Developing Digital Leaders in Social Care ‘It is vital that the leaders of all health and care organisations are seen to champion information and digital capability as core enablers of effective decision making, service quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency’. Personalised Health and Care 2020. National Information Board. Nov 2014

Imperative that Care and Health services embrace digital ways of working…why? Better outcomes, quality and choice. Efficiency Appropriate sharing of information securely Better use of precious resources It is important that Care services expand their use of digital ways of working. This can mean use digital recording (inc recording digitally whilst mobile working), digital processes for monitoring activities (eg use of QR codes for ‘logging’ a visit for more detail http://carecontrolsystems.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Care-Control-Using-QR-Codes.pdf), sharing information safely, use of assisted living technologies and many others! Better Outcomes, quality and choice; the use of bed sensors for eg. Can mean a more dignified way of caring than disturbance every hour to check the person is in bed etc. (for inspiration see http://digileaders.com/looking-wrong-end-telescope-improving-experience-older-people-technology/) Efficiency; can do something speed up processes eg monitoring of sick leave, more efficient recruitment processes. Appropriate sharing of information securely; with integration comes the need to be able to share info securely and safely for the best interests of the person. Better use of precious resources; if a care worker can do something more efficiently (eg fill in care record on the move) then it frees up time.

National Drive to digital ways of working. National Information Board; vision of a paperless system of care and health by 2020 Supports ‘Five Year Forward’ plan for NHS and The Care Act 2014. NIB Programme underway to address areas for change/improvement. World is changing and so must care! NIB is a body which brings together national health and care organisations from the NHS, public health,clinical science, social care and local government, together with appointed lay representatives. It is charged with developing the strategic priorities for data and technology in health and care to deliver the maximum benefit. NIB has large programme of activities (mostly led by NHS Digital). These programmes are driven by the key areas that the NIB feel need to change/improve to deliver the 2020 vision.

One of these work programmes aims to explore and develop leaders in Care and Health to have the skills and confidence to drive digital ways of working forward.

NHS Digital have asked Skills for Care to consult with Social Care leaders as part of this work. We therefore would like to ask you some questions and record your responses, so we can feedback themes and views to NHS Digital. Health Leaders are also being consulted by NHS Digital. Your responses will be anonymised (quotes not attributed to individuals) and collated into a report for NHS D. If you would like a copy of this report, please ask.

Question 1 Do you see yourself as having a role in leading the use of digital services in your organisation? If so, what is it ? Prompts; sourcing info to pass on, championing new ways of working, developing skills of others, no role?

Question 2. How important would you say the implementation of technology is to delivery of your services? Prompts; why is it important/not important? In what way? Have you examples of it’s importance?

Question 3. How confident would you say your organisation is in its ability to access and implement tech? Prompts; why do you feel this way? What stops you feeling confident? What has helped in the past? If confident, how did you achieve this?

Question 4 What, if anything, do you think is missing or would help you to move toward greater use of tech in your organisation? What are the barriers? Prompts; attitudes (if so, of whom?), resources, time, vision for the organisation, lack of staff skills, concerns of the technology itself? If they don’t see the need to move forward with digital, why not?

Thank you! On line questionnaire also available at; https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/digileader There is also an on line questionnaire to compliment this discussion https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/digileader. Please feel free to distribute this to colleagues etc.