September 16th 2026
Missed our latest Digital Care in Focus webinar on data standards? You can now catch up on the full recording, download the slides and read a summary and transcript on the our website.
In Data standards: Smarter care through better standards, our speakers explored what data and technology standards mean in practice, why they are becoming more important for adult social care, and how they can help make information clearer, safer and easier to share.
The session was chaired by Katie Thorn from Digital Care Hub, with insights from Khaled Gamiet of Qwikify and Trustsworth Group Ltd, Taffy Gatawa of everyLIFE Technologies Limited and the Care Software Providers Association, and Bharat Sharma, Lead Product Manager for the NHS Standards Directory and Adult Social Care Directory.
Key messages from the session
- Standards help create a shared language for care data. They give care providers and system suppliers agreed ways to record, structure and share information more consistently.
- The Adult Social Care Standards Directory is designed to make standards easier to find and understand, with summaries, guidance, legal information, data specifications and practical implementation support in one place.
- The Minimum Operational Data Standard (MODS) is an important first step towards better interoperability in digital social care records. Care providers do not need to complete every data item, but suppliers need to make sure their systems can capture the right information where it is needed.
- Supplier assurance covers more than software features. Speakers highlighted areas such as security, information governance, accessibility, business continuity, clinical safety and GP Connect.
- Better standards can improve care quality and reduce repetition, helping people avoid having to share the same information again and again.
- Standards need to reflect how care is delivered in practice across different settings, including home care and care homes. If standards do not fit real workflows, they are harder to use and adopt.
- Care providers should be involved early in consultations and engagement, because standards can shape how software is built and how care records are used.
- The proposed Social Care Interoperability Platform (SCIP) could support better information sharing between social care providers, and between social care and health.
- Artificial intelligence in social care needs careful governance. Existing responsibilities around data protection, information governance, clinical safety and risk management still apply when using AI tools.
Catch up on the webinar
If you could not join us live, or would like to revisit the discussion, you can watch the recording online. The webinar page also includes a written summary, useful links, a downloadable PDF of the presentation and a downloadable transcript.
View the webinar and related resources.
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