As many care providers are aware, the Adult Social Care Transformation Fund is supporting the Government aim of having all (but at least 80%) of CQC registered adult social care providers to use digitised care records by March 2024.
Digital transformation can dramatically improve the quality and safety of care. Point of care information can be safely and securely stored online to keep all staff aware of the care needs of the people they support and give the senior team full oversight of every home in their service. This ensures people receive the right care, at the right time, and care teams have access to the information they need.
The NHS Transformation Directorate is providing £25 million of funding this year as part of a 3-year programme to enable Integrated Care Systems (ICS’) to scale up use of digital social care records, alongside other promising evidence-based technologies centred around outcomes such as falls.
How the funding works for care groups
For care providers with services spanning across the country, this initiative provides a helping hand with starting the journey to digital care records. Taking a care provider with multiple services from paper to digital is no easy feat and undoubtedly a big task but with the ICS funding taking the brunt of the year one cost, there is no better time to make the switch to digital.
The funding has been distributed to the 42 ICS’ across England for them to allocate the funding to adult social care providers to support them with adopting digital care records. Registered care providers can apply for grant funding from their local ICS which typically will pay for 50% of their annual licence fee for a DSCR.
With services across multiple ICS regions, gaining funding from each ICS is absolutely possible and Nourish have the tools to support you from start to finish. While there is no deadline for funding, there is a risk of the funding pot running out before every care provider has a chance to apply for funding, so now is the time for action.
How Nourish can help
Nourish was selected by NHSE as one of the first Assured Suppliers for this national funding programme. We have a dedicated ICS team that works with each ICS programme lead and can help you to navigate the process of applying for ICS funding, help you complete the necessary documents to secure the maximum funding available and give you advice on what you can expect from each ICS. If your care service spans multiple ICS’, the information is likely to be conflicting, confusing even, as each ICS has a different process.
By utilising our relationship and knowledge of each ICS, we will be able to support you in the process to access ICS funding across multiple regions and make the switch to digital. Our relationship with the 42 ICS’ means we are aware of the funding being offered to each care provider, and what the process of applying is as each ICS has a different way of working.
