Assurance changes for digital social care records
When a provider chooses a digital social care record (DSCR) solution from our assured solutions list they can be confident that it conforms to a core set of functionality and standards.
We have previously written about the importance of standards and how we assure DSCR solutions against these.
Since the launch of our programme in 2021 we have used a dynamic purchasing system (DPS) to manage our assured solutions list. In the majority of cases private care providers have procured their preferred solutions from our assured list, using supplier contract terms and conditions. The DPS has also been used by a smaller number of public sector procuring bodies to purchase a DSCR solution.
When our work to support the digital transformation of the adult social care sector commenced, only 40% of CQC registered providers were using DSCR solutions to manage their care plans. Now, mid-way through the final year of our programme, over 70% of providers have made the switch from paper to digital, many with support from our digital transformation fund (DTF) offer.
Providers applying for our funding support are required to select a DSCR solution from our assured list. All DTF funds will be allocated by the end of November 2024, and the fund will close at the end of the financial year. If you have not contacted you local ICB digital team to discuss whether funding is still available to support, you in implementing a DSCR it’s important that you act asap.
We will also close the DPS as a procurement route on 20 December 2024.
It's important to stress that the assured solutions list will continue. Assuring solutions against standards and functionality is essential to make sure that providers are able to benefit from the work in place to improve the flow of information between the health and social care sectors. GP connect is just one example of how this is already happening, it’s a standard that all of our assured solutions must comply with and over 2000 providers are already benefitting from 24/7 access to GP information via their DSCR.
When the DPS closes we will operate an interim capability assessment and standards assurance model for suppliers of DSCR solutions. This interim approach will include the majority of the processes currently in place for assurance but will not include a procurement vehicle for public sector buyers or a framework agreement.
As we plan for the future of digitising social care into the next financial year, we will be sharing more details on how we will continue to assure digital and technology solutions to support the management and delivery of care. So that providers can remain confident that the solutions they invest in are future proof and enabling better, more efficient and safer care for people wherever and whenever they need it.