Abstract

Background: In UK there are over 10,000 registered domiciliary social care providers serving almost one million clients. Yet little information is available on older care recipients, and we lack a systematic approach to sharing data as people access different services. Our work in the DACHA study has uncovered the vast range of data being captured by care home providers for their own use. Building on DACHA, this study will generate baseline evidence on data collection and sharing practices in homecare. It will shed light on the (unique) challenges of data collection, and the feasibility and implementing a minimum dataset (MDS) in this context

Objectives: The study aims to establish the extent and content of client data collection by home care providers in England, including purpose and data sharing practices (what, how & why) and explore views on acceptability, challenges and resources required to implement a minimum dataset within a home care context

Methods: There are three strands to this study:

1. Working with the National Care Forum and Home Care Association we are conducting online consultations with stakeholders (commissioners, service owners/managers, regulators, relevant health services) to establish if/how they use data, key priorities and gaps.

2. A survey is being developed to understand the scope of data collection/utilisation in home care, to establish areas of commonality between social care settings and measures that are home care specific.

3. Qualitative interviews with staff and clients of home care providers, commissioning organisations and national leads will explore the feasibility, acceptability and resources needed to plan and implement minimum dataset collection in home care.

A synthesis of the online consultations and initial findings from the survey will be presented and implications discussed.

Conclusions: This presentation will begin to explore the possibility of identifying a core component of data that, once collected in home care, could inform the care of older people as they transition across health and social care settings. This has potential to support and complement the integration and digitalisation agenda in UK health and social care and enhance older people's care.

Slides