Electronic Marketplace for social care
This project is now complete.
The project undertook an appraisal of the present state of the local market in Northumberland and Newcastle and an examination of current systems, processes, capabilities and plans in the two authorities.
The project has helped toidentify any opportunities for efficiency savings in back office costs and highlight any compatibility issues affecting Care First and Swift, the Council's social care data base systems.
As part of the project a fully costed phased implementation plan was developed for setting up an electronic market place for health and social care services in Northumberland and Newcastle so that individual budget holders can explore, choose and purchase support, care and equipment on line.
Though the project will model how Shop 4 Support could fit the authorities' requirements and how other solutions such as Slivers of Time might relate to it, it does not involve any further commitment to purchase Shop 4 Support.
Essentially this project has explored how this idea could work locally, how it might be modified to support regional working, whether it is worth further investment and has helped to identify efficiency savings that may be offered through the use of an electronic social care marketplace.
(A full list of objectives, outcomes and outputs for the project are available at the bottom of the page).
Reports to Download
shop4support has been working with the NEIEP, Newcastle City Council and Northumberland Care Trust to develop an operating model, business case and implementation plan for the rollout of shop4support on either a standalone basis (one LA) or a regional basis (multiple LAs).
A report was published in December 2009. Download it here
Appendix A: Information on shop4support
Appendix B: Regional Engagement
Appendix C: Readiness Checklist
Appendix G: Business Case Model
Appendices E and F may be made available upon request, please contact the Project Manager.
Regional Dissemination Event
The Regional Dissemination Event was held on 24 February 2010 at Centre for Life, Newcastle.
Download the flyer for the event here
This event aimed to share learning from the Electronic Market Place for Social Care pilots and to provide a space for debate and exploration of the e-market environment.
Prior to the event people were asked to complete questionnaire about marketplaces.
A number of presentations were made during the course of the day, these can all be downloaded by clicking on the links below.
The format for the event was a mixture of presentation, open forum discussion, workshops, live exploration of current systems and dissemination from the pilots; making for a lively and productive day. The programme for the day and downloads are given below:
1, Welcome from the North East Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (NEIEP)
2. Introduction - the rationale for an eMarketplace and why we developed shop4support presented by Caroline Tomlinson, In Control.
3. "What are the BIG issues with regard to the implementation of Self-Directed Support?" presented by Julie Brown, NEIEP.
Including feedback of a summary of findings from the pre-event questionnaires, an exploration of general issues vs eMarketplace issues; and an opportunity for questions and comments.
4. What is shop4support? from In Control
A look at the origins of the system and a demonstration of the site.
5. What was the Business Case for Electronic Market Place for Social Care Project from David Bowes, Valueworks.
Covering the aims, scope and approach adopted.
6. Report Back from Northumberland Care Trust and Newcastle City Council Achievements, given by Rachel Baillie, Newcastle and Vanessa Bainbridge and Neil Bradley from Northumberland.
A look at the issues identified, including readiness, the lessons learnt and next steps
7. Question Time
A detailed Shop4Support demonstration was available over lunch.
8. Big debate - "a regional or a local market?" presented by Caroline Tomlinson, In Control.
A short speech and right of reply for each side. Open forum Q&A and a "U decide" vote
9. "Digging in to the detail" - opportunity to attend two workshops (from a choice of 3):
10. Open Forum Q&A
11. Closing remarks
12. Next steps
To find out more about this project, contact
Julie Brown Telephone 07917 813 667
Objectives
The principal objectives of this project are to:
- complete an initial low cost/low risk planning project to design a specific bespoke solution for Northumberland Care Trust and Newcastle Adult Services.
- Design and explore internal budget management processes that could utilise the Shop4Support budget manager system to administer personal budgets and enable integration with existing financial systems.
- design a specific eMarketplace solution that would integrate the Shop4Support methodology with a common financial transactional work flow and back office system
- validate the commercial business case in order to establish a detailed cost/benefit case with target outcomes for a full implementation
- assess whether Shop 4 Support is the right eMarketplace solution for Northumberland and Newcastle.
- provide other local authorities in the region with evidence about the benefits, costs and issues which may arise from the adoption of such a solution.
- create a phased implementation plan based around groups of service users and providers
- engage with stakeholders specifically users and providers to further the personalisation agenda.
Outputs
- Review of current commissioning arrangements, systems and processes
- Review of each authority's personalisation strategies and e commerce readiness
- Develop budget management processes providing a bespoke budget management solution.
- Market place development.
- A costed business case
- A detailed implementation plan.
- Detailed presentation to senior management teams in each authority and supporting process maps and a planning report.
- Presentation to North East regional personalisation leads group.
- Decisions re full implementation
Outcomes
- Collaborative working across the two authorities will reduce investigation and planning costs of a scheme by 32% (£23,640). Other authorities will benefit from the shared learning and will be able to join the scheme at the same discounted rate.
- Identify potential efficiency savings of up to 5% of social care expenditure.
- Contribution to improved performance of the national indicators: NI 14,130, 136
- Promoting collaboration between partners
- Encouraging innovation
- Utilising mutual support and challenge
- Engendering trust between authorities
- Providing a catalyst for change
- Bringing down organisational, departmental or geographical barriers
- Spreading best practice
- Engagement of independent providers in developing the model and responding to the changes in traditional methods of working.
- Evaluation of the cost/risk and benefits of further implementing the model.
- Increased accessibility for and engagement of individual budget holders in planning their own support.
- Information and guidance for self- funders.
- Significant back office and administrative efficiency saving should follow if such a scheme proves viable and is adopted.
- Development of market capacity.
- Potential for creating a self regulating effective market place.