E-book contents
Here, we explore the different levels of involvement in care — from simply informing people to empowering them to lead — and show how the ladder of coproduction can help you reflect on where your service currently stands.
In this section, we introduce the six core principles that underpin meaningful coproduction — and offer real-world examples of how they show up in care services every day.
This chapter looks at where and how coproduction features in the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework — and what practical evidence providers can show to demonstrate it in action.
We spotlight some of the latest and most innovative approaches to coproduction — from lived experience leadership to co-auditing, storytelling, and digital-first collaboration.
Here, we walk through a step-by-step approach to developing care plans in partnership with the person — focusing on strengths, preferences, and shared decisions that reflect what matters most to them.
In this chapter, we explore how thoughtfully designed digital tools can make coproduction easier to embed, easier to evidence, and more accessible to the people you support.
How technology supports coproduction in care
Technology and coproduction might seem like an unlikely pair. One is often seen as clinical, fast-moving and data-driven. The other is deeply human, rooted in trust, and built through conversation.
But when designed thoughtfully, technology can become one of the most powerful tools to support genuine coproduction in care.
It can make it easier to share decisions, personalise support, and remove practical barriers to inclusion. Most importantly, it can help care teams and the people they support work together more collaboratively and confidently — especially when time and capacity are stretched.
In this chapter, we look at how digital tools are already supporting coproduction across the sector, and how Log my Care has consciously designed its platform to do exactly that.
Why technology matters for coproduction
As explored in how to co-produce a care plan, meaningful involvement takes time, trust and consistent communication. But in busy services — especially those with limited staff capacity — sustaining that involvement can be a challenge.
This is where the right tools can help.
Digital systems can:
- Make care plans and preferences easier to access, edit and understand
- Reduce duplication and admin so teams can focus more on people
- Create new ways for individuals to give feedback or be part of decisions
- Improve visibility of what’s working — or not — in real time
Technology should never replace relationships. But when it’s inclusive and well designed, it can support them — and sometimes, unlock them.
Where tech already supports coproduction
- Collaborative care planning tools
Platforms that allow shared access to care plans make co-production much easier. They let individuals, care staff and family members contribute in real time, with clear tracking of changes and updates.
Plans are no longer fixed documents written about someone — they become live tools written with them.
Features might include:
- Collaborative functionality with creating care plans and recording logs
- Customisable goal planning and tracking
- Uploads of images, audio or video in the person’s own words
- Feedback and involvement portals
Apps and portals are helping more people participate in everyday decision-making — whether that’s suggesting activities, reporting concerns, or sharing preferences on meals, routines or changes.
They work best when:
- People can give feedback in multiple formats (text, audio, emoji-based)
- Responses are reviewed regularly and clearly linked to follow-up actions
- Digital life story and identity tools
Some services use digital storytelling tools to help people communicate who they are — their likes, routines, fears and passions. These are especially helpful for people with communication differences or who are new to a service.
They can:
- Improve staff understanding and empathy
- Help plan more meaningful routines
- Encourage people to lead conversations about their support
- Co-auditing and digital reviews
People supported by services can also be part of auditing and improvement processes. Using tablets or simple surveys, they can reflect on how safe, inclusive or effective a service feels — in their own words.
This insight can be used to adapt environments, retrain staff, or review policies in real time.
- Dashboards for shared insights
More advanced platforms allow patterns in support — from incidents to engagement — to be tracked and visualised. These insights can help start proactive conversations and give people more control over changes to their support.
For example:
- Spotting mood or sleep changes that may require intervention
- Highlighting success when someone reaches a personal goal
- Reviewing environmental factors linked to anxiety or behaviours
Designed for involvement: How Log my Care builds for coproduction
At Log my Care, we don’t just build digital tools for care teams — we design them with people who draw on care and support in mind.
Coproduction isn’t something we’ve added in later. It’s something we’ve built into the foundation of our product, through real-world scenarios, user research and lived experience insight. Here are just a few ways that shows up in practice:
Logging in your own voice
Most systems record daily life from a carer’s point of view — “he ate breakfast,” “she went for a walk.”
Ours gives people the chance to write their own logs: “I made breakfast,” “I went for a walk.” It’s a simple but powerful shift that puts the person’s voice at the heart of their record.
Each entry can also be marked with a small achievement banner, recognising and celebrating involvement.
Co-signing consent and care plans
Consent isn’t one-size-fits-all. That’s why our signing feature is designed to adapt to real-life scenarios. Whether someone has capacity, LPA is in place, or guardianship applies, the signing flow flexes based on the answers given.
It ensures compliance without removing the person from the process — giving them a clear role in formal decisions whenever possible.
Audio read-back of logs
Not everyone can or wants to read a digital log. For people with visual impairments or dexterity differences, we built an audio read-back function. A long press on a log entry reads it aloud, allowing people to hear what’s been recorded about their day.
This small feature supports independence and inclusion — and helps ensure records are not just about the person, but accessible to them.
Personalised goals and preferences
Our care planning tools are designed to surface what matters most — not just clinical needs. That means making space for someone’s goals, routines, sensory needs or dislikes, all recorded in their own language. These preferences are visible and easy to update, helping support plans feel more human, more accurate and more flexible.
Avoiding digital exclusion
Good technology should widen access — not limit it.
That’s why it’s vital to co-design digital features with the people who will use them, whether staff or those receiving care. Before rolling out new systems, ask:
- Who might be excluded by this tool?
- Is the interface simple, visual and adaptable?
- Can feedback be given easily — with or without words?
- Do we offer non-digital alternatives where needed?
And perhaps most importantly, do we train and support people to use the tech — not just expect them to adapt to it?
What good looks like
Digital tools that support coproduction should:
- Centre the person’s voice and lived experience
- Allow for flexible, shared input
- Be easy to use and adapt to a range of access needs
- Help care teams act earlier, not just react faster
- Strengthen relationships, not replace them
If you're reviewing your current system or considering a switch, our coproduction self-audit checklist includes helpful prompts for assessing whether your tech supports inclusive, collaborative care.
Tech should be a foundation — not a fix
Technology alone won't create a culture of coproduction. But when designed with intention, empathy and flexibility, it can give that culture the structure and tools it needs to thrive.
The goal is not just digital care — it's better care. And better care always starts with listening.
Explore some of our coproduction resources, such as the lived experience leadership plan and the co-designed care planning canvas in our resources hub.
