New DHSC guidance on digitising adult social care has tackled how services can be fully digital, adopt AI, manage IT suppliers, and introduce digital champions.
The DHSC advises that providers are considered to be “fully digitised care providers” if they are registered with the CQC, use an assured DSCR solution, and meet the “standards met” level of the data security and protection toolkit. Full digitisation offers benefits for accurate and secure records, meeting regulatory standards, improved care quality and safety, and access to core GP information, it suggests.
Aside from these core measures, the DHSC puts forward additional steps providers could consider on their journey to digitisation, such as integrating digital tools like electronic medical administration record systems and remote monitoring tech, and investing in staff digital skills. Whilst there are no penalties for not being fully digitised right now, it goes on, it is expected that this will become more important for commissioners when awarding contracts, the CQC during inspections, and people choosing care services in future.
On AI, the DHSC recognises that AI solutions are already being used to support the delivery of adult social care, mentioning sensor-based tech such as acoustic monitoring, chat bots, facial recognition tech, and data collection and analytics technologies. Generative AI is also being used in the creation of individual care plans and care assessments, it goes on, with tools having the potential to “fast track high workload tasks” like auditing and writing care plans. “AI care planning software may cut down the time spent doing administrative tasks,” it states. “This can allow care staff more time to give people care, and lead to better outcomes for them.”
AI-backed sensor technologies offer the capability to monitor movement and sound, keep track of vital signs, and detect changes in a person’s gait indicating frailty, the DHSC shares, adding: “This type of monitoring can enable caregivers to spot problems early and address health issues before they get more serious. AI-backed sensor-based technology does more than track and report data. It also analyses patterns to intelligently predict when a potentially critical situation will arise.”
The DHSC moves on to outline best practice guidance around the use of AI in adult social care, highlighting the importance of high quality data, ethics and data protection, workforce skills, and human review. Defining what needs to be achieved using the technology prior to selecting a solution is key, it says, as is evaluating the financial cost. Finally, it recommends introducing an AI policy to ensure staff are kept in the loop, and collecting feedback to inform continuous improvement.
Also included within the guidance is advice on making the case for digital social care records (DSCRs) with key points being bringing people along on the journey by identifying the benefits the switch will offer for them, choosing the right solution with input from stakeholders, and speaking to other providers in the sector who have already implemented. The DHSC suggests using the assured DSCR solutions list for solutions assured by NHSE.
Decisions on which solution is the right fit should be informed by organisational needs, the DHSC advises, along with any additional features that may be required. It also recommends preparing a specification setting out who the organisation is and what it is seeking from a solution. When it comes to implementation, digital champions may be useful in helping staff navigate the new system, it adds.
Guidance is offered on choosing and managing software and IT suppliers, with information about what questions to ask, what to look for in contracts, what expectations to have about data security, and so on. The DHSC follows this up with information on how best to keep track of suppliers, what to remember when changing suppliers, and managing transition periods.
Guidance is further offered on telecare, internet, secure email, the use of smartphones and devices, and workforce skills.
Wider trend: More from the DHSC
The DHSC opened a preliminary market engagement earlier this year to support plans to develop a national workforce development framework and curriculum designed to promote consistency in skills, competencies, training, and professional development. With a maximum value of £1.3 million, the contract is split into two phases, with the first to establish the framework covering core competencies and skills, guidance on supervision models, advice on career progression, and principles for continuing professional development.
A national programme of engagement for GPs and practice managers has been commissioned by the DHSC to “genuinely influence” national policy with their views on how patient data is used across the NHS. Views and everyday experiences of GPs and practice managers are sought across three key areas: individual patient care and how health professionals can access or add to the GP patient record; how patient data is used for routine planning at regional and national levels; and how patient data is used for research into new treatments and medications.
The Department of Health and Social Care has selected six neighbourhood health projects to act as “trailblazers” in the redesign of health and care services, backed by £1.5 million from the Office for the Impact Economy and in partnership with Macmillan. The six sites chosen will act as test beds for the development of new neighbourhood health models, bringing together NHS services, councils, community organisations, and local people in a bid to improve outcomes and tackle inequalities, DHSC shares.
