While the Covid-19 pandemic placed great pressure on the NHS and social services, it also fuelled the momentum for transformation and the sectors have produced new solutions for long term challenges. The emergence of new data capabilities and progress of technologies such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence are creating a range of possibilities – especially in monitoring vulnerable people while they live independently – but also posing new questions about the ethical use of data, the strength of local digital infrastructures and how the technologies can be integrated with legacy systems. This comes with the desire for a better co-ordination of health and social care and more sophisticated public health initiatives. These are going to require an intelligent use of data, interoperable systems and widespread connectivity.