ADASS and TSA share free resource to help local authorities build the case for investment in innovative, preventative approaches to care
A commission led by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the TEC Services Association (TSA) has published a practical blueprint for planning, implementing and scaling up technology-enabled care (TEC).
Photo courtesy of ADASS/TSA
The free guide is especially welcome given the government’s ongoing call for healthcare providers to make use of the latest technology to improve services.
In November, Stephen Kinnock MP, Minister of State for Care, announced the three fundamental shifts needed across the health service to ensure that it is fit for purpose. He spoke of, ‘moving from hospital to community, from sickness to prevention, and from analogue to digital.’ In social care, he said that this would include, ‘supporting independence through early intervention, including by harnessing technology and digitisation.’
However, the ADASS and TSA-led commission found that those wishing to harness such benefits face a range of challenges. In a survey of more than 50 social leaders at councils across the UK, the majority said that their ability to fund and scale preventative, tech-based services was hindered by lack of evidence, guidance and best practice.
Another commonly shared problem is that a focus on acquiring investment to buy such tech solutions often means there is not enough consideration of other factors involved in delivering real transformation of services.
In response, the commission spent the past eight months gathering evidence from successful tech-enabled care projects. With these proven approaches and benefits cases, they have created the new free, practical blueprint for planning, implementing and scaling digital proactive and preventative care services. It uses examples of successful investment in proactive and preventative care services by UK councils to provide a step-by-step guide for others to follow.
- Download the full blueprint: “Unlocking the power of proactive and preventative care services – a practical blueprint for planning, implementing and scaling up”
Designing this practical guide involved more than 100 people working in and drawing on social care, including people with lived experience, social workers, occupational therapists, local authority TEC commissioners, TEC suppliers and directors of adult social services.
It includes case studies from Sheffield City Council and Surrey County Council, and personal stories from social workers, care managers and service users.
Sir David Pearson, Chair of TEC Quality and Co-chair of the ADASS/TSA Commission, says: ‘With increasing need and pressure on resources, councils need to innovate more than ever so people and families can draw on the right support that improves their lives. Proactive and preventative services can help the government achieve its vision of shifting care from hospitals to the community, from treating sickness to prevention and from analogue to digital services. I believe this blueprint offers a practical roadmap to enable councils to realise these aspirations with the communities they serve.’
Melanie Williams, President of ADASS, Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council and Co-Chair of the ADASS/TSA Commission, adds: ‘This work is a great example of how councils, TEC providers and people with lived experience can work together to develop a practical approach to support directors of adult social services to make the argument for introducing proactive and preventative services at a local level. After all, in our 2024 autumn survey only 25% of directors stated that they had evidence of positive return on investment where benefits are measured as financial savings for assistive technology (including telecare and digital communications), indicating that councils need more support in evidencing the business case for digital and tech.’
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