Digital Social Care Records Evaluation (DiSCRE): Phase Two
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the Implementation of Digital Social Care Records: Phase Two
IRAS ID
335300
Contact name
Juliette Malley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 31 days
Research summary
This rapid evaluation explores transitioning from paper to digital social care records (DSCRs) in adult home care providers and care homes. Organisations are being encouraged to record information digitally, with the aim of improving information sharing between health and social care and improving people’s lives. However, despite the availability of funding and resources, many adult care providers have not yet adopted DSCRs. Some have expressed concerns over the potential for DSCRs to exclude marginalised groups and exacerbate existing problems.
The evaluation aims to support local areas and care providers to realise the benefits of DSCRs. The research questions explore why organisations have or have not digitised records, people's expectations about how digitising records will change care, and people’s experiences of going digital. We examine how diverse groups perceive digital adoption, and the economic considerations for social care providers.
Produced with support from our Evaluation Advisory Network (EAN), it is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). We employ a multiple case study approach to explore the digitisation process within care providers in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and South Cumbria, Dorset, Southeast London, and Southwest London. The nonadoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability (NASSS) framework will be used as a theoretical tool to analyse and interpret findings.
The research consists of two phases. Phase 1 involves interviewing senior leaders of care providers and DSCR suppliers. Phase 2 involves a deep dive into the experiences of implementation within care providers, including interviewing care workers, people drawing on care, and their families. Researchers (including members of the public working with us as ‘peer researchers’) will visit the organisations to collect this information. To understand economic impacts, in phase 2 we will interview senior leaders with knowledge of the finances about their investment decision.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/LO/0204
Date of REC Opinion
29 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion