and Supporting Change

We will develop:
A free, open-access database of technology preferences
tools to enable commissioners, providers, managers, families and carers to use these preferences in their decision making.
practice and policy briefings
Updates and learning events for the social care community
Our goal is to support better technology development, more confident decision-making, and more meaningful adoption across the sector.

Our goal is to support better technology development, more confident decision-making, and more meaningful adoption across the sector.

Get Involved

If you would like updates, are interested in taking part in the research, or are interested in partnering with us, please complete our short form or get in touch.

We are currently looking to talk to people with experience of Remote Monitoring and Sensing (RMS) technologies in Care or who are considering using them. RMS technologies include sensors that detect falls risks and/or deterioration in older people at home (including care homes).

We especially want to hear from residents in care homes and families, people who have RMS systems in their houses, care home or homecare managers and staff, RMS technology developers and companies and commissioners or local authority staff trying to build RMS systems into their care infrastructure.

If you could spare an hour to talk to a researcher about what you like and dislike about Remote Monitoring and Sensing technology, or take part in one of our focus groups in Leeds, please get in touch (use the links below). Interviews can be in person (we can come to you) or using Zoom/Google/Teams. We may be able to offer a small payment for your time.

If you are just interested in being part of SENSITISE or hearing more, we would love to hear from:

Older people and family carers; Care home and homecare providers; Frontline care workers and managers; Commissioners and policy teams; Technology developers and innovators; Researchers and students

Email Us

Or complete an Expression of interest form:

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