Digital Health and Care Data Strategy Working Group minutes: March 2023

Attendees and apologies

Chair

• Colin Birchenall (CB)

Working group members

• Elena Beratarbide (EM)
• Ruth Griffith (RG)
• Doreen Grove (DG)
• Alistair Hodgson (AH)
• Imme Jones (IJ)
• Ruth Meyer (RM)
• Shona Nicol (SN)
• Penni Rocks (PR)
• Mark Simpson (MS)
• Neil White (NW)
• Gemma Wilson (GW)

Secretariat

• Simon Crawley (SC)

Apologies

• Ryan Anderson (RA)
• Clare Mills (CM)

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies observed

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies from Ryan Anderson (RA) and Clare Mills (CM).

Identifying Priority Actions for the Next Iteration of the Data Strategy

GW presented next steps for the Data Strategy highlighting:

• the need to identify priority areas for the next iteration of the Data Strategy
• the need to identify deliverables for inclusion within the overall Digital Health and Care Delivery Plan
• that a process for monitoring delivery of the Data Strategy needs to be set up
• consideration to be given to the future remit of the Working Group

The group was asked:

• how can priority areas for action for the next iteration of the Data Strategy be identified?

The group discussed:

• the importance of collecting feedback from stakeholders regarding the Data Strategy following publication to understand priority areas for future iterations
• future engagement with the Strategic Planning and Commissioning Managers to understand what the Data Strategy means for them and what data they need to inform better practice
• analysing feedback from engagement to identify themes and gaps for future iterations
• having regular reviews with stakeholders to get a sense of what progress was being made  

The group agreed:

• continued monitoring of feedback, engagement with stakeholders and monitoring of the delivery plan are required to help inform areas of focus for next iteration of the Strategy

Next steps:

MS to develop an engagement plan for the next phase of engagement.

Developing the Delivery Plan

The group was asked:

• what are the next steps for identifying Strategy deliverables for inclusion within the Digital Health and Care Delivery Plan?

The group discussed:

• commissioning delivery partners to outline what work needs to be delivered and ensure delivery is on track as agreed with partners
• utilising the Working Group and the Health and Social Care Data Board to assist with any barriers to delivery
• the importance of working with delivery partners that are involved in specific programmes of work to establish what work is underway and how this links into the commitments and deliverables of the Data Strategy to ensure alignment
• developing a mechanism for tracking progress on deliverables that allows monitoring in real time to allow an understanding of progress against the Delivery Plan
• keeping the bigger picture evident to all delivery partners to ensure all the individual programmes of work link back to the Data Strategy

The group agreed:

• the Digital Health and Care Policy team will work with delivery partners to identify priorities and timescales for delivery

Monitoring Delivery of Strategy Deliverables

The group was asked:

• what process is required to monitor the delivery of the Data Strategy deliverables?

The group discussed:

• the use of a deliverables tracker and how this would allow for instant access to updates and identify blockers early, ensuring the progress of the deliverables is maintained
• how engagement can be used to provide an understanding of how the Data Strategy is being used by stakeholders. For example, what actions have they taken and how these actions impact on wider outcomes
• the importance of having a public facing update on progress of the Data Strategy deliverables
• the importance of using public panels to invite the public’s views on what is working and what is not

The group agreed:

• a visual representation of how the deliverables are progressing would allow for a wider scope of peoples understanding of what is happening, when and why
• the need for rigour regarding reporting on the Data Strategy deliverables and the need for the Working Group to remain in some form which is yet to be decided

Working Group Remit

The group was asked:

• what are your thoughts on the role of the Working Group going forward?

The group discussed:

• that Working Group added value by sense checking development of the Data Strategy, providing links to wider stakeholders and ensuring connections are made with the right people at the right time  
• how the Working Group can assist with the engagement plan in terms of identifying stakeholders for obtaining feedback and hosting events
• the Working Group provides a forum to bring together Leads from other programmes of work which enables a more joined up approach with other areas of work across health and social care. The group were of the view that it is important to maintain the breadth of stakeholders going forward
• the importance of the role of Working Group members in ensuring a focus on the ethical use of data as the delivery phase of the data Strategy commences

The group agreed:

• the future role of the Working Group will be to support delivery of the Data Strategy and provide support to engage and make links with the right people/programmes of work
• a revised Terms of Reference (ToR) is required to set out the new role and remit of the Working Group

Next Steps:

GW to further consider the role, remit and membership of the Working Group and develop a revised ToR.

Any other Business

GW asked Working Group members for their support to promote the publication of the Data Strategy and to host events with stakeholders where the purpose of the event is for general promotion of the Strategy.

Working Group members agreed to assist where they can.

The next Working Group meeting: Wednesday 10 May 2023 11:30 to 13:00.