# IT Support for Care Homes and Care Providers

Source: https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/it-support-for-care-homes/
Updated: 2026-10-10

> dijitul support provides IT support for UK care homes and home care providers: technical evidence for the Data Security and Protection Toolkit, reliable Wi-Fi for digital care records and handheld devices, managed phones and tablets, and secure email and backups. The Complete plan with a staff helpdesk is £99 a month + VAT, and Wi-Fi installs are quoted.

## Common symptoms

- Carers' handheld devices lose signal in residents' rooms or behind fire doors
- Your DSPT asks for technical evidence you do not have
- Care notes are delayed because devices cannot sync until staff return to the office
- Staff share one login on the care planning tablet
- Your NHSmail account or shared care record access has lapsed
- Residents' family video calls fail because the Wi-Fi is too slow

## Key facts

- The DSPT is an annual self-assessment with a 30 June deadline, and NHS service access such as NHSmail depends on it
- By the 30 June 2026 deadline, about 76.5% of CQC-registered adult social care services had an up-to-date DSPT
- Building-wide Wi-Fi so carers can update digital social care records at the point of care
- Care phones and tablets managed, encrypted and wipeable if lost
- Support for devices running care systems such as Nourish, Person Centred Software and Access Care Planning
- Complete plan £99 a month + VAT; ad-hoc £45 an hour + VAT; Wi-Fi installs quoted

## The DSPT for care providers

The Data Security and Protection Toolkit is an annual self-assessment for organisations that handle NHS and social care data, and the deadline each year is 30 June. Adult social care providers are expected to complete it, and a lapsed submission can affect access to NHS services such as NHSmail and shared care records. According to Care Management Matters, reporting figures from the Better Security, Better Care programme, about 76.5% of CQC-registered adult social care services had an up-to-date DSPT by the 30 June 2026 deadline.

The registered manager owns the toolkit, and Better Security, Better Care offers free help with policies and training. The technical answers come from your IT: supported operating systems, patching, antivirus, encryption, MFA, backups, firewall settings and a list of devices. We collect that evidence and fix the gaps so your submission is accurate.

## Digital care records need good Wi-Fi

The Department of Health and Social Care set a target for 80% of CQC-registered providers to use digital social care records, and reported that it had been reached by 2025. Systems such as Nourish, Person Centred Software and Access Care Planning let carers record care at the bedside on phones or tablets. That only works if Wi-Fi reaches every room.

Care homes are difficult buildings for Wi-Fi: fire doors, long corridors, extensions built over decades and metal-framed beds. Cheap extenders and a single router in the office will not do. We survey the building, plan access points with cabled connections, and separate staff, residents' and visitors' networks so care devices get priority. Acoustic monitoring and falls sensors often rely on the same network, so we plan for them too. See Wi-Fi support.

## Phones, tablets and shared devices

Care devices are shared across shifts, carried around the building and sometimes taken out on home visits. We enrol them in Intune or the management tool your care system recommends, enforce passcodes and encryption, push app updates outside care hours and can wipe a lost device remotely.

Each carer should have their own login to the care system so records show who did what. We help set up quick sign-in methods so this does not slow down care. See device management with Intune.

## Email, backups and resident data

Resident records include health information, which is special category data under UK GDPR. We secure Microsoft 365 with MFA, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC, encrypt office laptops and back up any local files such as rotas, policies and training records with tested restores. Care records in a cloud system are backed up by the supplier, but we check what they offer and how you would export data if you changed system.

For residents, we can set up a separate network for personal tablets and smart speakers, and make family video calls reliable. See GDPR IT compliance.

## Home care agencies and staff on the move

Domiciliary care agencies have different problems from care homes. Carers work alone, on personal or company phones, often in areas with poor mobile signal. Visit scheduling and electronic call monitoring systems need accurate phone settings, offline mode set up correctly and app updates applied before rounds start.

We help agencies decide between company phones and a managed work profile on personal phones, enforce screen locks and keep care data out of personal photo galleries and messaging apps. For the office, we secure Microsoft 365, set up shared mailboxes for rotas and referrals, and give coordinators a reliable set-up for long days of calls. See home working IT support.

## Plans and prices for care providers

Most care homes and home care agencies choose the **Complete plan at £99 a month + VAT**, which includes monitoring, daily backups, 3 hours of fixes or changes each month and IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk support for managers and office staff. Website care alone starts at **£25 a month + VAT**.

One-off jobs are £45 an hour + VAT. Wi-Fi surveys and installs are quoted, because they depend on the building. See pricing or ask for a quote.

## FAQs

### Do care homes have to complete the DSPT?

Adult social care providers in England are expected to complete the Data Security and Protection Toolkit every year by 30 June, and access to NHS services such as NHSmail depends on it. dijitul supplies the technical evidence and fixes gaps so your submission is accurate.

### Why does our care app keep losing connection?

Usually because Wi-Fi does not reach every room. Fire doors, thick walls and extensions block signal, and extenders make it worse. dijitul surveys the building and plans cabled access points so devices stay connected at the bedside.

### Can you support our care planning software?

We support the Wi-Fi, phones, tablets, PCs and Microsoft 365 that your care system relies on, and we work with your care software supplier when the issue is in their product. Configuration of the care system stays with the supplier.

### How much does IT support for a care home cost?

dijitul's Complete plan is £99 a month + VAT, including a helpdesk for managers and office staff and 3 hours of fixes each month. Ad-hoc work is £45 an hour + VAT. Wi-Fi surveys and installs are quoted upfront.

### Where can care providers get free DSPT help?

The Better Security, Better Care programme, delivered by Digital Care Hub, offers free guidance and templates for adult social care providers in England. dijitul complements that by providing the technical evidence and fixes your IT needs.

## Pricing and contact

Support plans from £25 a month + VAT, or £45 an hour + VAT for one-off fixes. Plans: Essential £25/month + VAT (Website software updates (core, plugins, themes) applied and checked, Daily backups, Uptime monitoring, Security monitoring); Business £50/month + VAT (Everything in Essential, 1 hour of fixes or changes every month, Priority support); Complete £99/month + VAT (Everything in Business, 3 hours of fixes or changes every month, IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk for your team). Ad-hoc support is £45 an hour + VAT. The first 30 minutes are the minimum charge, then we bill in 15-minute blocks. Contact: 01623 650333, support@dijitul.uk, https://dijitulsupport.co.uk/contact/