Adult Social Care Data Access Platform: Successful Alpha and Government Digital Service Assessment 

The Problem  

The adult social care sector is vital, but accessing and sharing crucial data remains a significant challenge. The current landscape, with data scattered across various providers and local authorities, creates fragmentation and makes it difficult to gain the insights needed to deliver the best possible care in a cost-effective way.

Recognising this, Edge Health has partnered with Made Tech to develop the Get Adult Social Care Data (GASCD) platform for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The core aim of GASCD was to improve and transform data sharing and dissemination within the sector.

Bringing Data Together for Better Care  

The vision for GASCD was to create a centralised platform for existing social care data. This would make essential information more accessible and useful for everyone involved – care providers, local authorities, and other key stakeholders. By centralising this data, GASCD would create a more level playing field across the sector, ultimately contributing to improved service commissioning and care delivery, and ultimately resulting in the delivery of outcomes and experiences for people drawing on care and support, and for the dedicated staff providing it.

An Agile GDS-Compliant Approach: The Alpha Phase  

Our journey began with an intensive Alpha phase. Working closely with our partners at Made Tech and colleagues from the DHSC, alongside valuable input from care providers, local authorities, and academic experts, we focused on understanding the sector’s key data needs. We explored the existing social care data landscape to identify what information could be leveraged to answer critical questions.

“Edge Health’s open and collaborative approach has contributed significantly to the success of the project and ensured stakeholders were brought along the development.“
Raj Malhi
Head of Strategy and Data, Department of Health and Social Care

At the end of the phase, we developed a proof of concept technical solution. This allowed potential users to interact with and explore the data, providing vital feedback to shape the platform’s development.

Gateway to Progress: Passing the GDS Assessment

The Alpha phase successfully concluded with a formal assessment by the Government Digital Service (GDS). Passing this rigorous assessment is a key milestone, validating our approach and paving the way for the next stage.

With the Alpha phase complete and the GDS assessment passed, the project has moved into the Beta phase, with the focus on building out the platform further and testing it with a limited group of users from across the adult social care sector. This iterative process will ensure GASCD is developed to meet the real-world needs of those who will benefit from it most.