News

LGA Local Investment Programme update

The LGA has been working with the 19 councils funded through the Local Investment Programme to support local areas in changing the way services are delivered through digital and technology. The LGA has commissioned an evaluation for those 19 local areas which will be used to sharing of the learning.

Find out more about the projects. 

For more information please email ed.humphreys@local.gov.uk or Jamie.cross@local.gov.uk.

Digital Maturity Self-Assessment: next steps

The social care digital maturity self-assessment has now closed and findings have been published.

The LGA is seeking views on the approach and tools and would like to ask councils to complete a short evaluation.

NHS England has also been working with NHS organisations to complete the second round of the provider digital maturity self-assessment. The assessment has now closed and local areas have access to their results.

Over the next few weeks the LGA will be working with NHS England to bring the data together within the tool so that local areas (where they have given consent to the data being shared) can have a system wide view across their local geographies.

For more information please email jamie.cross@local.gov.uk .

Funding for digital discharge to social care

NHS Digital has recently announced £1.4 million funding for local authorities and their NHS partners to support patient discharge from hospitals to social care.

Applications are open for councils with adult social care responsibilities, and at least one of their NHS partners, to deliver, with NHS Digital structured messaging of the assessment, discharge and withdrawal notices. Further information can be found in the supporting presentation.

The deadline for expressions of interest is 10am on Monday 15 January. Find out more.

Data sharing: data access request service templates

The LGA facilitated a workshop on data sharing with councils in October 2017 in conjunction with NHS Digital. Questions were raised by councils regarding the process of making data requests via the NHS Digital Data Access Request Service (DARS).

NHS Digital has now provided a series of templates that councils can use in submissions for the following datasets. At this stage the templates focus on requests for individual datasets.

We are aware that a number of councils are making requests for access to linked data and we will share these once approved.

Templates for local authorities include access to:

• Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Data Interrogation Service (HDIS)
• Primary Care Mortality Data
• SUS Data (with Commissioning Support Unit as Data Processor)

If you have applications that you would be willing to make available please let us know and we will help in making these available to other councils. Please email mark.golledge@local.gov.uk

Industrial Strategy: ageing society

In November 2017, the Government published the Industrial Strategy White Paper which sets out four grand challenges where there is an ambition to better utilise technologies.

One of those challenges focuses on an ageing society – seeking to enable people to lead more independent lives through smart home and other related technologies.

There are a series of commitments in the strategy – including supporting new product development, as well as supporting care providers to adapt their business models.

Expect to see further information about an Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund announced in early 2018. Find out more about the fund.

NHS.UK: replacement for NHS Choices

Work is currently underway across NHS Digital and NHS England to develop the new NHS.UK platform which will replace NHS Choices. This will provide a platform to enable more transactions online such as enabling people to book a GP appointment or access their GP record.

Over one million people a month currently visit the care and support pages on NHS Choices and the directory of services provides information about local care providers. Over 130 councils also syndicate content from NHS Choices onto local government websites. As part of this work a discovery programme has launched – a 12 week research period to understand the social care information needs of people aged 65+.

Find out more about the discovery programme. A summary of what has been learnt so far can be found in the slides. The research team is holding regular show and tells during the discovery work. The next one will be at 11am on Thursday 18 January and can be attended in person or joined via WebEx. Email james.higgott@nhs.net, Product Lead for Social Care, to find our more or register.

What happens for councils that syndicate content from NHS Choices?

The work will probably mean changes to what’s published on NHS Choices, but if you syndicate any of the content, do not worry: planned changes will be communicated early enough to give you time to update your own websites.

If you have any questions about syndication please email syndication.service@nhs.net.

IG Toolkit Replacement: Data Security and Protection Toolkit

The Department of Health has recently produced a Data Security and Protection Requirements document for all health and care organisations to set out the steps they will be expected to take in 2017/18 to demonstrate that they are implementing the 10 data security standards recommended by the National Data Guardian, prior to a new assurance framework coming into place from April 2018.

From April 2018 the new Data Security and Protection Toolkit replaces the Information Governance Toolkit. We know that many local authorities are already testing the new toolkit with NHS Digital. Further information on this testing can be found here.

There will be an update to this guidance shortly which will bring clarity for both local government and care providers. Although this is not mandatory for care providers, completing will help them in preparing for GDPR, support in meeting the new CQC Key Lines of Enquiry (a number of new areas cover data security) and also open up enhanced opportunities for data sharing e.g. use of NHSmail and access to the GP Summary Care Record.

Cyber security guidance and workshops for care providers

Skills for Care, the LGA, Care Provider Alliance and NHS Digital have launched An introduction to Cyber Security, aimed at care providers and other similar organisations. 

Skills for Care and the Care Provider Alliance are also arranging four free workshops to support care providers with requirements around information sharing, information governance, GDPR and cyber security. The remaining events are being held throughout January and February in Leeds, Manchester, Somerset and London.

Events

LGA and NHS Clinical Commissioners Conference – delivering health and care in a digital age: 27 March 2018 - Birmingham

In partnership with NHS Clinical Commissioners and with the support of NHS Providers, the LGA is planning a national summit which will focus on delivering health and care in a digital age. This will bring senior leaders together from across health and care and focus on how system wide challenges are being addressed using digital and data.

Breakout sessions during the day will focus on the following areas:

• addressing pressures in urgent and emergency care and delayed transfers of care
• supporting prevention and early intervention through healthy lifestyles
• managing demand for services and delivering efficiencies
• supporting effective commissioning and market shaping.

Registration is now open via the LGA events page.

This event is aimed at directors, assistant directors and heads of service in health and social care including public health.

North West ADASS Assistive Technology Conference: 28 February 2018, the Audacious Church, Salford, Manchester

This conference will explore the role of technological solutions on supporting people to meet their outcomes more effectively, at a time of reducing resource.

The purpose of this event is to enable participants to:

• review a range of technological solutions that promote prevention, early intervention and independent living, enabling people to stay connected with their communities
• gain insight into how such technological solutions have been used in practice in different settings;
• talk to others about how these technological solutions have become a core part of the social care offer.

A range of suppliers of technological solutions who have either a track record of providing an operationalised product that has helped residents, or a new innovation, will be available throughout the day to share information about how their products can be used.

Find out more about the conference.

To book your free place, visit Eventbrite. The event is open to delegates from all regions.

NHS England technology information cascade

Read about the latest digital technology cascade, detailing information from NHS England.

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