Digital Solutions (from April 2025)
Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Integrated Care Board are working together to bring the Digitising Social Care Fund to local care providers.
The purpose of the funding is to support care providers across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to expand their usage of digital solutions that enhance the lives of people in their care.
Associating the digital solutions with approved supplier digital care record systems builds upon the benefits of a digital care record system, utilising it as a core system for the implementation of additional beneficial digital solutions.
What are the funding limits?
We can fund up to 50% of the year one digital solutions costs, up to the value of £10,000 per registered location.
(e.g. application for £1500, £750 funding could be provided).
This funding relates to the digital solutions themselves, and additional costs are outside the scope of this funding.
The Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) funding program application deadline is 8th August 2025.
What are the funding criteria?
Registered Location: Care providers must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in either Staffordshire or Stoke-on-Trent. This includes care homes, home care services, supported living services, and shared lives services. Unregistered locations are unfortunately not eligible for funding.
Digital Solution Supplier: Only solutions that integrate with an approved supplier digital care record system can be funded. An exception can be made should a digital care record system have been procured from a supplier that was previously listed on the approved supplier list.
Number of Digital Solutions: Applicants can request funding to up to 10 digital solutions but can only submit one application.
Integration: Only solutions that integrate with an approved supplier digital care record system can be funded. An exception can be made should a digital care record system have been procured from a supplier that was previously listed on the approved supplier list.
Procurement Window: Funding can be retrospectively applied to procured digital solutions that have been procured since April 2022.
No Previous Funding: Applicants must not have previously accessed funding for a digital solution but may have previously secured funding for a digital social care record system.
What types of digital solutions can be funded?
Digital solutions should impact the wellbeing and quality of care provision. This can include direct impact through strengthening of processes or indirect impact through better information sharing and reporting.
Example of systems that could be funded include:
- Electronic medication records (eMAR)
- Pharmacy dispensing solutions
- Sensor monitoring devices
- Wellbeing and activity support
- Data analysis
- Care compliance
- Experience platform
- Dependency tool
- Maintenance management tools
Should hardware be required to deliver the digital solution(s), these can be included within your application, where there is a legitimate need and the device requirements be proportionate.
How to apply?
If you meet the criteria and wish to apply for funding, you will need to identify what digital solutions are available to you and which ones could benefit your care service.
You can identify potential compatible digital solutions by reviewing the digitising social care website or speaking with your digital social care record system supplier.
Submit Expression of Interest: Once you have chosen your digital solution(s), submit an expression of interest application form to DigitalFundingEnquiries@staffordshire.gov.uk You do not need to have signed the contract with your chosen supplier at this stage.
Funding decisions will be based on the quote provided, and the funding amount is subject to change if the contract value differs from the quote.
After you have submitted your expression of interest, the funding panel will contact you with the outcome.
Should you be successful, you will then need to supply evidence of a signed contract with the digital solution supplier, complete a baseline survey and sign a memorandum of understanding.
We will also need to evidence that the digital solutions that you have chosen will integrate with your digital care records system.
What happens after I have implemented the digital solution?
An implementation survey will need to be complete 3 months after the implementation of your digital solution(s).
For retrospectively funded digital solutions, you must a complete the implementation survey prior to funding. The exception to this is when digital solutions have not yet been implemented for a 3 month period, and the implementation survey will be requested 3 months post digital solution implementation.
Further information
For any inquiries or questions, please contact DigitalFundingEnquiries@staffordshire.gov.uk