Sharing adult social care workforce data across London to support operational and strategic commissioning decision-making Brent Council

The most influential factor on the quality of social care that people experience is the quality of the workforce: being care for by staff who have the right skills and experience. Social care providers and commissioners therefore need a comprehensive view of the workforce and a sound understanding of the issues it faces. This understanding is underpinned by workforce data, the intelligence that it creates, and the insight that drives decisions.

Understanding of the workforce issues facing care providers primarily comes from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS). In London, however, use of the ASC-WDS is low – 35% compared to 53% nationally. This means that there is a much-reduced understanding of the workforce issues facing the sector in London.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to share data quickly and seamlessly.

This project led by Brent Council is aiming to increase the amount and quality of provider and workforce data available to decision-makers across London, in particular commissioners of care services.

LondonADASS has built a Market Intelligence Tool (MIT), which is now where London’s key care decision-makers access care intelligence.

This project will connect the MIT and the ASC-WDS, which will close gaps in the data, ensuring that the right data flow to the right people, making intelligence more accessible to inform decisions.

User research will take place with the two key stakeholders – London care commissioners and London-based ASC-WDS users – including agreeing a core set of workforce metrics. Additional functionality will then be built into both the MIT and the ASC-WDS, including setting up data-sharing permissions and enabling the free flow of data between the services. This project will also work to promote use of the ASC-WDS by London commissioners, which will improve understanding of workforce issues.

Contact

For more information about this project, please contact Phil Porter, Director of Adult Social Services, Brent Council.