The Department of Health and Social Care brought us in for a 10-week alpha. The goal: to improve access to reliable adult social care data. Care providers, local authorities and researchers need this data to plan services and improve care quality. However the data is scattered across systems, making a clear view of the sector difficult.
Our task was to bring all this data together into one platform and improve data insight for the adult social care sector. As a result it will be easier for providers of all sizes, councils and researchers to access and use the data. By doing so, they’ll be able to better track care quality, identify gaps in services and plan more effectively.
Working with Edge Health, we built a prototype and technical proof of concept(PoC). We gathered user feedback to help transform future care data use. Importantly, the PoC passed the Government Digital Service alpha assessment. It met all of the 14 standards, allowing us to proceed to the next phase (beta) of the project.
The challenge: Data interoperability
One of the main challenges is that care data is spread across many different systems, making it hard for providers to get a clear view of what’s happening. Data quality also varies. Especially for smaller providers who lack the time or tools to manage it well.
While bigger care providers have data analysts to help them understand the information, smaller providers struggle without that support. Health and social care systems don’t link up well either, which makes it difficult to coordinate services.
Our approach: Testing ideas results in successful alpha
The 10-week alpha phase focused on testing ideas and proving a unified platform could work:
User research: We spoke to about 20 local council analysts and care provider staff, from owners to managers and analysts, to understand their needs and shape the project’s direction.
Proof of concept: We successfully showed that the platform could pull in data from different sources, create key metrics and present useful insights. This helped us pass the Government Digital Service (GDS) alpha assessment, meeting all 14 required standards.
Iterative development: During this phase, we found that while local councils had access to some helpful tools, care providers were missing out on the data-driven insights they needed.
Solution: A unified data platform
We developed a platform to pull in data from multiple sources. This gives care providers and councils access to the same insights. Ultimately, by bringing data together, we’re aiming to create a more equitable playing field. A place where everyone can make informed decisions based on accurate, comprehensive information.
Results: data-driven insight for adult social care
Occupancy rates
Care providers can compare their bed occupancy with nearby providers. If they see another provider has higher occupancy rates, they can investigate potential reasons – such as better service offerings or care quality, They can then make adjustments to improve their own services.
Service gaps
The platform can help highlight gaps in service provision. For instance, if data shows a rise in dementia cases in the region but a provider doesn’t offer specific dementia care, they can act on this information by training staff or expanding their services to meet future demand.
Collaboration with healthcare
The platform also supports better collaboration between social care and healthcare providers. By offering a unified view of care data, local authorities can work more effectively with healthcare providers to plan services, ensuring a smoother pathway for individuals moving between health and social care systems.
Why Made Tech
- Sector knowledge: Made Tech’s has in-depth experience in both the health and social care industries. Our recent work with Skills for Care showed the value we could bring to this alpha and made us a clear choice for DHSC.
- Strong partnership: Working closely with Edge Health, experts in data analysis, made sure we could deliver insights that were both relevant and practical. We’ve successfully worked with a variety of partners on multiple projects and this experience has honed our skills in developing strong relationships.
- Agile methodology: Made Tech successfully introduced a faster, more agile and flexible way of working to the project.
Moving into beta
Our successful alpha passed the Government Digital Service (GDS) assessment, meeting the standards required to move to beta.
We’re now starting beta with a private release and moving towards a full public launch.
Key developments include:
- Better accessibility and tech foundations – The platform is being built to be accessible and robust enough for wider adoption.
- Live minimum viable product (MVP) testing and improvement – Care providers and local authorities are using the platform, and we’re refining it based on their feedback.
- More useful data in one place – We’re making it easier for care providers to access a broader range of public data to support better care.
- Understanding the value for local authorities – We’re exploring how the platform can support local authorities, particularly in areas like commissioning and prevention.
- Considering AI features – We’re looking at how AI could be used to add value in future.
By breaking down data silos, we’re helping to create a future where everyone involved in adult social care can access the same valuable insights. This will ultimately lead to better care outcomes and more efficient service delivery across the sector.
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