The Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) newly published framework to support good digital working in adult social care has recommended that local authorities and care providers ask organisations that supply them with TEC products and services if they have signed up to the Quality Standards Framework (QSF). DHSC’s What Good Looks Like (WGLL) framework, co-developed with the adult social care sector, Local Government Association and Association for Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), provides a collective set of goals for digital leads, directors of adult social services, commissioners and service managers to work towards as they take steps towards digitisation. Under Success Measure 6, which focuses on how to improve care, the framework states, 'when seeking evidence of quality, safety, innovation and continuous improvement, ask organisations providing TEC products and services if they have signed up to the Quality Standards Framework, a scheme run by TEC Quality (a subsidiary of the TEC Services Association) and the only United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), one for TEC in the UK'. This recognition of QSF and the assurance it provides, follows the work Alyson Scurfield, CEO of TSA has been doing with the Digital Social Care Advisory Group (DSCAG), the DHSC Transformation Team and NHS England on their wider collection of What Good Looks Like guidance to support health and social care leaders with digital transformation. It also chimes with endorsement of QSF from NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard in 2022 when she urged Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to commission QSF-certified TEC Responders to work with Urgent Community Response (UCR) teams to ease winter pressures. Both Amanda Pritchard and DHSC’s What Good Looks Like (WGLL) framework highlighted QSF’s UKAS accreditation – showing the high quality of its certification process. Alyson Scurfield, CEO of TSA said: “There is very clear messaging in DHSC’s new guidance for social care commissioners. It directly recommends they seek proof of the quality of their TEC suppliers and service providers by checking if they are QSF-certified. Signing up to QSF gives commissioners confidence in an organisation’s products and services but it also instils confidence internally. Receiving external validation is a huge milestone for a TEC organisation. It’s hard proof of the skill, competency and quality of their staff, services and solutions.” Sir David Pearson, chair of TEC Quality said: “Technology enabled care can support individuals and their families proactively, helping to address their needs and aspirations. But this will only happen safely and effectively if high standards and quality improvement are the bedrock of all services and products supplied by TEC organisations. DHSC’s What Good Looks Like (WGLL) framework recommends that social care commissioners check this bedrock by ensuring their TEC suppliers and service providers are QSF-certified.” Find out how your organisation can become QSF-certified by contacting us at admin@tecquality.org.uk .

Nigel Sparrow OBE, who worked with the chief inspector of general practice to implement the UK’s regulatory system for GPs, has been appointed as a non-executive director of TEC Quality, the body that runs the Quality Standards Framework (QSF). A GP himself for 30 years, Nigel was senior national GP advisor and responsible officer at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), England’s independent regulator of health and social care. During this time he was part of CQC’s senior leadership team, working on GP regulation and creating guidance and mythbusters about the inspection of GP services. Currently, Nigel Sparrow chairs the GP advisory board at Target Ovarian Cancer. He liaises with key stakeholders in primary care and has developed e-learning educational modules for GPs. Sir David Pearson, chair of TEC Quality said: “Nigel brings vast experience of the health system, specifically medical leadership, quality, standards, regulation and education. His knowledge will be invaluable in positioning QSF as critical to improving the quality of TEC in social care and healthcare.” Nigel Sparrow OBE, non-executive director of TEC Quality said: “Since Covid we’ve seen an explosion in the use of technology in healthcare and we need to make sure it is being used effectively. Everything I’ve done over the years has made sure that people receive the best possible care, and this will be my focus in TEC Quality too. I see a real opportunity to take TEC Quality’s expertise in standard-setting for social care technology and apply it to healthcare technology.”

The difference that TEC services make to people’s lives never ceases to amaze me. Hearing about call operators and responder teams providing reassurance, comfort and companionship to people and their families reminds me just how invaluable this sector is. These TEC heroes, and the data and digital systems that connect them, give individuals choice and control over their lives. They have renewed confidence to go out and about, they are empowered to do the things that matter to them, with the people they love, in the communities they call home. Supporting Statutory Services But TEC doesn’t just provide independence or join up services around people’s needs. It is an efficient way of supporting health and social care by boosting the efforts of the people working in the sector and connecting individuals and their families with local community services. At a time of immense pressure on the NHS and councils - with record demand post-Covid - TEC services not only make a huge difference to people’s lives, but they have never been more important in supporting service delivery. Enormous Opportunities Around Tech It strikes me that they have never been more innovative either. There is so much ingenuity and opportunity when it comes to internet of things (IoT) TEC devices, sensors, systems and apps that talk to each other over the web. The value of this TEC connectivity was recognised in the government’s recent social care reform and integration white papers, both of which included weighty sections on using tech to support people’s lives and join up their care. But as we begin to translate these policies into reality, the quality, safety and effectiveness of new and existing TEC services and approaches is paramount. That’s why schemes such as the Quality Standards Framework, which helps TEC organisations to achieve certification through a rigorous and ongoing assessment process are vital. Improving Accountability of Services QSF enables providers (and suppliers) to understand how they are performing and what they can do to improve. It drives accountability and gives local authorities confidence that they are commissioning the right services. But crucially, it gives reassurance to people, their relatives and friends. They know that the life-critical services they rely on have reached certain standards and won’t let them down. Innovation is Key to Improving Lives With an unprecedented number of new policy directions around health and social care - including the Health and Care Act which received Royal Assent in April – one of the common connections that binds them all is promoting innovation to improve people’s lives. In last year’s adult social care reform white paper, at least £150 million of funding was allocated to drive greater adoption of technology and achieve wider digitisation. This also extends to housing, with £300 million earmarked to integrate housing into local health and care strategies. Digital is likely to play a key role in making this happen too. The last few years have been difficult ones, but despite this, I am energised about the future. It is our duty, in the care sector, to look for opportunities that support people to achieve their aspirations and enjoy happy lives. I believe that ensuring the quality of TEC services will help to realise this vision. Find out more about the benefits of being QSF-certified: read our TEC Responder Case Studies here

Yorbl Technologies Limited, creators of the innovative Yorbl range of Digital Telecare solutions are proud to announce that they have successfully completed the TSA’s Trailblazer Programme and have been awarded the prestigious Quality Standards Framework certification, which elevates standards, innovation and continuous improvement in technology enabled care provision.

As we switch from analogue to digital, the language and jargon can become a lot more confusing around the different platforms and technologies available, data and cyber security and interoperability. Commissioners may be not be fully aware of the complexity of what they are buying into but in our experience we’ve found the TEC Quality badge of assurance, and our association with TSA has shown there’s a system in place that is to a high standard and trustworthy, with the service user at the heart of what we do. As a SIM supplier, Mobius are always looking to push the standards of the industry up, and work to certifications that are specific to Telecoms and IT that demonstrate security and quality, not only in the TEC sector but in wider industries. Cyber Essentials Plus is a well-known and important certifier for SIM suppliers, driven by the National Cyber Security Centre (and GCHQ). In addition to the IoT industry and telecoms standards, the Quality Standards Framework is much broader, telecare specific accreditation that spans quality, safety, continuous improvement and innovation. As a supplier of products, being part of a quality framework becomes even more vital because it brings you firmly into that journey of continuous improvement in terms of our product development and linking us in strongly with tech developments and innovations, so we stay relevant. "Having the QSF certifications has become vital to winning contracts. It shows straight away that the companies are performing to a standard without having to delve into the details." Having that certification has meant often we’ve passed the initial entry requirement and we’re seeing more and more that certain commissioners, before developing a relationship, are asking to see a mark of quality. Certain frameworks such as ESPO asked directly if we were certified by TEC Quality. "By having a tangible certification and its rigorous process, we believe this shows we care about the product we supply, and our need for quality and safety to be reflected from production through to the end user. " A deep dive into our business What makes the QSF different from other standards such as ISO and BSI is that it forces you to think about the bigger picture and delve deeper into your business processes, giving you a deep understanding of how they impact the overall company’s operations and how these align with your values. That said, there’s no conflict between the different standards, as the QSF has mapped across ISOs and BSI standards into the framework so there’s an element of pass-porting which is really helpful and joined-up. TEC Quality also has more of an ethical view on how you run your business and the impact it can have on the lives of the people using your products ultimately, whether that’s through ethical data capture or software updates. System maintenance in unavoidable, but we always need to consider the service user and design systems to be able to failover, and design processes that consider end user impact in planning, We have also invested hugely in our multipath data system so that the impact of those updates are minimised on our TEC customers. Our pilot with TSA When we heard that TSA was developing a Supplier module we jumped at the chance to be involved in the feedback and testing stage before it launch. We were first to go through the module and saw this as a great opportunity to be ahead of the game and stand out against other suppliers. I guess we wanted to show we were serious about quality to the wider industry. My advice to other suppliers? If you’re a start-up, it’s essential to be plugged into the quality agenda from the start as you grow your business. And for larger, more established companies, the QSF can mean a good shake-down of some the policies you may have already in place with more of an emphasis on refining them and linking them in with your values and ultimately to better outcomes for the service user.

Taking the easy route has never been my remit, not to create difficulties for myself per say, but for the sake of having a purpose and seeing clear results. This has sometimes meant operating alone and pushing forwards and upwards with an agenda or goal until it becomes what I want it to be. Committing to being part of a quality framework in a petite but growing sector traditionally took conviction. From Supply sector, I’d sometimes hear resistance about whether it’s necessary or that it’s too difficult, or does it apply to me? Who really cares? If I had to give one piece of advice it’s to keep yourself informed about the wider technology enabled care sector and its developments. By taking on that knowledge, you’ll know that 26% of the TEC market is now private pay and self-funders. The consumer market is fast expanding with no prospect of slowing down. Now that you’re seeing your TEC products and services through the lens of a consumer market, is it wise to release them to market without a mark of quality, safety and assurance? How robust is your business and its processes? Are you happy with the contracts you hold with 3rd party suppliers – are you in control or them? What have you done lately to mitigate Risk across your organisation and to users of your products? Have your business continuity plans been stress-tested? Are your supply chains strong and reliable? Remember COVID-19? You say you’re innovative but how ahead of the game are you against your competitors? What R&D are you thinking about to future-proof your TEC products and services in light of the personalisation and proactive agenda in health and social care? Will they still be the products of choice in 2 or 3 years’ time? Who’s doing it better than you? The QSF was created not only to elevate standards and lead the way in continuous improvement and innovation in TEC, but to offer you a supportive business environment, a helping hand, so you can thrive, and we as a sector can be proud of the services we provide keeping people safe and well. We’ve had a rush of suppliers and startups recently join the framework now seeing the urgency and relevance of embedding quality into their business from the get-go. No need to feel alone because now you’ve got company.

Dudley Telecare Service became one of the first organisations to certify against the Quality Standards Framework (QSF) back in the day, and today Quality is an integral and embedded way of working for the organisation and the team. So what is the key to embarking on the Quality journey? For us, one of the most important messages about preparing for the audit is not to simply prepare for the audit. Running a quality service is an ongoing process , it doesn’t happen on one day. At Dudley Telecare we review our policies and procedures every 12 months and monitor our services on an ongoing basis because we want to improve and innovate year on year. The QSF itself was an opportunity to sell our service – something we'd never done before. Auditors listened carefully to what we had to say about our service and engaged with staff. We were able to talk about our outreach work, telecare surgeries and partnerships. We demonstrated a golden thread of shared understanding through the entire team from top-down, from the chief officer to our apprentice. We were able to present evidence of a quality service and, quite rightly, be challenged on it. And we shared the results of a recent internal audit and demonstrated how we’d addressed the issues it raised. Shouting about the benefits of TEC But if the QSF is an opportunity to shine, it is also an opportunity to share. Among TSA members there is a lot of good practice and good news which needs to be promoted. We each have a wealth of information and all of us has something to offer others. This peer-to-peer learning is vital for individual organisations, TSA and the industry as a whole. If we as a sector want people to know what technology enabled care is all about, we need to demonstrate good practice and high standards. That means learning from our mistakes by being open and honest and it means approaching the audit process with integrity, not in the interests of getting through the audit itself, but in the interests of running quality services and selling the sector as a whole. For the technology enabled care sector, the QSF is a framework to build on so that we can develop and grow. It encourages shared learning, continuous improvement and an ethical approach, it allows us to get our stories out there and, thankfully, it shouldn’t give any of us sleepless nights. Access & Telecare at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.

TEC Quality taking applications for new fast-track quality scheme for suppliers to drive quality assurance in technology enabled care and spearhead development of the sector.

We are delighted to welcome into the TSA Team TEC Quality's new Quality Manager Helen Rudkin who will be driving the support of the expanding standards programme.