IT industry association techUK has published a plan to promote the development and take-up of digital technology to support social care, highlight a need for citizen health accounts and a methodology for co-production.
Titled The Five Point Plan for CareTech, the report has been written in response to the view that social care has been slower in the adoption of digital solutions than other sectors.
It picks up on elements of the Hewitt Review on the priorities for integrated care systems (ICSs), including the recommendation for citizen health accounts.
These would require health and care providers to publish relevant data on an individual into an account owned and operated by the person. techUK says these would lead to more effective care, and while it is a big ambition they are already emerging in pockets, and that Government should support their roll out on a national scale.
There should also be an effort to encourage collaboration between public and private sectors in producing technology for care. The paper says this will need a clear methodology and central support, with measures to define the principles of a partnership, systematise the sharing of best practice, and remove obstacles to the pooling of public sector budgets.
Mapping exclusion
Another priority is the need to map digital exclusion to provide clarity over where people need help to use technology, extending to providing the industry with insights into the usability of digital products and services.
Finally, the report underscores the need for standardised data formats and terminologies, and for an expansion of interoperability frameworks. The plan points to the example of the Joint Emergency Services Group Wales working with local authorities, GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey on the use of unique property reference numbers UPRNs to develop data links between adult social services department and local emergency services.
In the paper’s foreword, Sir David Pearson, chair of the certification body TEC Quality, says: “We’ll only be able to use digital to provide more effective social care if we can truly integrate services and support the personalisation of care, by offering greater standardisation of data and greater interoperability of technology. Changing the way we deliver services, and offering training for those who provide them, is also key.”
Reshaping the landscape
Georgina Maratheftis, associate director for local public services at techUK, said: “techUK is dedicated to reshaping the landscape of adult social care through meaningful partnerships and technological advancements.
“By working closely with policymakers and our members, we have developed this report to help simplify complex guidance for innovators and ensure that their feedback plays a pivotal role in shaping upcoming changes to promote the tangible benefits that digital solutions bring to citizens and carers alike.”
