Appendix 1
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PEOPLE SCRUTINY REVIEW OF USE OF DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGY IN ASCH – ACTION PLAN |
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SCRUTINY RECOMMENDATION |
DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE AND ACTION PLAN |
TIMESCALE |
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R1. |
The Department should ensure the planned implementation of Online Financial Assessments being the default route for financial assessments collects feedback from users on the form, including on any barriers to completing it, and why those who were asked to complete an online assessment and did not, chose not to.
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The department will continue to ensure that feedback is collated on usage of the online forms for financial assessments (and other transactional forms).
For our digital offer to be successful it is important that we take an approach of iterative improvement. One advantage of digital is the range of measurable data that can be captured passively – so we will explore how we can look at the statistics around how many people started a form, how many completed, at what stage they dropped out, etc.
Likewise, we have already added in active feedback mechanisms to our assessment pages by way of ‘customer thermometers’. These widgets enable users to rate their experiences and, should they choose to do so, leave free-text comments.
We will continue to use these methods to monitor performance of assessment forms and will explore how monitoring can be enhanced to understand any barriers to their completion. For example, we will look at opportunities to collect qualitative data from clients around the barriers to usage or completion of the OFA forms. |
Ongoing as
of December 2022 |
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R2. |
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Data on
take-up of the Online Financial Assessments and related feedback is
currently captured and routinely circulated within the department
via a portals dashboard. We will update the People Scrutiny Committee in monitoring reports of this review with this data and commentary to assist with interpreting the information.
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Ongoing as of December 2022 |
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R3. |
The Department should continue implementation of learning from other local authority Adult Social Care departments to improve take-up of Online Financial Assessments and turnaround time of financial assessments, particularly considering introducing Robotic Process Automation.
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The department will continue to follow the best practice of learning from the successes and challenges of other local authorities who have implemented similar improvements.
Where Online Financial Assessments (OFA) in particular are concerned, we have looked into the detail of other local authorities’ improvements to financial assessment protocols. Our focus will be on areas who use the same case management and payment systems as us.
Robotic Process Automation opportunities are being explored in relation to online financial assessments, including the automation of tasks such as accepting assessments, matching submissions with client records, managing workflows for staff and sending reminders to clients to send further documentation where a submission is incomplete.
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Ongoing as
of December 2022 |
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R4. |
The Department should continue to explore opportunities to simplify operational processes alongside implementing the Being Digital programme.
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The department will continue to ensure that digital developments are informed by and support operational requirements, and are implemented alongside improvements to operational processes.
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Ongoing as of December 2022 |
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R5. |
The People Scrutiny Committee should be informed of progress against Being Digital programme targets as part of the monitoring of this Scrutiny Review.
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The Departmental Management Team (DMT) have agreed a number of targets relating to the strategic decision to go ‘digital by default’.
Each of these targets will be reported against and progress will be presented back to DMT on a quarterly basis. We propose that the progress against targets can also be submitted to the People Scrutiny Committee at times aligning with reporting to DMT.
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Quarterly basis from March 2023 |
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R6. |
The People Scrutiny Committee should be informed of the outcome of the third phase of the Department’s Behavioural Change work with the UCL as part of the monitoring of this Scrutiny Review.
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Work is
currently underway with UCL to identify potential areas of change
to support new ways of working.
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July 2023 |
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R7. |
The Department should reflect feedback from residents who have benefited from digital and self-service options in communications to staff.
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We are currently collating information through customer thermometers and analytics on our forms and as additional self-serve options are implemented, we will evaluate the impact of these developments through residents’ feedback and share this with staff as appropriate (see R9).
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From March 2023 |
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R8. |
Information on Being Digital and the digital and self-service platforms on offer in ASCH, should be included in all new ASCH staff inductions.
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The Being Digital Team will work with the Training, Workforce and Organisational Development Team to explore how the training offer can be enhanced to include reference to digital practice and self-service; this will include our ‘digital by default’ direction of travel being reflected in the appropriate induction e-learning modules.
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From March 2023 |
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R9. |
Digital transformation should be included as a discussion point in team and 1-2-1 (where appropriate) meetings within areas undergoing rollout of a new digital or self-service platform; and in ongoing departmental communications (such as Yammer, To The Point and Brief Encounter).
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The department is planning on circulating positive messages and case studies to demonstrate the value of clients, partners and providers taking advantage of our digital offer.
In the majority of instances, 1-2-1s and supervisions for practice staff are given over to discussions about caseloads. However, in discussions where wider departmental issues are discussed – for example, in team meetings – it would be appropriate to discuss ‘digital by default’. Guidance will be created by the Being Digital team for managers of teams and services to help shape discussions.
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From March 2023 |
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R10. |
The Department should continue to work with colleagues through the One Council Digital Inclusion programme to map the digital inclusion offer in East Sussex, and, where appropriate, share this with adult social care and health staff and partners.
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The department will continue to work with the One Council Digital Inclusion Programme, which Being Digital is involved with through membership of the programme management group.
Information around digital inclusion resources will be shared with appropriate services both within ASC and with external partners, such as the NHS Digital First programme, which concerns itself with Sussex-wide digital transformation in primary care.
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January – March 2023 |
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R11. |
The Department should ensure it is promoting to staff, and utilising, the range of national and local digital inclusion resources and schemes available in moving to being digital by default.
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Once the
mapping of digital inclusion activity has been completed, the
department will ensure that digital inclusion resources will be
made available. |
Ongoing – commencing March 2023 |
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R12. |
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The department will continue to work closely on shared aims and outputs with NHS-led programmes such as Our Care Connected and Digital First.
The department acknowledges that more can be done in this area. The One Council Digital Inclusion Programme will lead on some of this work. Project managers will be asked to include voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations in communications plans to enable more proactive promotion of ASC’s digital offer.
We will also explore the option of resurrecting the digital engagement sessions which began prior to the covid-19 pandemic but were put on hold shortly thereafter.
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Ongoing as of December 2022 |
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R13. |
The Department should consider whether a Digital Ambassador Scheme could provide added value to Being Digital, informed by learning from the NHS Digital First Digital Ambassador pilot when it concludes, and consideration of other models.
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The department will continue to monitor the NHS Digital First programme’s Digital Ambassador Pilot alongside consideration of other models.
Once the pilot has concluded we will request closure, benefit realisation and evaluation reports. We will use the conclusions from NHS Digital First to help inform any decisions that Being Digital makes around a similar scheme. |
Ongoing – March 2023 is the planned end date of pilot scheme |