Setting up good governance for a digital-first Integrated Care System (ICS) is important. We need a clear and organized plan to make sure everything works well together. This plan helps everyone in the partnership work towards the same goals.
Health and care systems today are complex, especially when they focus on digital solutions. That's why having a good plan is not just helpful, but necessary. This plan should cover several important areas, such as:
Technical Design Authority
In today's rapidly changing technology world, good system design is crucial for successful IT projects. How we design technology impacts how well our systems work, grow, and perform. To ensure we make good design choices consistently, we need a Technology Design Authority (TDA). A TDA is a central group that oversees and guides the technical planning of projects, products, and services. This design authority will also be responsible for:
- Standards and Processes - to set agreed guidelines for future technology projects.
- Specialist Committees - focusing on important areas like information governance, cybersecurity, ethics, clinical safety, and organisational development. These committees will have clear terms of reference, meeting schedules, and decision-making processes.
- KPIs and Metrics for ongoing projects - to track what's working well and what needs improvement.
- Data Domain Architecture for the entire Integrated Care System (ICS) - to understand how our data and our patients'/residents' data is organised.
Defined Roles and Responsibilities
In a digital-first Integrated Care System, it's important to clearly define who does what. This is especially true for jobs related to technology, digital services, and data. By giving everyone clear roles, we make sure all parts of our digital system are well-managed.
These roles cover many different jobs, such as:
- Technology managers who look after our digital systems
- Digital experts who create and improve our online services
- Data owners who are responsible for keeping data accurate and complete
- Data stewards who manage and protect our data day-to-day
By clearly stating what each person should do, we create a system that works well. Everyone knows their job, which helps them work together better. This way, we make sure the right people are handling our technology, digital services, and data. In the end this leads to better care for our patients and better results for everyone involved.
Risk and Issue Reporting Framework
In a digital-first ICS, we need a good system to report and manage risks and problems. This system should help us quickly spot, assess, and fix potential issues. We also need clear steps for raising important problems to the right people and keeping track of how we solve risks over time.
A good risk and issue reporting system should have:
- A central place to record and monitor risks and issues
- Regular meetings with important team members to assess risks
- Clear steps for dealing with high-priority risks
A good framework for managing risks helps us protect our digital systems, data, and patient/resident care. We regularly review and update our risk management plan. This helps us stay ready for new challenges as and when they appear.