Through the Digitisation in Social Care (DiSC) programme, ICBs nationally were set targets to support care homes and domiciliary care providers in their journey to use digital care management systems, also referred to as Digital Social Care Records (DSCR). 

By purchasing a DSCR through the programme, Adult Social Care Providers are able to access a range of services on a digital software that suits them, supporting their daily management and communications within their workforce and for the benefit of the people they care for, including: 

• Effective and efficient processes to manage their business or organisation with a wide range of services in one place. 
• Support with CQC inspections and evidence gathering as well as reporting capabilities. 
•  Easy to use processes to manage rotas, handovers, log medication, activities, visits, support with care planning and communication to GP surgeries as well as prompt responses to urgent care. 

Digitalising Adult Social Care Providers will go on to support and enable the following long-term benefits to the health and care sector (including the NHS) and offer more opportunities to support their personalised care services in the future: 

• Improve the quality of care for those they support. 
• Be transparent and accountable to those they support and their families and friends about how their information is used. 
• Support individuals to remain independent for longer. 
• Improve the quality and efficiency of information sharing between health and social care. 
• Enable further transformation and wider health and innovative improvements to social care in the future. 

Health Innovation South West initiated the spread and adoption of Digital Social Care Records with Devon’s Integrated Care Board (ICB) and supported Somerset and Cornwall through its Adult Social Care Network.  

The aim was to increase the use of digital care records in 80% of CQC registered care homes and domiciliary care providers in Devon in order to save time, improve sustainability, and support the provision of better care. 

Providers who are digitalised needed to be connected to the ‘Devon Care Record’ shared care records so residents’ information is shared, self-care improves, and population health management improves. The programme delivered communications and engagement for the programme across the region, including embedding the project within existing grass roots networks including the Devon Care Home Collaborative, Devon Integrated Social Care Alliance, Devon County Council’s Provider Engagement Network, and the South West Adult Social Care Network. Working with NHSE approved digital service providers, Devon ICB and the Health Innovation South West also engaged care homes already digitised to provide opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and benefits realisation.  

Using digital tools to support care planning, record keeping, timesheets, rotas, payroll and more, it was found that a reduction in the administrative burden allowed care homes and other providers to deliver the best care possible. 

There were 15 suppliers available for care providers to choose from which can be found here: Find assured solutions for digital social care records | Digitising Social Care 

Devon ICB continues to support the programme throughout 2024/25 to access future funding and deliver further digitisation. There is also potential for cross-provider collaboration on enhancing care processes between homes and acute providers.