This week on CTRL + Care, Michelle and Katie are back for the first episode of 2026, easing into the new year with a look at what’s coming up for digital health and social care.

They talk AI predictions, workforce challenges and why cyber security still needs to catch up as the sector adopts more tech, plus what leadership and culture have to do with making it all work.

There’s also a tough but important conversation about online safety and the misuse of generative AI, before turning back to social care to explore why pooled budgets and joined-up commissioning really matter, and what new data tells us about where care staff actually go when they leave.

And, to finish on a positive note, Cybersquirrels returns with a genuinely hopeful tech-for-good story to start the year on a lighter note.

Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome Back and New Year Reflections
04:42 Predictions for 2026: Tech and Workforce Challenges
09:21 The Dark Side of AI: Online Safety Concerns
13:39 Integrating Health and Social Care Budgets
19:07 Debunking Myths: Care Work vs. Retail Jobs
23:25 Innovations in Eco-Friendly Technology

Links:

• 
  EXCLUSIVE: Care leaders give their predictions for 2026
• Ofcom asks X about reports its Grok AI makes sexualised images of children - BBC News
• Social services and NHS leaders call for pooled budgets and joint commissioning in 2026 - Care Home Management
• Do supermarket openings reduce care home staffing? | Institute for Fiscal Studies
• New Eco-Friendly Tech Eliminates ‘Forever Chemicals’ With Record-Breaking Speed–And it’s Reusable