Head of Digital Care & AI

Caron Group is a family of care homes located across Mid and South Wales. Our ethos is to provide high-quality care while ensuring that the privacy, dignity, and choice for our residents remain at the heart of everything we do. With over 24 years of experience in the care sector, we specialise in residential, nursing, and dementia care for older people. We are now entering an exciting phase of growth and are seeking dedicated, passionate individuals to join us on this journey and help us continue delivering exceptional care.

We are now in an exciting period of digital transformation — building a dedicated Technology & Development function, rolling out a group-wide data platform, and modernising our clinical and operational systems. This role is a critical part of that journey.

About The Role

This is a newly created, senior leadership role and a genuine opportunity to shape the digital and AI future of a growing care organisation from the ground up.

As Head of Digital Care & AI, you will be the bridge between our clinical operations and our technology programme. You will own our digital care systems strategy, lead the adoption of AI tools across our homes, and ensure that every technology decision we make is grounded in what is best for our residents and our care teams.

This is a Phase 1 build role. You will not inherit a team on day one — you will establish the function, prove the model, and build the capability beneath you. For the right person, this is a rare opportunity to define what good looks like in a regulated care setting and leave a lasting mark on how care is delivered across 18 homes.

You do not need to come from a technology background to succeed in this role. The most important thing you bring is a genuine and deep understanding of how care homes work — the pressures, the rhythms, the relationships, and the regulatory obligations. Digital systems can be learned. Care home credibility cannot be taught.

If you have spent years working in care and have developed a curiosity about how technology could make things better for residents and staff, we would very much like to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Digital Care Systems

• Own the strategic relationship with Caron Group's core clinical platforms, including Nourish Healthcare and Mede-care, acting as the primary point of accountability for system performance, roadmap alignment, and adoption.

• Lead the digitisation of care processes across all homes, working closely with Home Managers, the Head of Clinical, and care teams to embed digital ways of working.

• Oversee the rollout and continuous improvement of digital social care records, eMAR, and clinical audit tools.

• Ensure all digital care systems meet CIW regulatory requirements and support inspection readiness

AI Strategy & Governance

• Develop and own Caron Group's AI adoption strategy for care, identifying priority use cases — including AI-assisted care planning, risk flagging, fall prediction, and ambient. documentation tools — and building a roadmap from evaluation through to embedding.

• Lead the governance of AI tools in care settings, ensuring all adoption is ethical, resident-consent-aware, and compliant with UK GDPR and CIW expectations.

• Evaluate emerging AI tools and vendor AI features — including those embedded in Nourish, and standalone tools such as acoustic monitoring and voice documentation — making evidence-based go/no-go recommendations.

• Be Caron Group's credible voice on AI in care when engaging with regulators, commissioners, and sector bodies.

Clinical & Operational Partnership

• Work as a peer to the Head of Clinical to ensure digital and AI initiatives are clinically safe, practically deliverable, and staff trusted.

• Build strong relationships with Home Managers across all homes, acting as a visible, trusted presence who understands the realities of frontline care.

• Lead change management for all digital care implementations, applying just-in-time training principles and a care-first adoption approach.

Data & Insights

• Collaborate closely with the Data Platform Lead to ensure clinical audit data flows correctly into the group data warehouse, and that Power BI dashboards serve the needs of Home Managers and clinical leaders

• Define the care quality data requirements that inform the resident golden record and future Nourish integration.

• Use data and insight to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities across homes, presenting findings at group level.

Leadership & Team Build

• As the function matures, define the team structure beneath this role and make the case for resource as Phase 2 milestones are reached

• Represent digital care and AI at the Technology & Development senior leadership level, contributing to group strategy and investment decisions.

Essential Skills

• Care home operations - direct experience working in a registered care home — as a care practitioner, deputy manager, care coordinator, or similar operational role. Understands the rhythm of a home, the pressures on staff, and what good care practice looks like.
• Regulatory knowledge - working knowledge of the regulatory frameworks governing care in Wales (CIW) — including documentation requirements, inspection standards, and the expectations placed on registered homes.
• Digital confidence - working knowledge of AI tools relevant to care — you don't need to be a data scientist, but you need to know what care planning AI, acoustic monitoring, and ambient voice tools can and cannot do, and how to evaluate them responsibly.
• Stakeholder communication - excellent stakeholder management — able to operate at exec level and Home Manager level with equal credibility.
• Change management - experience of change management and adoption in frontline care environments.
• Outcome focused - genuine passion for using technology to improve outcomes for residents.

Desirable Skills

• Digital care systems experience - experience with Nourish Healthcare or comparable digital social care record platforms.
• Microsoft tools - familiarity with Microsoft 365, Power BI, or data-informed quality improvement approaches
• Managing complex environments - experience in working across multi-site operations.
• Welsh language - Welsh language skills (spoken or written) at any level.

Package

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Auto enrolment pension scheme
• Blue Light Discount Card - eligibility to apply
• Hybrid working - one day per week working from home (post probation, terms apply)
• Training towards your professional development
• A genuine opportunity to build something — this role has real scope, real autonomy, and real impact
• Direct access to and support / mentoring from the Technology & Development Director

Required Criteria

Skills Needed

About The Company

Caron Group is proud to offer 17 exceptional care homes across Mid and South Wales, each dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate care tailored to meet the unique needs of every resident. We offer a range of services including residential care, nursing care, and specialist dementia care all delivered by a highly trained and compassionate team. Our safe, understanding and engaging environment helps our residents maintain their dignity and quality of life.

Company Culture

Caron Group's strength is attributable to our team of highly motivated, passionate and dedicated staff. We invest in exceptional talent and our people share a commitment to success that is second to none. This energy is harnessed to deliver the highest levels of relationship-centred care. We are committed to supporting our staffs’ continuous professional development throughout their careers, through the provision of formal training and development opportunities. The group offers a friendly family culture and supportive environment of teamwork, respect and integrity where everyone makes a valued contribution.

Company Benefits

We believe that caring for our people is just as important as caring for our residents. To reward dedication and contribution, we offer competitive pay and a supportive working environment. Our team members enjoy access to ongoing training and development, career progression opportunities, an auto-enrolment pension and an employee referral scheme. We pride ourselves on fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity and continuous learning, providing a workplace that inspires, empowers, and nurtures growth.

Referral bonus, Blue Light Card, Culture of recognition, Progression opportunities

Salary

£75,000.00 - £80,000.00 per year