The Digitising Social Care (DiSC) Programme (NHSE Transformation Directorate, Digital Policy Unit) - Social Care Interoperability Platform (SCIP), Proof of Concept and Alpha

Description

Pre-market engagement A pre-market engagement session took place 25/03/2025 with suppliers who expressed an interest through the framework. This consisted of an overview of the vision for SCIP, alongside a question and answer session with suppliers in attendance. A record of the queries and answers raised during and following the session have been shared as part of this ITT. Work done so far Early stage discovery has taken place, including an internal review of the foundational requirements for SCIP and a build/buy/rent assessment to support in defining our approach. We would expect any discovery, both in terms of technical and end-user viability, to be validated by the successful supplier. The outputs of discovery work undertaken to date have been made available to support in framing your bid. We expect proposals to describe ways of working and squad makeup which are both innovative and reflect our outlined requirements. Which phase the project is in Discovery Existing team The supplier will work with a subset of the Digitising Social Care programme, sat across NHSE and DHSC. Both digital delivery professionals and policy colleagues in DHSC and NHSE will provide broad wraparound support for the product. In terms of day-to-day, this will consist of a Programme Manager (Product Manager) embedded in delivery and contract management. We also expect to have access to Technology Strategy, Architecture and Standards support. We expect the successful supplier to act as part of a rainbow team, collaborating with colleagues from across NHSE and DHSC. Address where the work will be done Work can be undertaken remotely. The organisation has bases in both Leeds and London, with the team primarily based in Leeds. 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 GOV.UK Service Standard principles, we will progress and agree each stage of the project in turn to agree on each stage of work and how the budget is spent. The overall development will have roadmap and each work package will require use cases and problem statements to be created and prioritised using a backlog. 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 & 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. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Latest start date 2025-08-04 Enter the expected contract length: 1 year Special terms and conditions Agile development planning underpinned by statement of works created throughout the contract lifecycle will provide the basis for delivery and payment. We will be including Schedule 14 - Balanced Scorecard and and Schedule 6 - Intellectual Property Right schedules in the contract. Write the term or acronym: Price per quality point (PQP) Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: The budget for the initial phase of development is £1,000,000 including VAT. It is essential that a minimum viable product is confirmed and available for subsequent phases and scaling by 31/03/2026 Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work The SCIP is designed to address the priority data needs of Direct Care within CQC registered Residential and Community-based Adult Social Care (ASC) services. It will ensure seamless access to critical health and care information, supporting key use cases such as: • Access to care information for assessment and planning. • Integration with GP records to support ongoing care in care homes and home care settings. • Smooth transitions of care to and from hospitals, including ambulance services. • Real-time updates on care plans, including medications, conditions, and test results. • Safeguarding and safety alerts for health and care professionals. • Efficient transfer of records between social care providers. Beyond these core capabilities, SCIP will establish a foundation for future interoperability and evolving needs, including: • Enhanced Direct Care services, such as secure messaging and citizen access to records. • Planning, oversight, and service management, including business continuity and regulatory access. • Population health management to enable proactive and preventative care. • Research and innovation, leveraging social care data for AI and automation. Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) solutions have been assured by NHS England to meet the core functional requirements for ASC providers. Together, SCIP, DSCRs, and access to national health data systems will provide a robust, scalable, and future-proofed digital ecosystem for social care, ensuring seamless information flow and improved outcomes for individuals and care providers alike. For the purposes of this procurement, the scope is to build the first stage of the MVP for SCIP. Please refer to the attached document for detail of the high level foundation requirement. Where the supplied staff will work North West England Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Who the organisation using the products or services is As the solution is intended as underlying infrastructure, rather than a user-facing product, connected suppliers will be expected to tailor how any shared information is presented to their respective users. DSCR Suppliers: From a technical standpoint, the direct users for this initially will be assured DSCR suppliers. This potentially includes any supplier listed on the assured solutions list. As it currently stands, 13 DSCR suppliers are fully compliant to the standards required to make use of our intended solution. Given the additional ambition to connect bi-directionally back into health systems, the users of those systems will also become customers of this solution. ASC Workforce: In terms of service usage, this could be highly variable. Utilising Skills for Care’s ASC workforce data in conjunction with CQC data on DSCR adoption (around 70%), 12,950 organisations have the potential to link into SCIP (subject to using a compliant care record as noted). Depending on the size of the organisation, the number of roles with designated access could vary substantially. Using this same data, as of 22/23 there are approximately 1,013,000 million individuals working in care worker, senior care worker or registered manager roles. This workforce (currently 70% give record adoption) have the potential to view an individual’s shared data through this platform, with the caveat that only compliant suppliers will be able to link into it. Why the work is being done SCIP addresses the ‘social care reform’ section of the ‘build an NHS fit for the future’ chapter of the Labour Party’s 2024 manifesto. Specifically, reflecting the need for consistent standards, with a particular focus on data collection and data sharing, to support delivering consistent care across the country. This is achieved through SCIP via the creation of connections which ensure an individual’s health and care information is accurate and accessible, aligning with information stores and collections found elsewhere in the health and care system. The SCIP also directly addresses governmental priorities highlighted in the January 3rd, 2025, press release titled "New reforms and independent commission to transform social care". Creating the infrastructure necessary for the 'digital platform to allow up-to-date medical information to be shared between the NHS and care staff'. This will result in improved partnership working a between health and care through a more coherent single pathway for an individual receiving care across the system, supporting more effective discharge and movement between care settings. More broadly, this initiative also supports the data revolution agenda, laying the foundations for interoperability which can be built on into the future. A future which includes the analogue to digital switchover, the hospital at home scheme, committed ambitions for a single patient record, the federated data platform alongside a plethora of other exciting innovations which all require comprehensive data sharing across the health and care system to succeed. The business problem you need to solve Digital maturity within the ASC sector has improved drastically over the last few years, with the widescale adoption of digital social care records. However, without the associated interoperability underpinning this excellent progress, information silos will continue to be the norm and the full breadth of an individual's needs will remain obscured at each stage of the care pathway. It is essential that care workers have vital data, such as medication and allergies, alongside the ability to migrate an individual's record where appropriate to ensure continuity of care. The public commitment made January 3rd 2025 recognises and emphasises this need. The Digital Policy Unit’s (DPU) Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme within NHSE’s Transformation Directorate is currently the only programme tasked with enhancing digital capabilities within adult social care. The programme has seen substantial success, having increased the proportion of CQC registered care providers with DSCRs from 47% in June 2022 to 76% in November 2024. With the majority providers utilising digital records in the sector, interoperability is now vital to ensure a cohesive care pathway and SCIP is the priority which will deliver this for the programme moving forward. This solution is contingent on joint working with sector partners, the NHS and DHSC. There are significant capacity constraints within the system currently and the successful supplier will need to be proactive in navigating this complex landscape. This solution has the potential to be the foundation for much needed cross-sector collaboration, reducing strain on interdependent health and care systemwide functions, such discharge and end-of-life processes to name just two. First user type: DSCR Suppliers First user type: ASC Workforce