1. Implementation Business Case
Care and Support - DRAFT
11th June 2019

2. Contents 1. Introduction and purpose of document 2.
Generic benefits of data standards 3.
Care & Support standards benefits

3. Introduction and purpose of document
This short document is intended to provide prompts to support the generation of a business case or supporting documentation for a project involving data standards generally, and the Care & Support Data Standards in particular.
This process is highly visible both within and outside the organization, and driving standardization and efficiency should be welcomed by stakeholders, particularly with the potential to drive down costs and provide a faster service to customers.

4. Generic benefits of data standards

5. Generic benefits of data standards
Better information, better decisions, optimized performance
Foundational to an information-enabled business model
Speed and ease of integration and delivery
Consistency, quality and accuracy of data
Data for analytics and business intelligence
Lower overall cost of ownership of information systems
Improved data governance and risk management
Better workflows and process integration
Common definitions and metrics
Align with benchmarking organizations

6. Industry stakeholder perspective

7. Consultants and system integrators

8. Summary process map
Use case numbers

9. Potential benefits of adopting the Care & Support standards
Consistent and shareable customer data
More accurate and timely updates to customer and case owner
Inform national Health & Housing agenda
Clarity about information required for a referral and service thresholds for entry
Reduce the time taken to begin interventions
Reduced impact of human error
Better personal and sensitive data handling
Improved risk management
Improved internal reporting and benchmarking
Improved provision of software to support this activity

10. Consistent and shareable customer data
Starting with the initial support request, customer information is collected in a consistent format that is suitable for use throughout the process and across all internal functions and external partners and agencies without rekeying, transcription, translation, interpretation or other steps which can be a source of errors.

11. More accurate and timely updates to customer and case owner
By reducing the time to onboard new cases, gather information from other agencies, and receive and assess the impact of both internal and external interventions, the case owners are in a better position to update the customer on all aspects of their case.
Greater clarity about action ownership and status may make it easier to identify and conduct follow-ups.

12. Inform national Health & Housing agenda
The ability to define and measure metrics across multiple care & support services and multiple providers could provide valuable information that can be used in the debate about health & housing.
By agreeing standards and classifications as a sector, it encourages and simplifies the adoption of best practices across Housing Providers.

13. Clarity about information required for a referral and service thresholds for entry
Each service provider can specify in a consistent way what information they require to triage an inbound referral, as well as expressing their particular service thresholds.
This will reduce the back-and-forth during a referral by getting the information required right first time, and make it easier for referrers to identify the correct service provider(s).
The standardized data model for action plans forms a consistent basis to support referrals.

14. Reduce the time taken to begin interventions
Clearer expectations of referrers and consistent data definitions reduce the need to request additional information during the support request or inbound referral. There is also a reduced need to manipulate or rekey the data.
These mean that key processes – for example requesting additional supporting information from other agencies like the police or health services – can be started sooner and therefore completed earlier.
Earlier, proactive and consistent feedback from service providers about outcomes mean these impacts can be incorporated into an on-going case action plan sooner.

15. Reduced impact of human error
The ability to move customer and case data electronically from one system to another during the initial support request, referral, and outcome feedback processes mean less need to manually enter, re-enter or chase down this data.
This may lead to a reduction in manual effort, an improvement in data quality (due to fewer errors being introduced during data entry) and allow “push-button” automation between referrers and service providers.

16. Better personal and sensitive data handling
Because service providers will be able to specify explicitly what information they require to process a referral, this will avoid inadvertently providing information that a referrer might hold but that is not needed by the service provider.
Better management of personal and sensitive data reduces the potential risks of a data protection legislation breach and the potential consequences.

17. Improved risk management
The consistent application of customer risk assessments makes it less likely that something would be missed that could lead to either negative consequences for the customer or member of staff, or liability for the housing provider.
Consistent records of case action plans including risk assessments, actions, interventions, reviews, and evaluations that also include who was responsible (where applicable) provide a convenient and easily managed archive.

18. Improved internal reporting and benchmarking
The standardized definitions across all care & support functions makes it easier to aggregate cases across the organization and provides easier or new opportunities for reporting.
By using the same definitions as other organizations, it also makes it easier to develop industry benchmarks.

19. Improved provision of software to support this activity
By establishing a common data model that covers all care & support services, and a shared high-level process map for case management and service publication, it should encourage software vendors wishing to enter or remain in this market to become more consistent on their core offerings.
In due course, this should also enable vendors wishing to specialize to do so in a way that retains consistency and interoperability with broader care & support services.
By reducing the barriers to entry (through lower integration costs amongst other things) we can move away from supplier-dictated development allowing the sector to exercise a stronger client role.