Department of Health and Social Care - Adult Social Care Data Access Tool, Alpha and Beta.

Description

Summary of work This work will design, develop and deliver a digital tool to improve access to social care data for all those in the sector who need it. This tool will collate existing data from different data sources, to support improved analysis, policy-making and service commissioning. It will facilitate better and more data-driven decisions at national, regional and local levels. This project meets key public commitments as part of the social care reform whitepaper, People at the Heart of Care, the health and social care data strategy, Data Saves Lives, and the adult social care data strategy, Care Data Matters, and is essential to fully unlock the value of other transformational data projects such as new social care client level dataset. From Care Data Matters - to “[improve] social care data sharing and dissemination via a new social care data access solution” by Winter 2024. This is a joint Alpha and Beta. This work will build on the findings from the 2023 Discovery. The first phase of this work will include an Alpha to prototype solutions to test both technical and user requirements that were identified in Discovery. A summary of expected activities for Alpha are outlined below. Validation of Vision: • Conduct feasibility studies to assess the achievability of the tool's vision. • Analyse existing infrastructure, data sources, and technological capabilities. • Engage stakeholders to gather insights and validate the vision's alignment with their needs and expectations. • Document findings to provide evidence of the tool's feasibility and potential impact. Identification of Technical, Data, and User Requirements: • Conduct a comprehensive analysis of technical requirements, including functionalities, integrations, and scalability. • Evaluate available data sources and identify data requirements for the tool's development. • Engage with end-users to understand their preferences, workflows, and usability expectations. • Document technical, data, and user requirements to guide the development process. Roadmap Development: • Collaborate with stakeholders to develop a clear roadmap for the project, encompassing the beta phase and long-term maintenance. • Define milestones, deliverables, and timelines for each phase of development. • Identify key dependencies, risks, and mitigation strategies to ensure smooth project execution. • Incorporate feedback from stakeholders to refine the roadmap and align it with project goals. Delivery of roadmap, including Alpha prototypes, and Alpha MVP and all other activity required for a successful GDS assessment Exploration of Expansion Possibilities: • Assess the potential for safely expanding the tool to enable use by researchers and other stakeholders. • Explore regulatory and compliance requirements for data sharing and access for this cohort of users. • Identify technical solutions and enhancements needed to support expanded functionality. • Engage with relevant stakeholders to gather input and assess the feasibility of expansion. • Develop a plan outlining steps for safely expanding the tool and maximising its impact. The second phase (beta) will only commence following a successful Alpha, including GDS / CDDO service centre assessment. The exact activities involved In the Beta stage of this project will be determine during Alpha. The department intends to continue into the beta phases but reserves the right to halt the project following the alpha phase. Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Why the work is being done Data matters in social care. It matters for making sure people get the right care, for planning how care is organised and for joining up health and social care services around people. It can make lives better and, ultimately, can save lives. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic taught us many lessons. One of those was the importance of having social care data. This work responds to commitments in the People at the Heart of Care, Data Saves Lives and Care Data Matters to “[improve] social care data sharing and dissemination via a new social care data access solution” by Winter 2024. Information gaps and asymmetries create an uneven playing field in the social care sector, resulting in organisations making decisions without access to complete information. The social care data access project will level the playing field and provide access to all adult social care datasets in one place for all those who need it to make decisions (i.e. for analysis, policy-making and commissioning). The business problem Access to data and insights is a key challenge for the sector There are many ASC data sets, ranging from long-standing aggregate data publications (e.g. Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework) to newly established, person-level collections (e.g. Client Level Data). These are disparate collections and publications, submitted by care providers and local authorities in different ways and at different times, duplicating tools and data flows. This makes it difficult for the sector to access the right data, and adds a burden across the sector as everyone must arrange and analyse data separately for insights. Data maturity also varies across the sector. Information gaps and asymmetries create an uneven playing field in the social care sector, resulting in organisations making decisions without access to complete information. DHSC is working with the sector to deliver data transformation in adult social care - the detail of this can be found in Care Data Matters: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-data-matters-a-roadmap-for-better-adult-social-care-data/care-data-matters-a-roadmap-for-better-adult-social-care-data This tool is essential to unlock the value of other transformational work outlined in Care Data Matters. The people who will use the product or service User type: DHSC needs Definition: o The ability to drill down into data to uncover further information about the data points I am interested in to answer key questions. o Data to be shared with me as soon as possible so my analysis is up-to-date, particularly for published data. o High confidence in the data quality, and therefore the analysis, to be used as a sound basis for policy decisions. o Data presented in a clear format that I can instantly use to inform myself, without having to manipulate the data myself or ask analysts for further work (strategic / policy users). o Cleansed and linked data to reduce duplicated manual effort of multiple analysts preparing the same datasets (analytical users). o Access to curated, granular data to perform my own analysis which will inform policy decisions (analytical users). o The collection methodology, sources and data limitations to be clearly labelled so they can form part of the considerations in my analysis (analytical users). o The capability to pull automated reports to prevent me from having to work on the same report each month (analytical users). User type: Local authority needs Definition: o A solution that effectively runs on all the infrastructure we currently use. o The ability to drill down into data to uncover further information about the data point I am interested in, to answer key questions. o Data to be shared with me as soon as possible so my analysis is up-to-date, particularly for published data. o The ability to compare like-for-like data to provide me with assurance and inform performance improvement decisions. o Data presented in a clear format that I can instantly extract information from (strategic / policy users). o Access to curated, cleansed data to perform my own analysis on to answer our specific questions (analytical users). o Clear descriptions of data limitations so I know the extent of the accuracy of my analysis (analytical users). User type: Care provider needs Definition: o The ability to compare like-for-like data across peers to provide me with assurance and inform performance improvements. o Access to the data I provide as soon as possible in an accessible format. o An easy-to-understand snapshot view of the data that I can manipulate and delve into to get more information if needed. User type: Other Definition: We also envisage providing access to other users e.g. researchers, academic institutions and other stakeholders. Work done so far We conducted a user needs discovery with more than 300 respondents across 16 weeks. We engaged with care providers, local authorities, national organisations for providers and LAs, CQC, NHSE, third sector. This informed key user, data and technical requirements, along with identifying hypotheses to test in alpha development. The discovery outputs are available on request Which phase the project is in Alpha Existing team The supplier will work with a small core DHSC team consisting of: 3 strategy and policy officials and 1 product manager. The broader virtual team will include officials from the analytical profession, including statisticians, data scientists and economists. The supplier will also be working with key data development project leads across the department that will provide crucial data feeds into the product to be delivered. The supplier will also be working with other DDAT specialists from across NHS England. Address where the work will be done Work can be undertaken remotely. The DHSC team is based at 39 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1H 0EU Working arrangements "The contract will be managed in line with DOS 6 call-off contract requirements and using DHSC’s contract management guidance. By integrating the Digital Outcomes and Specialists framework guidelines with DHSC's specific contract management guidance, the call-off contract can be tailored to meet the department’s unique needs while ensuring compliance with procurement regulations and best practice. Following agile principles, we will use sprint cycles to progress and agree each stage of the project to agree on each stage of work and how the budget is spent. Each sprint will commence with sprint planning where a selection of overall alpha backlog items will be agreed by us as the ‘sprint backlog’ for that sprint, enabling the sprint to commence. Throughout the contract period, we'll use established methodologies known for their success in monitoring timelines, expenditures, and work outputs with examples of these below. Documentation • A risk, issues, and lessons learned log will be maintained to document and track any identified risks, issues, and insights gained throughout the duration of the project. • A Contract Classification Assessment will be performed to accurately categorize and evaluate the contract. This assessment will aid in determining management strategies and aligning resources. Reporting • Regular weekly check-ins with the DHSC contract manager and the delivery partner's Senior Responsible Officer (SRO). To ensure alignment, address any immediate concerns, and facilitate smooth communication between all involved parties. • Regular fortnightly show-and-tell sessions to engage and update a broader group of stakeholders. These sessions will showcase project progress, achievements, and insights gained, fostering transparency and gathering input from various perspectives. • Monthly check-ins with the Strategy and Data team at DHSC to meticulously monitor action plans, track deliverables, milestones, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). This regular review process will enable timely adjustments and maintain project momentum. Commercial support • Continuous support from the procurement and commercial teams will be provided to effectively manage the contract. This ongoing assistance will address contractual complexities, streamline processes, and optimise performance throughout the contract. Security and vetting requirements Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Latest start date 28 May 2024 Expected contract length Contract length: 1 years 0 months 0 days Optional extension: 0 years 6 months 0 days Special terms and conditions special term or condition: The full value of the contract will only be unlocked after a successful Alpha stage, including passing GDS / CDDO service centre assessment. Budget Indicative maximum: £2300000 Indicative minimum: The contract value is not specified by the buyer Further information: The budget for the alpha development of the Tool is £500k including VAT. For the overall development stages of work including open beta the total budget is capped at £2.3m inclusive of the 500k alpha budget. It is essential that the tool is in public beta by 31/12/2024 Contracted out service or supply of resource? Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Terms and acronyms Term or acronym: PQP Definition: Price per quality point (PQP) is an evaluation technique designed to fairly compare bids of varying quality and price. PQP is calculated for each bid by - determining the quality score for each bid, expressed as a whole number rather than as a percentage - dividing the bid price by the quality score to give an output price per quality point. We will be using PQP to evaluate submissions at Stage 2 rather than the 50%/20%/10%/20% split that the DOS forms force us to select. More information will be supplied at next stage