June 15th 2022
The Department of Health and Social Care has published the final version of their data strategy – Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data. This follows the publication of the draft strategy in June 2021.
Digital Social Care is reviewing the final paper, but in the meantime, here are the key points relating to adult social care. These are direct quotes from the strategy paper.
Overview
This strategy sets out the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s vision for “how data will be used to improve the health and care of the population in a safe, trusted and transparent way.”
The strategy covers:
- Improving trust in the health and care system’s use of data
- Giving health and care professionals the information they need to provide the best possible care
- Improving data for adult social care
- Supporting local and national decision-makers with data
- Empowering researchers with the data they need to develop life-changing treatments, diagnostics, models of care and insights
- Working with partners to develop innovations that improve health and care
- Developing the right technical infrastructure
Government commitments
The strategy includes Government commitments relating to the seven key areas of the strategy. Read all here.
The following Government commitments relate to improving data for adult social care. These are all direct quotes from the strategy.
Commitment 301 – to be completed from April 2023
We will continue to pursue the collection of pseudonymised client-level data rather than aggregate data from local authorities as set out in the adult social care reform white paper. This will ensure we have regular and comprehensive data to enable person-centred, sustainable innovation for adult social care.
We will use the NHS number to ensure data can be appropriately linked and plan to make client-level data collection mandatory with all local authorities expected to commence data flows by 2023 to 2024.
Commitment 302 – to be completed from June 2022
We will develop an easily accessible data-sharing solution with local authorities and providers over the next 3 years that supports real-time decision-making at local, regional and national levels, building on the learning from the pandemic, and seek to ensure different actors in the system have access to the same rich data sets.
Commitment 303 – commenced from April 2022
We will develop, in collaboration with Skills for Care, a digital skills framework that will support the improvement of the digital capabilities of everyone working in the adult social care sector (phase one completed March 2022), supported by the delivery of an inclusive approach to training opportunities to improve the data and digital literacy of the adult social care workforce from April 2022.
Commitment 304 – to be completed by March 2024
We will ensure that at least 80% of social care providers have a digitised care record in place that can be connected to a shared care record and we will reinforce the use of the NHS number universally across adult social care to support this.
Commitment 305 – delivery date subject to Parliamentary processes
We will introduce a power to require information from all adult social care providers (both public and private), so that we can build a better picture of the delivery of adult social care services across England.
Commitment 306 – to be completed by December 2022
We will establish a data framework for adult social care setting out:
- what data the sector needs to collect
- the purpose of those collections
- the standards it is collected to
We will engage with the sector, including local authorities and providers, to develop the framework, which will set out how we will improve the quality of data and rationalise collections so that we minimise the collection burden.
We will:
- share our proposed approach with the Data Alliance Partnership – June 2022
- work with the sector on its detailed design – July to November 2022
- publish the framework – December 2022
Commitment 307 – to be completed by March 2023
We will continue to promote NHSmail – or other appropriate services that meet the government’s secure email policy requirements – to all providers to enable secure information-sharing, and will work with the sector to identify a long-term and sustainable approach.
Commitment 308 – to be completed by March 2023
We will work with our partners to evaluate the impact of the solutions currently in place for access to primary care data – for example, the recent expansion of a restricted view of GP Connect to specific community and social care staff. Over the next year, we will explore further options for appropriate access to information to deliver high-quality care.
Commitment 309 – to be completed by March 2023
We will publish a standards and capabilities roadmap for digital social care record solutions (completed May 2022), which assured suppliers providing digital social care records are required to comply with. Its development will be co-designed with the adult social care sector, and will include data and reporting standards that will allow providers and commissioners across the NHS and adult social care sector to access information. This will begin by developing a process to consolidate existing social care terminology standards.
Commitment 310 – to be completed by July 2022
We will work with the telecare sector ahead of the telecoms industry-led transition from analogue to digital phone lines by 2025, and issue an action plan to support those who commission, deliver and supply telecare services and equipment.
Commitment 311 – to be completed from April 2022
We will support care providers in adopting proven technologies that can transform quality of care and safety, and fund implementation support within each integrated care system to rapidly digitise social care as set out in the white paper People at the Heart of Care.
Commitment 301 – to be completed from April 2023
We will continue to pursue the collection of pseudonymised client-level data rather than aggregate data from local authorities as set out in the adult social care reform white paper. This will ensure we have regular and comprehensive data to enable person-centred, sustainable innovation for adult social care.
We will use the NHS number to ensure data can be appropriately linked and plan to make client-level data collection mandatory with all local authorities expected to commence data flows by 2023 to 2024.
Legislation
The strategy also outlines plans for legislation.
Primary legislation
“We will use powers in the Health and Care Act 2022 to:
- allow health and adult social care public bodies to require anonymousinformation (information that is in a form that does not identify any individual or enable the identity of any individual to be ascertained) from other health and adult social care public bodies, and from providers who are commissioned by such public bodies to provide health and adult social care services
- allow the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to require data from all regulated adult social care providers about services they provide, whether funded by local authorities or privately by individuals.”
Secondary legislation
“We will amend the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 in due course to facilitate timely and proportionate sharing of data – including, where necessary and appropriate, personal information – for the purposes of supporting the health and care system.
“We will engage with stakeholders and the public to make sure that changes to the regulations are implemented transparently and that appropriate safeguards are in place.”
Related links
Department of Health and Social Care press release – 13 June 2022
Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data – 13 June 2022, strategy paper
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