DACHA SWAP - North East ICS

Summary of the Evidence Gap
The four-year DACHA Study started in October 2019, just before the start of the COVID19 pandemic. The pandemic exposed how little was known about users of social care and highlighted the potential for DACHA’s programme of work to inform real time decision-making. For example, DACHA is a case study in the recent NHSX Data saves lives draft strategy for reshaping health and social care with data. The rapid acceleration towards digital shared health and social care records and the imminent establishment of a data framework for adult social care, have led to the DACHA team engaging with the leaders of these changes, regularly meeting with representatives of the Department of Health and Social Care, Office for National Statistics, Care Quality Commission, NHS Digital, NHSX, the care sector and software developers. In these meetings, we have shared early findings from evidence reviews on content and use of Minimum Data Sets (MDS), a national survey of the data care homes collect and stakeholder consultations. We have discussed how an MDS could be structured from a social care perspective, and what it should contain.
Proposed social care research
In response to the range of service responses and requests for information and policy interest in the potential of DACHA’s findings for rapid uptake we are requesting additional funding to add a new site in North East England (NE) for the MDS pilot. This will address under representation in the DACHA study of underserved, socio-economically deprived communities. It will also enable us to work with a health and social care system with a track record of proactive working with care homes during the pandemic and a network of engaged practitioners.
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