A North Star for Digital Transformation in Social Care

With the very rapid adoption of digital tools across social care, it’s important that such transformation leads to better outcomes for people receiving care, and improved information flows supporting those who support them with social care and health services.

Given the complexity of the sector, digital transformation can deliver very significant gains in terms of reducing need for double entry of data onto different systems, and can lead to improvements in patient safety as a result of better, more timely data gathering and sharing across those who need to know in the context of integrated care.

Digital Care Hub and the Care Software Providers Association have launched a set of principles that, if implemented at scale, will enable digital transformation to take place while ensuring that the impact for people receiving care and care teams is significantly positive.

The principles state that Digital Systems being rolled out to Social Care Providers and their Interoperability must be:

  • Focussed on each person receiving care
  • Intuitively integrated in the operational workflow
  • A time saver and not lead to duplication of effort
  • Able to share information and report appropriately
  • Inclusive of social care providers and people receiving care in decision-making processes

Both entities endorsed these principles and will be working with key stakeholders across social care to secure wide endorsement.