CECOPS and BHTA join forces to deliver a much needed Assistive Technology Conference

CECOPS is set to run its first assistive technology (AT) conference in June 2020 and will be working in association with the respected organisation British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) to deliver this exciting new venture.

The main aims of the conference are to help shape the future of AT services, and to ensure products and services are accessible, fit for purpose in the 21^st century, and provided in a coherent, integrated and person-centred way, with the needs and outcomes of people requiring services being paramount. This is crucial in view of the growing elderly population, the need for people to be more independent, and for those wanting to manage their own lifestyle and care.

The conference will look holistically across all AT services e.g. digital health, telecare, community equipment and wheelchair services, communication and sensory equipment, smart homes, home adaptations and environmental controls, and across all sectors in line with the interoperability of these types of service. The conference will be strategic, pragmatic and solutions-focused, and will cover all aspects of provision including the planning, commissioning, procurement, service delivery and clinical and technical aspects, with the needs of users and carers at the heart.

This exciting AT conference will gather people from across all sectors including, for example, policy leads, commissioners, service providers, clinical and technical staff, innovators and industry.

There will be excellent and meaningful national and international speakers. Some topics will be crowd generated before the event, to ensure the conference content is directly relevant.

If you are in any way involved in the assistive technology space, this is a not to be missed event.

CECOPS CEO, Brian Donnelly, says: ‘This unique conference will consider all assistive technology services at policy, planning, commissioning and delivery levels, as well as the future design, demands and requirements of these services. Given the crisis in health and care, nationally and internationally, addressing these issues now is critical. It is exciting therefore to be running this event with our colleagues at BHTA. Their industry knowledge is second to none in the UK and will bring a lot of expertise to the table. This combined effort will help to shape the marketplace, and support organisations in the planning and delivery of assistive technology services both now and in the future.’

BHTA Director General, Andrew Stevenson, says: ‘It is an exciting time with all of the new products, technologies and innovations coming into the marketplace;  however we need to ensure these are ready to be adopted and people know how to access them. Proper planning and delivery of assistive technology services is key to solving many health, care, wellbeing and accessibility issues. It is exciting to work in association with CECOPS on the delivery of this much needed conference, especially given their expertise and commitment to improving quality and outcomes in the AT space.

If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at the event, please get in touch: support@cecops.org.uk

The CECOPS Corporate Accreditation Programme

Assistive technology providers are signing up to CECOPS’ Corporate Accreditation Programme. What is it and how does it work?

CECOPS is the independent standards and accreditation body for assistive technology (AT) services e.g. digital health, telecare, and community equipment and wheelchair services.

CECOPS has developed outcome-based quality frameworks for the procurement and provision of the various assistive technology services, and is working with approximately 200 AT services, UK-wide.

CECOPS aims not only to ensure services deliver quality outcomes, but that organisations strive to continuously improve.

When assistive technology services are being commissioned, it is often a requirement within tender specifications for providers to be accredited by CECOPS. Accreditation is gained via an assessment of services, undertaken by our independent ISO qualified team.

Many of the organisations which have become accredited under the CECOPS scheme have started out by achieving accreditation for a single service or contract, often because a commissioner has required it for their specific contract. This is also the standard approach for in-house and smaller providers.

However, for larger providers which deliver a number of services across the UK, to have CECOPS assess their services on a piecemeal basis can become time consuming and involve duplication, especially where corporate policies are in place across all an organisation’s services. For this reason, there is growing interest in the corporate programme among the large providers, with some having already opted for the programme. The corporate programme helps to enable a coherent and synergised approach to gaining CECOPS accreditation for all relevant services.

What does CECOPS Corporate Accreditation involve?

The CECOPS Corporate Accreditation Programme is designed to deliver a robust certification process which appropriately balances an adequate level of scrutiny against the ability to take assurance from the application of corporate policies and processes.

As always, quality is our main aim, so we ensure that all services covered by the corporate programme receive an on-site visit prior to accreditation being awarded. This is necessary to provide us, commissioners, providers and the people using the services with the assurance that each service we are awarding accreditation to is meeting our quality standards; it is virtually impossible to ascertain this otherwise. In our experience, local variances in how a service is commissioned and funded can result in considerable variation in how a service operates, even within an organisation with robust corporate systems in place.

Each local service area receives its own full assessment report which highlights findings, evidence submitted, plus any non-conformities. The comprehensive report also suggests improvements to the service or system, where relevant. In addition, a corporate report is produced which summarises themes and trends from across all operations  and suggests improvements which could be made to corporate systems, processes and policies.

The service-specific reports can be shared with local commissioners (where this is a requirement of the contract); whilst the corporate report is ideal for board oversight and scrutiny.

We have been asked why we don’t just look at head office operations and take sample checks at some of the local services. While this may be applicable in some settings, we don’t believe this is appropriate with these types of services, not only because the lack of adequate scrutiny could allow poor practice to hide under the radar, but also because AT services are often provided to vulnerable people, and the risks involved demand a more serious outlook to be taken than a brief tick-box exercise. Also, commissioners often want reports for their individual service.

For the CECOPS Accreditation badge to maintain its respect and be meaningful, to commissioners, providers and citizens using services, it is important that we don’t compromise on quality.

It is heartening that some of the largest and best-known providers of AT services in the UK agree with us on this, and have embraced the CECOPS Corporate Accreditation Programme.  For example, two of the largest assistive technology (AT) providers, NRS Healthcare and Medequip, became the first companies to receive corporate accreditation from CECOPS.

NRS Healthcare have gained corporate accreditation for all of its community equipment and wheelchair services contracts throughout the UK, and Medequip likewise has gained corporate accreditation for all of its community equipment services.

Jerry Benson, NRS’ CEO, says the CECOPS corporate accreditation will help it to deliver “the highest possible standard of service to its customers”. He comments: “Working to the CECOPS outcome-based quality framework across community equipment and wheelchair services, and being independently assessed against this, has helped us immensely.

Meanwhile, Marie Martinalli, head of SHEQ and governance at Medequip, says: “Working with CECOPS across all our community equipment services has assisted Medequip in developing and enhancing good practice within our organisation. It is very customer outcome-based and has enabled us to demonstrate assurance, that we deliver a safe and quality service.”

If you are a provider of assistive technology services e.g. telecare, community equipment, wheelchair services, digital health, across multiple locations, and you are interested in gaining CECOPS’ Corporate Accreditation, please get in touch.

info@cecops.org.uk

01494 863398 or 07511667330

NRS Healthcare gains corporate CECOPS accreditation for all community equipment and wheelchair services

NRS Healthcare has become the first organisation to gain corporate CECOPS accreditation for both community equipment and wheelchair services, covering all the services they provide across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

 NRS Healthcare is a leading provider of community equipment and wheelchair services in the UK, providing services to local authorities, the NHS, and the general public. NRS delivers a wide range of assistive technologies to support people in keeping them safe and independent.

CECOPS CIC is the independent standards and accreditation body for assistive technology services.

CECOPS accreditation is a regular feature in service specifications for assistive technology services, and is a way of assuring commissioners that services are meeting quality and performance related standards.

Jerry Benson, Chief Executive, NRS Healthcare, says “Working to the CECOPS outcome-based quality framework across community equipment and wheelchair services, and being independently assessed against this, has helped us immensely. It will help us to deliver the highest possible standard of service to our customers and stakeholders.”

CECOPS CEO, Brian Donnelly, says “CECOPS is the gold standard for quality in the assistive technology provider space. We are delighted that NRS Healthcare sees the value in our standards and scheme. It is great that NRS has achieved corporate accreditation for all of their community equipment and wheelchair services contracts. Their commitment to quality and improving standards is impressive and it is evident why they are a leading provider in the space. Well done!”

Professor Mike Bewick appointed Chairman of CECOPS CIC

We are delighted to announce that Professor Mike Bewick has been appointed CECOPS’ Chairman.

Professor Bewick brings a wealth of experience to CECOPS, having worked as a GP for many years and as an executive board Medical Director. He has held senior positions in strategy development and commissioning in Primary and Secondary Care. He was also Deputy Medical Director to Sir Bruce Keogh at NHS England.

Professor Bewick has wide-ranging experience including planning, commissioning and providing services, leading clinical and management teams on a local, regional and national basis, and advising on policy for NHS England to the Secretary of State and Government Ministers.

In his role at a national level he developed a significant interest in quality and safety; initially while conducting several of the Keogh reviews and then in promoting incident reporting in Primary Care.

He acts as a mentor to several clinical entrepreneurs as part of the national programme and sees the value of developing standards in the application of technologies in health and care.

Professor Bewick is enthusiastic about becoming involved with CECOPS as he understands the role assistive technology has (e.g. digital health, telecare, wheelchair services) in supporting people to live independently, manage their own care, and in helping governments and organisations meet a range of strategic objectives.

Brian Donnelly CECOPS’ CEO says: “It is a great honour to have someone with Mike’s senior level experience as CECOPS’ Chair. CECOPS is growing significantly across the UK, and is generating international interest, especially with our expansion into the digital health and telecare space. Mike’s seniority and relevant experience of the sector is what we need to take us to the next level. I look forward to working with Mike.”

Professor Bewick says: “I am excited by my appointment as CECOPS’ Chair. Getting the right assistive technology in a timely way supports many strategic and policy objectives, both nationally and internationally, and this is the key aim of CECOPS with its standards and accreditation scheme. I am particularly impressed that the work of CECOPS covers planning, commissioning and delivery of all assistive technology services across all sectors. CECOPS is unique in offering assessment of organisational readiness, sharing good practice, scaling up and driving continuous improvement. I look forward to chairing CECOPS and working with the team.”

About CECOPS: CECOPS CIC is a community interest company (social enterprise) and is the independent not-for-profit standards and accreditation body for all assistive technology services e.g. digital health, telecare, community equipment, wheelchair services. We work with many NHS, private and third sector organisations and local authorities in the UK, with growing international interest.

Compliance with CECOPS’ standards is a regular feature in tender specifications. Assessments of services are undertaken by independent quality and risk specialists, HLS Healthcare Risk Solutions.

CECOPS has developed outcome-based Codes of Practice for various assistive technology services including the first ever International Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services.

As well as accreditation against our Code, the CECOPS model includes training for commissioners, providers and clinical and technical staff across all assitive technology services, as well as our unique self-evaluation and continuous improvement software tool, iCOPS®.

Our work simplifies the planning, procurement and contract management of services and has a continuous improvement focus.

We have a Strategy and Delivery Unit, made up of independent experts.

We also specialise in assessing and accelerating organisational readiness before adopting new services, sharing good practice and scaling-up.

If you would like to find out more about CECOPS and how we can support you, please get in touch.

Contact: T: 01494 863398 | E: support@cecops.org.uk | W: www.cecops.org.uk | Follow: @cecops

Technology Enabled Care Services: A way forward for Providers

CECOPS is now supporting providers in the technology enabled care services (TECS) space, and is helping to shape the marketplace and drive the digital transformation with our new international framework and support tools.

The technology enabled care marketplace needs to change in order to meet both current and future health and care demands. Working with the same models is not a sustainable option. With this in mind, CECOPS has developed quality standards, in the form of an outcome-based Code of Practice, and related support tools, to enable the sector to make the changes it needs to encourage engagement with technology, and to embed sustainability into delivery models.

International Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services

CECOPS has recently developed the first-ever end-to-end and outcome-based International Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services (TECS). See the areas covered by the TECS Code HERE.

This is the first Code of Practice to span across both commissioner and provider responsibilities, as we believe this is key to establishing effective services. It also covers all service areas including health, care and housing. The Code is truly international, meaning you can work with it across your global operations.

CECOPS Accreditation

Commissioners across the UK are increasingly engaging with our Code, and you can seek the prestigious CECOPS accreditation against the Code, to demonstrate to commissioners that you are working to the standard they require.

CECOPS Accreditation is achieved by having an assessment of your services by our external and independent Quality and Risk Management expert team. Gaining CECOPS accreditation status is already a requirement of some commissioners, so gaining it will also help you to achieve competitive advantage.

iCOPS® and Continuous Improvement

The CECOPS Model has a continuous improvement focus, moving the thinking away from a ‘compliance’ mentality. Having a ‘compliance’ focus can stifle innovation, and it can breed apathy i.e. ‘we are just good enough’.

In view of this, we have developed a unique and powerful self-evaluation and continuous improvement software tool called iCOPS®. This tool is available for both commissioners and providers.

iCOPS® empowers you to drive your own quality and performance agenda, as well as manage contracts and programmes (e.g. analogue to digital). It also enables you to demonstrate improvements and the quality of your service to commissioners and interested parties.

There is a FREE 30 DAY TRIAL version available on iCOPS® – please take advantage of this offer. Details for signing up for the trial are included in the attached flyer HERE.

About CECOPS

CECOPS CIC is the independent (not for profit) standards and certification body for all assistive technology services. We have Codes of Practice for various Assistive Technology services.

Our Codes act as a quality framework for procurement and provision of services. We currently work with in excess of 80 local authorities, NHS, private and voluntary organisations in the UK, with growing interest globally. CECOPS is officially supported by regulators and professional organisations.

Why work with CECOPS?

CECOPS is leading the way in the assistive technology (AT) space, in terms of improving standards and outcomes. As well as covering all AT services, CECOPS uniquely covers planning, commissioning, service provision and clinical and technical aspects of services.

Here are some of the main reasons for working with CECOPS:

•  Unique Code of Practice covering Planning, Commissioning and Providing TECS
• International Code of Practice (not limited to one country)
• Outcomes-based Code Standards (not output-based) – encouraging innovation
• Offers unique self-evaluation and continuous improvement tool, iCOPS®
• Helps with organisational readiness, implementing and scaling up services
• Helps with managing contracts and performance, and driving continuous improvement
• Supports large scale projects, programmes and digital transformation e.g. analogue to digital
• CECOPS is a completely Independent Standards Body (i.e. not industry-led)
• CECOPS use external and independent (ISO Qualified) Quality and Risk Management specialists
• CECOPS Code and tools first to strengthen commissioner and provider relationships
• CECOPS set to shape the marketplace (balancing demand and supply) and embeds sustainability

Don’t just take our word for it:

“CECOPS provide the framework for the thorough review of standards and systems throughout the accreditation cycle, supporting continuous system improvement in the provision of high quality, safe and effective services for our service users. The (6) North West London CCGs have benefitted from the experts in the team who have supported us to commission services that deliver improved and sustainable outcomes. We would recommend CECOPS for all commissioners of assisted technology services.” Mona Hayat, Director of Programmes, NHS West London Clinical Commissioning Group

“Appello aims to work to, and to set ourselves, the highest standards in the industry….we think CECOPS brings a new clinical perspective that will help us provide our customers with even higher standards of performance in the future.”

Tim Barclay, CEO, Appello

Please get in touch if you would like to informally discuss how we can support you.

01494 863398 | info@cecops.org.uk |

A tribute to Sir Bert Massie CBE, DL: Goodbye friend, mentor, chair and inspiration

It is with sadness that I write this tribute to Sir Bert Massie CBE, Chairman of CECOPS, who sadly passed away on 15/10/2017.

I first approached Sir Bert in 2009 to write a Foreword for a paper I was writing on national minimum standards for disability equipment services; he was very obliging and interested in my work. I kept in close contact from that time, and in 2012 I approached Sir Bert to see if he would be interested in chairing CECOPS, the not for profit standards and certification body for assistive technology services. Bert was delighted with the CECOPS concept and agreed to help me to establish the organisation.

Sir Bert said at the time that the main reason he took on the role of CECOPS Chair was that he believed in its aims and saw it as a vehicle for helping to improve services for disabled and older people, a cause close to his heart.

Sir Bert’s role has been very instrumental in establishing CECOPS; he has been a real champion for the cause. CECOPS’ growth over recent years is largely due to Sir Bert’s wisdom, experience and passion.

Bert was a true campaigner, but he was never a complainer. He only asked for what was right and nothing more. He had a wonderful art of guiding conversations in a way that made others feel that they had made decisions themselves.

Bert’s view was that a good cause is always worth fighting for. He always maintained a cheerful and happy spirit, and had a great sense of humour.

Bert was much more than a chairman, he was also a friend. As well as wanting CECOPS to succeed, he was also genuinely interested in my wellbeing and that of my family.

Bert was a mentor, giving me a positive outlook amidst the gloom. Lastly, he was an inspiration, not just in his role within CECOPS, but more as an individual. He overcame many personal barriers in his life, and more, he worked tirelessly to remove barriers others couldn’t remove for themselves. Thank you for your selfless labour Bert, you will be greatly missed.

Your friend

Brian

One of the largest UK wheelchair services contracts gains prestigious CECOPS accreditation status

One of the largest UK wheelchair services contracts gains prestigious CECOPS accreditation status.

CECOPS’ Code of Practice for Disability Equipment, Wheelchair and Seating Services is a quality framework for procurement and provision of services. It supports the commissioning of wheelchair services across the UK. The Code is outcomes-focussed, opening up the veins to innovation and improvements. The work of CECOPS is supported by regulators and professional bodies.

Several Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) jointly commissioned a large London wheelchair service, covering a population of two million.

Uniquely, under the contract the provider is expected to work to CECOPS’ outcomes, become accredited, and to evidence continuous improvement year on year for the duration of the contract using a CECOPS software solution, iCOPS®.

The jointly commissioned approach taken by the CCGs was hailed by NHS England as an exemplar approach. CCGs are expected to evidence compliance with wheelchair charter issued by The Wheelchair Leadership Alliance, and supported by NHS England. Gaining CECOPS accreditation fully supports the aims of the charter.

Mona Hayat, Director of Programmes, NHS Central London CCG, said, CECOPs provide the framework for the thorough review of standards and systems throughout the accreditation cycle, supporting continuous system improvement in the provision of high quality, safe and effective services for our service users. The North West London CCGs have benefitted from the experts in the team who have supported us to commission services that deliver improved and sustainable outcomes. We would recommend CECOPs for all commissioners of assisted technology services.

AJM Healthcare was appointed the provider last year, and recently gained CECOPS Accreditation. AJM is the first company to attain CECOPS accreditation for its service provision and clinical aspects. It was noted at the assessment for accreditation that significant improvements had been made by AJM Healthcare in the short time since they had been awarded the contract, including a significant reduction in waiting lists.

AJM’s Managing Director, Mark Perress, commented “Working with our NHS CCG partners, our flagship Wheelchair Service benefits from the CECOPS standards. Led by our Quality Manager Mike Radlett, our clinical, admin and logistics staff have worked hard over the last year to implement the Code of Practice to deliver a fully integrated service, with joined-up working practices and a service user-centric operation.”

Mike Radlett explains, “the CECOPS code of practice is much more prescriptive than other standards. It is very thorough, and details all the areas such as: eligibility, funding options, clinical assessments, specialist and children’s equipment, hospital discharge and most importantly, the involvement of Service Users and Carers.

 In an environment with pressure on funding and increasing demand, CECOPS accreditation is quickly becoming the de-facto must-have requirement to guarantee clinical quality and safe solutions for wheelchair Commissioners. For service users and carers it signals quality, safety and fairness.”

If you are interested in CECOPS accreditation, please contact:

info@cecops.org.uk | 01494 863398 | 07511 667 330

Local Government Association (LGA) and NHS England Vanguards signpost CECOPS as a resource to support Technology Enabled Care Services

CECOPS offers standards, software tools, expert personnel and training to help local authorities and health organisations with planning, commissioning and providing technology enabled care services (TECS) e.g. telecare, digital health.

CECOPS is an independent, not-for-profit standards and certification body for assistive technology services.

CECOPS is, where appropriate, one of the resources Local Authorities are signposted to following completion of the Local Government Association’s Social Care Digital Maturity Assessment.

NHS England Vanguard areas currently undertaking Digital Maturity Assessments and requiring support will also be signposted to CECOPS, as a resource to support local areas.

CECOPS’ details are available on the resource repository area for Local Authorities and an online collaboration space for NHS England Vanguards.

Support will include CECOPS’ outcomes-based integrated Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services. The Code can help organisations prepare for engaging with TECS, as well as providing a quality framework for procurement and provision of services, simplifying the commissioning and tendering of services. Details about the Code can be found HERE.

The Code is supported by a unique self-evaluation and continuous improvement software tool, allowing organisation to self-evaluate their readiness and assist in the monitoring of contracts and services. A free 30 day trial is available on the tool. A flyer for the tool can be downloaded HERE.

CECOPS also has a Strategy and Delivery Unit (SDU), made up of national experts in the space, which can help with assessing, progressing and accelerating organisational readiness. The SDU can help with commissioning, procuring and implementation of services.

The new quality framework and tools uniquely enable CECOPS to work across wider geographical areas and share good practice, thus adopting a community building approach to help achieve a wider and more accelerated adoption of TECS.

CECOPS also offers training programmes for both commissioning and providing TECS.

CECOPS can also accredit services, via an external assessment undertaken by independent assessors DNV GL Healthcare, world leaders in quality and risk management.

To find out more please contact CECOPS: (T) 01494 863398 (M) 07511 667 330 (E) info@cecops.org.uk

About CECOPS

CECOPS is a social enterprise and currently works with approximately 80 NHS organisations and local authorities. CECOPS is CQC approved and has been endorsed by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Health and Safety Executive, for example. CECOPS is completely independent, having no affiliations with suppliers or service providers. The assessment partners used by CECOPS, DNV GL Healthcare, are also totally independent, which avoids any potential conflicts of interest. CECOPS is chaired by Sir Bert Massie CBE.

Roy Lilley on the CECOPS Technology Enabled Care Code

Roy Lilley kindly provided a foreword for the new International Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services, as follows. (Details about the Code can be found HERE)

“An outcomes-based Code of Practice for both commissioning and providing Technology Enabled Care Services, who’d have thought it? And it’s fabulous!

Commissioning; there is no great mystery to it. In plain English, it is buying stuff. In the more elegant language of healthcare, the right people providing the right services, in the right place for the right people. It is trickier than you’d think.

Healthcare is notoriously complicated. It is a whole-system. Fiddle with one bit and you disturb another bit. Change something and run the risk of making a mess someplace else. Commissioners have to regularly cope with this complexity. Quite how they do it, I will never know. An added dimension is a more recent addition to the commissioning repertoire: Technology Enabled Care Services, now commonly called TECS.

Technology is not a bolt-on or an addition. It is at the heart of modern health and care. This fabulously well-thought-through framework and Code of Practice puts the patient and service user at the heart of decision making and helps the commissioner, and the provider, through the complexity of it all.

I congratulate Brian Donnelly on his tireless work in this, often, Cinderella part of health and care. He moves it front and centre with ease. Pages of common sense, technical guidance, help and, the best part, all outcomes-focused.

Emphasising the involvement of stakeholders, users and carers, this is more than a Code of Practice; it is a map, a guide and a chaperone. It is thought-provoking and a source of inspiration.

Telehealth, telecare, apps, and digital technologies in health, social care and housing sectors have so much to offer patients, residents, relatives and carers. New approaches emerge, what seems like, every day. What works, what doesn’t? How will we know? What is essential and what is a gimmick? What might we dismiss and come to regret passing over?

This Code of Practice gives us the baseline for making assessments, a foundation for making decisions and it helps the commissioners and providers with the groundwork to get it right, first time.

To date, the lack of a reference point may have been a disincentive to put our faith into new technologies and, perhaps, contributed to a slow take up of and engagement with the tools, devices and equipment that may not only be of huge benefit to patients and residents, but also contribute to health and care organisations’ drive towards innovation and efficiencies.

This well-researched Code provides an end-to-end solution, from early planning to post-implementation, as well as a reassurance that innovative projects can be implemented on time and with success. It is a thorough and complete piece of work and advice that, I am sure, will become a welcome reference point for commissioners, providers and people receiving services.

If I were to sum up the Code in a couple of words, I would choose: quality and continuous improvement.

Congratulations on an outstanding contribution to the complex world of commissioning and providing Technology Enabled Care Services.”

Roy Lilley

Roy Lilley is a leading analyst, writer, broadcaster and commentator on health and social care in the UK.  Roy is the Founder of the Academy of Fabulous NHS Stuff, www.fabnhsstuff.net, a repository which has become a social movement and is seen as the change platform for the NHS and Social Care. Roy is also the publisher of an e-newsletter for NHS managers – see www.nhsmanagers.net.

To find out more about the work of CECOPS in the TECS space, view the latest newsletter HERE

Shaping the future of the digital health marketplace

I was recently asked to explain the digital health marketplace in the UK and how providers are supposed to access the market. This marketplace includes, for example, telehealth, telemedicine, eHealth and mHealth products, as well as telecare.

A marketplace is formed where there is demand for a product or service, and when this demand is supplied. Of course then, markets grow and evolve over a period of time.

Within the digital health space, on the supply side there is a vast range of products and services, but the demand side is unclear. The need is there, but organisations responsible for planning and commissioning services are often unsure of how best to engage with some of the technologies available and to procure these. What works? Where do we start? Is it cost effective? How can we assess service impact?

So we could reasonably conclude that the marketplace for digital health is not well defined and has not yet matured. This is discouraging for providers, especially SMEs, and there is confusion about the best approach for accessing the market. This could even cause a provider, particularly a smaller one, to ‘give up’. This would be a shame if they had an excellent product which they were struggling to sell.

It is important for those on the demand side to be clear about what it is that they want to procure or commission, and that they are ready for adopting the technologies and services. Organisational readiness is often an area overlooked; yet this is such an important issue to address to ensure the marketplace matures and thrives.

While there are some pockets of excellent working in getting products to segments of the market e.g. acceleration programmes, processes are not the same across different geographical areas and sectors. These issues are not limited to the UK. From conversations I am having with people overseas, the situation is pretty much the same internationally.

The imbalance between the supply and demand sides of the market cannot continue.

So, what can be done?

FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PLANNING, COMMISSIONING AND PROVIDING TECHNOLOGY ENABLED CARE SERVICES

 To help shape the marketplace, CECOPS has developed the first ever International Code of Practice for Planning, Commissioning and Providing Technology Enabled Care Services. This is an outcomes-focused quality framework for procurement and provision of services. It offers an end-to-end solution which addresses all aspects of the marketplace.

This new framework for the first time provides structure to the marketplace and is set to become the recognised benchmark.

Working with the Code will help to create and shape a more balanced marketplace. Following it will also help to ensure an organisation’s readiness before engaging with digital health. The Code can also act as a framework to support providers coming into the space, so that they have a clearer understanding of what might be required of them.

Using the Code within tender specifications simplifies the procurement process. As the Code is outcomes-focused, it encourages providers to be innovative. It will also help to achieve sustainable economic growth in the space; as growth for some providers is currently minimal and short-lived.

As the standards and certification body for these services, CECOPS is also able to accredit services via an external assessment.

Some of the many benefits of this new approach include:

• Marketplace development and maturity
• Brokering improved relationships in the marketplace
• Accelerating organisations to a state of readiness
• Achieving sustainable economic growth for the sector
• Simplifying procurement, commissioning and contract management processes
• Better chance of realising benefits from providers’ products and services
• Saving time and cost (by providing a ready-made framework)
• Improved quality and performance
• Local, regional, national and international benchmark and platform for sharing good practice and having a community building approach
• Improved clinical, wellbeing and financial outcomes

Copies of the International Code are available from here. The Code is free to organisations registered with CECOPS.

To find out more about CECOPS accreditation scheme or the Code, please get in touch.

Brian

Brian Donnelly MSc, CEO, CECOPS CIC

E: brian@cecops.org.uk | +44 (0) 7511 667 330 | T: +44 (0) 1494 863398 | www.cecops.org.uk