As many U.S. communities work on breaking down barriers between healthcare providers and community-based organizations, a newly published health and care data strategy from the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care outlined its goals for at least 80 percent of social care providers to have digitized care records in place by March 2024.
The strategy document, published June 13, said that better use of data is central to the government’s mission to integrate health and social care. Following a £150 million funding commitment to drive rapid digitization in the adult social care sector, the strategy outlines how integrated care records can enable smoother transitions between National Health Service (NHS) services and social care, including quicker discharge from hospital, freeing up valuable space.
Currently only 45 percent of social care providers use a digital social care record and 23 percent of care home staff cannot access the internet consistently at work. The data strategy reinforces the ambition for at least 80 percent of social care providers to have a digitized care record in place by March 2024.
To support this goal, £25 million will be made available in 2022 to 2023 to scale up the investment and implementation of digital social care technology across England with integrated care systems, including adopting digital social care records (DSCR) to ensure data is captured at the point of care and can be shared between care settings.
Technologies such as remote monitoring tools are already being used successfully to provide more targeted care. The government’s digital home care projects have used remote monitoring to support over 740,000 people with care at home, including care homes residents, improving their health outcomes and reducing the burden on the NHS, supporting clinicians as they focus on tackling COVID-19.
We must be open and honest about the fact that social care lags behind the NHS when it comes to digital transformation,” said Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid in remarks prepared for delivery at the London Tech Week’s HealthTech Summit. “Our social care system is home to some of our most vulnerable in our society, and so the opportunities on offer are even greater. This strategy shows our determination to close the digital divide that exists between the NHS and social care.”
The strategy document said that “staff across adult social care need to be able to safely access the information they need, whenever and wherever they need it. Staff, individuals who draw on care and support, and their carers need to be relieved of the burden of chasing health updates and discharge summaries, and accessing locally held paper records. Instead, they need to be enabled to use data to make better decisions, such as engaging the most appropriate physiotherapy option, and delivering more personalized care that focuses on their preferences and needs.
The new strategy also notes that technologies like remote monitoring tools are also being used successfully to provide more targeted care, such as for individuals with dementia living at home, preventing or delaying escalating care needs and reducing the need for more formal care provision. “We want to work with local authorities and care providers to make sure we all have the technology and systems that help us access data safely and securely, respect privacy, and improve the experiences of individuals who draw on care and support. Technical and data standards will be an underpinning factor in enabling a more seamless flow of information, as well as making it easier for national and local leaders to use the data to improve services.”
“Accurate, safe and timely access to data – including information on quality, costs and workforce requirements – can be used to plan an individual’s care services, and for planning and commissioning services, according to the strategy document. “This is essential to make sure that the social care system is working for those who use it, helping them lead more fulfilling lives with better experiences of their care.”
The data strategy will be followed by the publication of the digital health and care plan, which brings together government’s aspirations for digital transformation for health and social care with a delivery plan.
