Proper investment in digital to support social care provision has been a long time coming, but the Digital Social Care Record Programme (DSCR) is finally giving a much-needed boost to the sector. It aims to achieve two key objectives by March 2024:
80% of adult social care CQC registered providers will have adopted a DSCR solution.
At least 20% of residents as greatest risk of falls will be provided with sensor-based falls prevention and detection technologies, such as acoustic monitoring.
The programme offers an incredible springboard to bring the care provider community into the ICS family. It also offers each ICS unique insights into the challenges and opportunities that a joined-up health and care system can bring.
The opportunity presented by the DSCR Programme
Care providers often feel that they are the forgotten partners in the health and care system, and previous digital investment initiatives have failed to truly understand the scale and complexity of their challenges. Staff are overstretched and have little capacity to think beyond the here and now. The important question is:
How can an ICS work at pace to achieve the goals and milestones of the DSCR programme and create a solid digital platform for joined-up working?
If successfully delivered, the programme will provide critical building blocks for the digital transformation journey of social care. Because of this, Channel 3 is excited and passionate about the successful delivery of the programme. However, the success of programmes of this nature is predicated on taking a people-first approach to digital change. Channel 3 always takes a people-first approach, enabling better lives for care receivers by using digital to support the workforce, for this very reason.
If the DSCR Programme is to be successful, it must:
– engage with providers and win hearts and minds.
– bring to life the benefits of digital records for their service users.
– build confidence to invest.
– help providers navigate the procurement and implementation of solutions.
Once these objectives are achieved, it will ultimately change the ways of working and realise benefits in a sustainable way. Without this relentless focus on a people-first approach, the sector risks investing in digital solutions that provide limited benefits or deliver very little impact.
Moving the DSCR Programme forward
It is evident that most local systems are not moving at the pace required to achieve the DSCR programme’s aims.
In response, Channel 3 has worked with NHSE and local ICSs to develop a lighthouse approach to care provider engagement, landscape mapping and digital maturity baselining. This agile engagement approach is tailored to the needs of each local system. The outputs are used to inform, prioritise and fast-track the DSCR implementation in local systems. Ultimately, this approach enables local systems to successfully hit their delivery milestones across the three years of the programme.
Through our lighthouse work In Derbyshire, we have already begun to see the positive impact this approach is having in identifying early adopters for year one of the programme and providing intelligence to inform planning for years two and three.
Every local system is grappling with this today. If you are part of your local DSCR programme and would like to learn more about Channel 3’s lighthouse approach, please get in touch with our DSCR team.
Meet the DSCR team
Ralph Cook
Ralph has over 20 years of consulting experience within the public sector, designing and delivering complex transformation programmes across health and social care. Ralph has helped the sector pioneer thinking in the areas of demand management, sustainable change in complex systems, behavioural science and intermediate care.
Stuart Lindsay
Stuart has over 20 years of experience within frontline services and consultancy within health and social care. He specialises in delivering whole system transformational change by embedding strength-based practice, enablers to independence such as technology-enabled care and system performance improvement.
Dharmesh Patel
Dharmesh is a highly experienced consultant and PRINCE2® Practitioner with almost 20 years’ experience gained across diverse roles within health, social care, pharmaceutical, local government, telecoms, automotive and criminal justice.
Nyasha Fumhanda
Nyasha has a master’s degree in social work and has worked as a qualified social worker, supporting the most vulnerable adults across South Yorkshire. Nyasha now works on digital transformation projects that drive positive change within health and social care.
Joel Trounce
Joel is an experienced public sector management consultant, having worked across major local authority transformation programmes, delivering complex whole system transformation. He has delivered projects across a range of delivery areas, including adult social care, children’s services, and health.
