Social Care Digital Innovation Programme

Background

Over the last two years NHS Digital has funded 31 councils to provide digital solutions to social care challenges. In 2017-18 we saw Amazon Alexa introduced in Hampshire to reduce isolation and enhance independence; Luton and Central Bedfordshire improved the digital maturity of care homes and Norfolk increased referrals from customer services to appropriate voluntary sector support. In 2018-19 Nottingham is exploring an outcomes portal, Isle of Wight is testing exoskeletal devices for informal carers and Wirral is investing in biometric wearables to better understand support for people with autism.

In 2019-21 12 more councils will use the principles of service design to develop genuinely new ideas to improve social care, seeking innovative uses of digital technology in service design to improve the service user’s experience and/or enable better service planning and commissioning.

The Programme

The 2019-21 programme aims to:

• use principles of service design to address social care problems differently
• develop collaborative, innovative and person-led solutions to social care problems
• measure the benefits, share learning and practice to encourage wider action.

Up to £120,000 funding is split into two phases: a discovery phase (April to September 2019) and an implementation phase (December 2019 to December 2020). During the discovery phase, councils will be supported to research and understand the needs, behaviours and experiences of users (social care service users, informal carers, social care providers, health partners and the voluntary sector. Councils will be supported on this journey by Snook, a design agency. Councils are expected to bring local partners through the discovery phase to develop a detailed proposal for the implementation phase.

Discovery phase

Cambridgeshire County Council
Enhancing the independence of those with learning disabilities in the community during their transition to adult social care.

Cambridgeshire Progress Report - July 2019

Cambridgeshire Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Cambridgeshire Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

London Borough of Camden
Using technology to provide travel assistance and establish long term independent travel

Camden Progress Report - July 2019 

Camden Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Camden Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Derbyshire County Council
Designing and testing a remote assessment process for some adaptations in domestic environments

Derbyshire Progress Report - July 2019 

Derbyshire Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Derbyshire Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Essex County Council
Exploring real-time prediction and/or monitoring of falls testing technology used in other fields 

Essex Progress Report - July 2019 

Essex Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Essex Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Kirklees Council
Providing direct citizen access to real-time information held about care needs and services

Kirklees Progress Report - July 2019 

Kirklees Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Kirklees Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Leeds City Council
Digitally integrating care homes into the health and care system to ensure personalised, joined up care 

Leeds Progress Report - July 2019  

Leeds Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Leeds Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Newcastle City Council
Exploring how community equipment provided at the right time to maximise independence 

Newcastle Progress Report - July 2019  

Newcastle Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Newcastle Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Norfolk County Council
A new process for booking and allocating appointments for social workers, care managers and therapists 

Norfolk Progress Report - July 2019  

Norfolk Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Norfolk Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

North East Lincolnshire Council
Improving home care communications, rostering, tracking of visits, outcomes and costs 

NE Lincolnshire Progress Report - July 2019 

NE Lincolnshire Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

NE Lincolnshire Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

North Somerset Council
Using technology to support identifying and proactively manage hydration in care homes 

North Somerset Progress Report - July 2019 

North Somerset Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

North Somerset Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils
Identifying informal carers and developing awareness of the local offer of support and services

Richmond and Wandsworth Progress Report - July 2019 

Richmond and Wandsworth Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Richmond and Wandsworth Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

London Borough of Southwark
Exploring better management and prevention of falls

Southwark Progress Report - July 2019 

Southwark Discovery Phase Review - October 2019

Southwark Discovery Phase Case Study - November 2019

Implementation phase

SCDIP councils have made considerable progress with implementation even while managing and responding to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Their June progress reports and November sharing the learning presentations can be viewed below:

• Cambridgeshire County Council: Helping increase the independence of those with low to moderate learning disability needs in Cambridgeshire
  Cambridgeshire implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: TECHknow guide to care technology – November 2020
• London Borough of Camden: Helping residents travel in their daily lives and overcome any anxieties or accessibility issues they face by creating an easy-to-read, use and follow map with navigation aids, such as pictures of landmarks
  Camden implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: Connected Communities independent travel map – November 2020
• Derbyshire County Council: Implementing digital tools to enable remote assessments for adaptations and equipment for clients
  Derbyshire implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: Using digital technology to enhance occupational therapy assessments – November 2020
• Kirklees Council: Enabling a prototype of a self-service care account to be created into a working online self-service account giving service users access to their information 24/7 and ultimately more control
  Kirklees implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: Online care account – November 2020
• North Somerset Council: Development and implementation of a progressive web-based application to support carers to deliver effective hydration care and prevent dehydration in care homes
  North Somerset implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: Project Hydration Innovation – November 2020
• London Borough of Southwark: Working with Safe Steps to adapt their care homes falls risk assessment and prevention app to be used in community settings
  Southwark implementation progress report – June 2020
  Sharing the learning: Safe Steps community app – November 2020

These councils continue to receive expert service design support from Snook and benefits evaluation and realisation support from RSM and NHS Digital as their projects progress. All funded projects are due to complete in March 2021.

The Accelerator

In 2019/20, three projects sought partner councils to help co-fund and co-develop a collaborative digital solution to the following areas across social care with programme partner CC2i:

• a people and partnership-centred approach to the new Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) legislation
• multi-agency domiciliary care medicine support
• home assessments virtual reality app: Think ‘Ikea Place’ for Adult Social Care.

The first two projects each attracted five partner councils and discovery reports for the LPS and medicine support projects were published. For medicines support in domiciliary care, a peer reviewed stakeholder specification, which outlines the requirements and benefits of a digital approach, and a short video to support council commissioners and care providers make the case for investment in digital solutions have now been developed. These will shortly be published on Digital Social Care.

The SCDIA 2020/21 programme has commenced and councils are co-funding and co-developing digital projects focused on discharge to assess, virtual support for vulnerable people, and multi-agency safeguarding.

Further information

If any of the projects could be of interest to your authority, please get in touch. For more information or if you have any queries please contact socialcaredigital@local.gov.uk.