Data, information and technology standards may not be the most engaging topic for many care leaders. But they are becoming too important to leave to suppliers or IT teams.
At Digital Care Hub, we hear both enthusiasm and concern from providers. Leaders can see the potential of digital records, technology-enabled care and better data sharing. They want staff to spend less time chasing information and more time supporting people.
But they also ask practical questions: what will it cost, will suppliers be ready, will staff need training and will national standards reflect busy care settings? Providers do not need to become standards experts. But they do need to know enough to ask the right questions.
What do we mean by standards?
Standards are agreed ways of doing things. In digital care, they help make sure information is recorded consistently, systems can work together and technology is safe, usable and fit for purpose.
There are two main types. Data and information standards define how key information should be recorded, labelled and shared. Technology standards help providers judge whether digital tools are safe, reliable, usable and supported by evidence.
If systems use different terms or formats, staff may have to copy information across, or important details may be lost. If technology is bought without clear assurance, providers may be left managing the consequences if it does not work as expected.
Why this matters now
Care leaders already know that interoperability is a real concern. Different health and care professionals involved in someone’s care need safe access to core information. They also need to understand that information in the same way, wherever it has been recorded or shared. Information and data standards give services, systems and suppliers a common language.
There has also been a legal change. Mandatory information standards published under the amended section 250 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 must now be complied with, rather than simply taken into account. Private health and adult social care providers may be subject to monitoring, enforcement action or financial penalties for non-compliance where a mandatory standard applies.
In addition, there has been a change for suppliers of digital social care records (DSCRs). All solutions on NHS England’s Assured Solutions List must now comply with the Minimum Operational Data Standard (MODS), effective 1st July 2026.
MODS: The key standard for digital care records
MODS for DSCRs sets out the core information that should be recorded consistently by Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered providers using DSCRs.
It covers information providers already rely on: core details about the person, assessments and care plans, risks, preferences, outcomes and routines, observations about health and wellbeing, planned and completed care activities, appointments and medicines-related records where relevant. It also includes consent, capacity and legal information, details of people and organisations involved in care, and audit information showing who changed a record, when and why.
For providers, the practical priority is to ask your DSCR supplier what MODS means for you. Will staff see new fields or forms? Will they need training? Will data need to be checked, cleaned up or moved?
Providers want information to move safely between systems and organisations, without giving staff more forms, clicks or administration. Standards should make information easier to record, understand and share. If they add work without improving care, they are not doing their job.
Technology standards and evidence
Standards are not only about records. Government is also developing guidance for care technologies, including remote monitoring, falls technology, sensors, digital medication support and responder services.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is adapting its evidence standards for adult social care technologies. This gives leaders a way to test supplier claims. If a product says it reduces falls, improves independence or saves staff time, what proof is there? Has it been tested in a service like yours?
The digital phone switchover is another live issue. The move from analogue to digital phone lines is due to be completed by January 2027. Some older telecare devices may not work reliably on digital networks, so telecare, personal alarms and connected devices need to be checked.
What this means for care leaders
Treat standards as part of good governance. They are relevant to quality, safety, procurement, staff training, data protection and business continuity.
CQC is not assessing the technical capability of DSCRs, but it will look at whether records support safe, effective care. Providers should be able to show that records are accurate, accessible, secure and useful, and that they meet the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT), or an equivalent approach.
People drawing on care also need to understand what is changing, how their information will be used and how they can have a say. Technology is more likely to be trusted when it is explained early, not afterwards.
Suppliers have a responsibility too. Providers should expect them to explain which standards apply, what evidence they have and what support they will provide.
Checklist for care providers
It is recommended that care providers complete the following actions:
- Map the digital systems and care technologies your organisation relies on.
- Ask suppliers which standards apply, including MODS where you use a DSCR.
- Check whether your DSCR supplier is on the Assured Solutions List and what its MODS plan is.
- Review recording practice. Are records accurate, consistent and useful for decision-making?
- Ask about standards, evidence and implementation support when buying new systems.
- Check telecare and technology-enabled care risks before the digital phone switchover.
- Involve staff and people drawing on care before decisions are made, not afterwards.
Standards should work for social care
We need standards if DSCRs, shared records, telecare, AI and other technologies are to work safely and well. But they will only work if they are shaped by adult social care, including care workers, registered managers, providers, people drawing on care, unpaid carers, commissioners and suppliers.
Digital Care Hub will keep helping providers make sense of this landscape and keep making the case for standards that are practical, proportionate and rooted in real care. The aim is not more paperwork or jargon. It is better information, safer technology and more time for care.
Digital Care Hub has produced a briefing on data, information and technology standards for adult social care. For more information, click here.
What steps has your organisation taken to improve its understanding and use of data, information and technology standards? Comment on this feature or join the conversation to share your thoughts.
Katie Thorn is Director of Innovation at Digital Care Hub.
Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: @Digital-Care-Hub