February 18, 2025

Future NHS and DHSC - request for providers participation to advise DHSC on care provider data needs.

 

Future NHS and DHSC have collaborated and are looking to interest ASC Providers and LAs to be part of a Panel to help determine of the setup, content and structure of a Data Access Platform – something that will take receipt of data of Care Data from Digital Social Care Records systems and turn it into information that researchers, LAs and ASC Providers can make wider use of.


They have funding to develop a new online tool/product (called the Data Access Platform) that will enable them to share data being submitted regularly by care providers and local authorities back with those organisations, as well as make the data available to government analysts and social care researchers. They want to share it back in ways that help those organisations to understand what the data is telling them, so (for example) they can use it to improve how they run their services.


How can you get involved?


DHSC and Made Tech (the technical supplier) are developing the solution but do not clearly understand yet what it is that care providers would most like to know from the data they are submitting, or how they would like the data presented to them on the platform.  Therefore, they want to talk to representative care providers to find out what would be most useful to share back with them. Care providers who are willing to get involved will be asked to join a research panel. Members of the panel will be given the opportunity to opt into research activities as outlined below:-


User Profile Sessions – Designed to explore your ASC data needs and challenges so we can understand what you’re currently doing and what you find difficult when it comes to collecting and working with/analysing ASC data.

  • Duration: 1hr
  • Where: online sessions conducted 1-2-1 or in pairs/small groups
  • When: over the next six/seven weeks


Co-Creation Sessions - These sessions are for brainstorming and designing the platform together. It is vital that the the data access platform is designed together with those who will use it to make sure it adds value. Participants could be involved in one, two or all three of these sessions, (ideally at least 2 of them).

  • Duration: 1.5hr
  • Where: online sessions conducted in groups of 6-8 people
  • When: 3 sessions conducted between w/c 12/08 and 2/09/


User Testing - to test the ideas created in co-creation. Ideally those involved in user testing won’t have taken part in the co-creation so they can’t get unbiased feedback on the ideas presented. 

  • Duration: 1hr
  • Where: online sessions conducted 1-2-1 or in pairs
  • When: 02/09 & 09/09


There is always the option to opt out if time is difficult. All panel members will receive updates on the project.


Who are they looking for?

They are looking to recruit around 30 different care providers from across the following sectors to speak with as part of this project:

  • Residential Care Homes
  • Domiciliary Care
  • Supported Living
  • Shared Lives Plus


They want to recruit people who:-

  1. are involved in routinely collecting and uploading ASC data and/or analysing that data, and/or,
  2. representatives who have senior responsibility for the delivery of services by your organisation, who would want answers from the platform (either by looking at the platform themselves or by asking others to do that) and make changes/improvements to their services based on the data it contains.


For both types of participants, they do not need to be highly data savvy although this is also fine. There is always the option to opt out if time is difficult. All panel members will receive updates on the project. 


So, if you, or someone at your organisation is willing to get involved to help support the development of this platform, please complete this short questionnaire to answer a few quick questions about your organisation and express your interest. Once your response is received, someone will be in touch to explore which research opportunities you are able to join.


Survey


Why should a care provider volunteer to get involved?

It is vital that the policy and technical people working on the Data Access Platform understand what the key information needs of care providers are, so that the platform can be developed to respond to those needs. Without this information directly contributed by care providers, the policy and technical staff will be left to make educated guesses about what will be useful and there is a risk that the benefits expected will not be delivered for care providers.


Involvement in the project will help those care providers to understand how a national digital project is developed, provide useful networking opportunities and give those providers involved the opportunity to steer the project in ways that will be most beneficial to their businesses.


For any further information about volunteering for this project or if you have questions about the survey, please contact:




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