Social Care Innovation Programme New to Market Products

The Social Care Innovation Programme (SCIP) is a £1.5M project, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Northern Powerhouse. Led by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, with the University of Hull as a delivery partner, SCIP seeks to enhance the productivity, sustainability and quality of care provision through the effective use of innovative technologies. One element of SCIP is the development, piloting and evaluation of a small number of ‘new-to-market’ (new to the care market) products. Since commencing the project, we have worked with care providers to identify particular areas where gaps in technology and service availability may exist and where SCIP should focus support. We are therefore seeking proposals for the development of innovative technologies in key areas where a need has been identified. A minimum of four solutions will be progressed through innovation partnerships – one solution may cover multiple areas of development, or we may progress more than one solution in a particular area.

Good infection control has always been a fundamental element of high-quality care in care settings. However, the COVID pandemic has reinforced the importance of infection control to enhance the safety of service users and staff. We are seeking proposals for new-to-market infection control technologies that can support the provision of safe residential care.

Within both residential care and domiciliary care settings, falls can have a substantial impact on the health and wellbeing of service users. There are examples of technologies being used to mitigate falls (notably through wearable or environmental falls detectors).

The COVID pandemic has brought into sharp focus some of the challenges of maintaining communication with recipients of care in a time when face-to-face interaction can be limited. In particular, providers have had to develop new approaches to facilitating remote communication between care home residents and their family/friends, utilising platforms such as Zoom and FaceTime. For service users in their own home, limitations on face-to-face visits have exacerbated social isolation and loneliness.

CQC inspections are a critical mechanism for ensuring the quality of social care services and enhancing the wellbeing of service users. From an organisational perspective, they also support ongoing quality enhancement and can support the competitiveness and sustainability of social care providers. There are systems available that support organisational preparation for CQC inspections, we believe that there remains a gap in the market for systems that underpin quality and evidence required.

CQC inspections are a critical mechanism for ensuring the quality of social care services and enhancing the wellbeing of service users. From an organisational perspective, they also support ongoing quality enhancement and can – in terms of outcome – support the competitiveness and sustainability of social care providers. Though there are systems available that support organisational preparation for CQC inspections, we believe that there remains a gap in the market for further development of systems that underpin quality enhancement and the evidence of this required within CQC inspection.

Effective medication management is a critical element of social care, whether related to safer medication administration in care settings or promoting safe and effective administration and recording of medication by care organisation in a person’s own home.