The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI)

Parity helps launch new national Social Care Inspectorate

The Challenge

A significant step in the history of social care was taken this year when The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) was launched in April. It is now the single independent inspectorate for social care in England - and Parity was chosen to help facilitate this major and far-reaching change.

The CSCI brings together the inspection, regulation and review of all social care services into one organisation to create a more integrated system. It incorporates work previously carried out by The National Care Standards Commission, The Social Services Inspectorate and The SSI/Audit Commission Joint Review Team.

From Parity’s perspective, this major project was about getting staff, supporting systems and all the relevant building IT infrastructures ready for the launch of the CSCI in April. The challenge was bringing together the three different organisations to create the new national social care body with the least possible disruption to the conduct of on-going business processes.

The Solution

The full scope of the CSCI transition programme involved Parity determining key applications and locations for migration and then planning in detail the implementation with the existing infrastructure supplier.

The delivery of the project required a clear definition of user requirements for the infrastructure and involved providing access to telephones, desktop PCs, terminals, laptops and desktop productivity software (such as word processing, email and spreadsheets) for all the staff that were being transferred into the new body.

explains Trevor Martin, Parity’s CSCI project manager.

A key element of the transition project was providing continuity of access to data, including email information, which had been generated before April 2004. Parity oversaw the significant enhancement of the email system in the new infrastructure so that staff could receive and send bigger attachments relating to social care inspectorate issues. Parity also ensured that the core business application, the Performance Assessment Data Indicator (PADI) was rigorously tested before transferring it over from the Department of Health for use by the CSCI.

Throughout this major infrastructure transition project, considerable attention was applied to understanding the various needs of different CSCI users and the specific technical characteristics of the applications that needed to be migrated. Parity planned and organised tailored training to facilitate a smooth transition for staff moving from the predecessor organisations.

Trevor Martin explains.

The new commission’s infrastructure was based on thin client technology, so any application had to be fully tested to ensure it performed effectively in the new environment. A model office was also created that replicated the wider infrastructure and key applications such as PADI were tested here before they were allowed to go live on the new infrastructure.

The Benefits

Parity’s rigorous and robust approach to project management and scoping ensured the transition programme was executed on budget and within the agreed time frame. The company’s strong technical abilities helped ensure the work of the new National Care Standards Commission was not disrupted during the staff migration period. The team adhered to the core principles of PRINCE II methodology which underpinned the effective delivery of this major project.

The clear user requirement definitions; the detailed infrastructure migration plan and the project’s thorough check list helped to successfully ensure that staff moving from different locations had continuous access to pre April 2004 data.

As a consequence of Parity’s project management skills, all SSI regional staff and key HQ staff were set up on the new infrastructure by the agreed target date. New terminals, PCs and laptops were delivered to all new sites and accounts were created for all new users. Mail inboxes, calendar information, personal and shared data from Department of Health systems were all transferred successfully.

says David Clark, Transition Director for the Commission for Social Care Inspection.