Tuesday 9th December 2025
Our latest Vivaldi Social Care webinar brought together people from across the sector — residents, relatives, researchers, digital suppliers, policymakers and the CQC — all united by a shared commitment: improving the lives of people living and working in care homes through the intelligent and ethical use of data.
What began during the COVID-19 pandemic as an urgent response to a lack of information has now grown into a groundbreaking partnership model, co-produced with the sector and shaped by real experiences from within care homes.
The session opened with introductions from the Outstanding Society, UCL’s academic team, Skills for Care, Rights for Residents, the CQC, and our digital partners Camascope, Nourish and Person Centred Software. But the heart of the discussion came from those closest to the day-to-day reality of care: residents like Judy and family advocates like Kate, who spoke candidly about the importance of understanding infections such as UTIs — not just as clinical issues, but as experiences that affect dignity, independence and quality of life.
Their insights remind us why this project exists and why it must continue to evolve with the sector, not simply around it.
A major milestone shared during the webinar was the successful onboarding of nearly 700 care homes into the 12-month pilot — from small independent homes to larger groups — with automated, secure data flows now active across all three digital care record suppliers.
This marks the first time that a project has integrated private care providers’ digital records directly with NHS datasets. Early findings are already emerging, including patterns in antibiotic prescribing and hospital admissions, offering not only valuable intelligence but also the foundation for future targeted studies on UTIs, outbreaks and avoidable hospitalisations.
As the CQC highlighted, better data means better understanding of care, clearer benchmarking, and more meaningful opportunities for improvement.
What truly sets Vivaldi Social Care apart is that it is not just a research project but a growing movement. The Adult Social Care Engagement Collective meets monthly, and care home visits encourage open discussion. Posters, certificates, and staff engagement are helping to embed research into everyday culture.
Looking ahead, the team is preparing more complex studies, supporting providers to access NIHR funding, and working with UKHSA on dashboards that will return meaningful insights directly to each participating home.
This project is proving what the sector has long known: that when residents, relatives, providers, academics, regulators and digital innovators come together as equal partners, adult social care becomes not only data-rich, but intelligence-rich — and ultimately action-rich.
If your care home would like to get involved, or if you’re interested in joining the Engagement Collective, the webinar recording and resources are available on our website.
Together, we are building a future where research is woven into the fabric of care, ensuring better outcomes, stronger voices and homes that stay open to the families and communities that matter most.