Hyec
report urges London-wide Social Care
initiative for inter-agency working
A report on connectivity
between local and health authorities
in London, co-authored by Hytec and
SOCITM Consulting, has come out strongly
in favour of adopting a London-wide
strategy for the early delivery of inter-agency
working and a major investment in information-sharing
systems to support frontline services.
The report, commissioned by the
Association of Directors of Social Services
Information Management Group (ADSS IMG)
and funded by the Department of Health
Information for Social Care initiative,
investigates the options available for
joining up systems and organisations
. principally, but not exclusively,
between social care and health.
Key findings are:
- There needs to be a holistic approach
to the challenge, with the goal of
improved frontline services driving
the business case, the maintenance
of similar security standards for
similar levels of confidential data
(e.g. the Child Protection Register),
and the adoption of a common network
model.
- Local authorities should avoid network
configurations that fall short of
full NHSnet compatibility. These
could prevent social care staff from
accessing corporate systems, thus
reducing their effectiveness, and
might also lead to more complex support
arrangements as security standards
would vary across the organisation.
- There is a very strong case for
a major regional investment in London
to establish connectivity between
33 local authorities and NHSnet.
A large population would be better
served, care for high risk cases would
be better coordinated, there is scope
for considerable economies of scale
in procurement, implementation and
management, and such an initiative
would build on existing similarities
of approach and close cooperation
between agencies in London.
- Such an investment should be focused
on new technology which answers the
needs of frontline staff for effective
information sharing and coordinated
service delivery. Simply providing
wider access to the plethora of existing
systems may just make life more complicated
for practitioners.
Sally Holland, Head
of Strategic Services for the Social
Services Directorate, London Borough
of Tower Hamlets, welcomed the successful
completion of the project on behalf
of ADSS IMG: .This report is a major
contribution to the development of inter-agency
working, not just in London but throughout
the UK. The government has set
ambitious targets for improving services
to children and the elderly. A
common and comprehensive commitment
to joined-up working demands investment.
The report shows the way forward to
achieving those targets in practical
terms.
Alan Hunt, director
of Hytec Information Security Limited,
commented: "Inter-agency working,
with information shared across secure
systems, will facilitate improved levels
of care whilst delivering better customer
service and significant operational
efficiencies."
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