Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health and to consider and either endorse or make a recommendation to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to procure a new system.

Ms L Harris, Programme Manager for Adult Social Care Technology-Enabled Change, was in attendance for this item.

1.            Ms Harris introduced the report and said that the Council required a modern technology solution as the current system that was introduced in 2006 was no longer fit for purpose. The proposed new system would provide the Council with the opportunity to make processes more efficient, it supported integration with other systems, especially those under the Sustainability Transformation Plan in relation to Health, and introduced a new functionality that allowed people the ability to access their own care records, and allowed more flexible ways of working.

2.            In response to questions, Ms Harris said the following:-

a)    training would be provided as part of the implementation project. This would consist of both E-learning and classroom training;

b)    the implementation programme would be delivered in two phases. The first phase would cover the replacement of the main case management system and include replacement of the Transaction Data Matching (TDM) system. The second phase would look at the integration of the case management system with other systems and enabling access to social care records for clients and/or their carers. Allowances had been made in the budget for the cost of integration. The new contract would be in operation for ten years to maximise the Council’s investment; and

c)    the proposed new system had already been implemented in another authority of similar size to Kent and had proved to be efficient. The SWIFT contract would expire in April 2019 and the new Case Management system was expected to go live in January 2019. Suppliers had advised the County Council that implementation of the system could be completed within the given timeframe. Mrs Tidmarsh added that a similar system had been implemented within Specialist Children Services which had had a positive impact on staff time.

3.            RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, to procure a new Adult Social Care Case Management ICT system, and to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health, or other nominated officer, to undertake the necessary actions to implement the decision, be endorsed.