Plenty to ponder in the Government’s White Paper, including some (potentially) welcome news about social care data in light of @FCC_UK’s work on that topic 1/ https://twitter.com/commonfutrs/status/1359839692838084612

The forthcoming Data Strategy for Health and Care will include proposals to ‘require health and adult social care organisations to share anonymised information that they hold where such sharing would benefit the health and social care system.’ 2/

It will also include proposals to ‘introduce powers for the Secretary of State to require data from registered adult social care providers about all services they provide, whether funded by local authorities or privately by individuals’ ~ helpful given: https://futurecarecapital.org.uk/research/analysing-local-authority-spend-on-residential-social-care-provision-for-adults/ 3/

... to be read in conjunction with:
‘a power to mandate standards for how data is collected and stored, so that data flows through the system in a usable way, and that when it is accessed/provided, it is in a standard form readable by, and meaningful to the user/recipient’. 4/

Crucially, Govt will remedy gaps in data to help it understand capacity and risk in the system. This will enable the Department to better understand the system to inform future policy developments and ultimately help facilitate the care of individuals across the care system.’ 5/

Our @FCC_UK Data That Cares report makes plain why this is needed and the impact of the ongoing pandemic upon the stability of social care providers means that this has become more urgent 6/ https://futurecarecapital.org.uk/research/data-that-cares/

It’s worthwhile striking a note of caution where it states: “Data on hrs of care services provided and their cost/person, together with data on financial flows, will show how money flows to providers and workforce...to improve our understanding of the lifetime cost of care.” 7/

Whilst client level data is to be welcomed in some respects, does an actuarial approach perhaps point towards the introduction of an insurance based approach to social care? And, if the White Paper is all about integration, how will this read-across to NHS service provision? 8/

Overall, the White Paper points toward the importance of the forthcoming data strategy - as well as the need for investment to bring about the digital maturity, skills and confidence amongst providers that’s needed to make it a success for social care. /9

Addendum: if there is a ‘sin of omission’ in the White Paper, for me, it is the passing reference to technology - with so much thought given to data, it would seem remiss not to ponder how it might be harnessed for innovation in social care as well as ‘monitoring/management’.

Impact of changes within DHSC on tech drive in ICS’s remains to be seen https://twitter.com/hsjnews/status/1361202898588295170