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THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SCOTLAND ACT 2003
COMMUNITY PLANNING: ADVICE NOTE 8
Information Sharing
MARCH 2004
Introduction
Information Sharing is essential to the success of Community Planning and better joint working between agencies for the benefit of customers and citizens. At the same time Community Planning, in bringing agencies together, provides an opportunity to promote the need for, and implementation of, information sharing. In particular, it provides the opportunity for improved information sharing not just between public sector organisations but also with the voluntary, community and private sectors.
The need to share information
Information requires to be shared for a variety of reasons. These include:
- To assess community needs appropriately and accurately ( See also Advice Note 5: Effective Community Engagement).
- To gain a shared understanding of need.
- To provide a basis for joint planning and targeting of resources.
- To assist in performance management activities given shared targets.
- To improve efficiency and reduce duplication (for example, one partner to analyse Census information and provide briefings to all).
- To promote mutual understanding by sharing key organisational information (for example, committee decisions, resource allocations).
- To share information on customers to promote consistent and improved customer services. This might take an aggregated form (for example, general results from consultation exercises) or highly personalised (for example, individual customer records).
Barriers to Information Sharing
Despite the many benefits to be gained by sharing information evidence gained by the Task Force has established a number of real and perceived barriers. For example:
- Staff time, skills and financial resources.
- Understanding what data are available, who holds them and how to use them.
- A lack of willingness by partners organisations to share information.
- Legislative issues, particularly misunderstanding about the implications of the Data Protection Act.
- System security and other technical issues.
- Boundary issues.
- Consistency in defining data between partners.
- The availability of data to share (for some subject areas).
There are initiatives and approaches on-going at national levels, such as the Joint Future agenda and Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics that will help to address these barriers. Many projects are also being progressed at a local level. It is important to learn lessons from these approaches to ensure the successful sharing of information.
Sharing Information Successfully
The range of information involved
Given the cross cutting nature of the Community Planning framework the range and type of information that partners may wish to share is potentially very large. Information in this context relates to data that has been transformed in some way to make it meaningful and useful.
Such information may include quantitative information such as aggregated and analysed statistical data (including anonymised personal data) and qualitative information gained from research. Some of this information will be gathered for national purposes such as the Census or the Scottish Household Survey, while some will be gathered by individual local organisations, for example, local Community Health Index derived population estimates. It may also include softer information such as organisational plans, budget decisions or investment information.
Community Planning partners may also wish to share personal information about individuals for delivering more effective customer services. It is important to be aware of the particular framework surrounding the sharing of such information (see later paragraphs).
Information Audits
Considering the range of information involved it is essential that partners identify their key requirements and raise awareness with one another about the range of information and data they hold. A failure to do so could lead to an inadequate understanding of the issues that Community Planning partnerships wish to address, the inadequate targeting of resources, or the duplication of effort. Undertaking an information audit is a useful process in this respect. An audit would involve looking at:
- What information is required?
- What is the purpose of the information?
- When is the information required?
Then comparing these needs with:
- What sources currently exist, where are they found and in what form?
- Where do gaps exist?
In this respect it is particularly important that partnerships are clear about how they are going to use the information that has been collected as "intelligence" i.e. as an aid to the decision making process.
Integrated data
In analysing needs and determining priorities for the Community Planning process partners should take a broad "holistic" overview of local needs including: - health; education; social/economic exclusion; community safety; cultural, sporting and leisure provision and the environment and should avoid focusing on a narrow range of themes.
The Public Health Institute of Scotland recently published a report by a working group of PHIS' Public Health Information Network for Scotland (PHINS) on the potential impact and relevance of a broad integrated health and well-being data set to the information requirements of Community Planning. Integrated data in this context meaning data brought together from disparate sources to support multi-agency working. A number of benefits of using integrated data were found relevant to Community Planning. These included: - Providing a better understanding: of different subject areas eg health and the environment and the relationship between these.
- Effective monitoring & evaluation: of effects and effectiveness of policies and of changes over time.
- Effective comparisons of different communities: this is particularly beneficial when data is available at small geographies.
Separate, but related work carried out by PHIS in evaluating the usefulness of a local, integrated data set in Paisley ( http://www.phis.org.uk/info/sub.asp?p=BDAD) has confirmed the desire of those involved in the planning process to have available local data relevant to a wide variety of health and well-being related topics. |
The Fife Public Health Dataset Pilot Project is designed to enable effective ways to provide public health information, and therefore to help promote healthy public policy in Fife. The pilot project began in May 2002, and is core-funded for 2 years by the Public Health Institute of Scotland. The project has a full-time Co-ordinator and is jointly managed by the Public Health Department of Fife NHS Board and Policy and Organisation Development of Fife Council. The main objectives of the project are: - To develop an accessible, functional, sustainable, pilot public health dataset for Fife.
- To provide an information base for local initiatives and healthy public policy-making in Fife;
- To develop a point of contact on public health data/information for local people, communities, local organisations as well as policy makers and planners; and
- To evaluate the impact of systematic availability of public health data/information in Fife on planning and on local communities, organisations and people.
Information from the Public Health Dataset will be used to help measure results toward achieving the vision for Fife that is stated in the Fife Community Plan. For more information see:
www.show.scot.nhs/fhb/draftdataset/annual%20report.doc |
It is recognised, however, that accessing relevant statistical data, and at useful geographic levels, can be problematic. There is work on-going by the Scottish Executive to redress this problem, for example through the Neighbourhood Statistics project. The Scottish Executive is also in the process of establishing new arrangements for better co-ordination of national and local surveys.
The Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics project is a major development aimed at transforming the production, dissemination and use of statistics at a local level. The initial project is timetabled to run from April 2001 to March 2004. It will include information on health, education, poverty, unemployment, housing, population, equalities and social/community issues. This information will be collected wherever possible on a unit postcode basis and made available for the smallest areas possible subject to confidentiality constraints. Neighbourhood Statistics will be made accessible to a wide range of users through the Web and other means, and tools to assist users to analyse the information will be provided.
The initial output system is available at:
( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/neighbours/tables/neighbours.asp)
Presentation and management of information
Partnerships should also consider the presentation and management of information to make sure it is a useful 'end-product' This could include, for example:
- Geographical Information Systems. User access levels can be set to allow different levels of access to data by different types of uses. Training in such packages is essential if users are to make the best use of the data for strategic purposes.
- Dedicated websites or publications.
- Common databases.
Sharing Personal Information
Community Planning partners may wish to share personal information that enables them to deliver joint services to individuals more effectively, for example through a "one-stop shop" approach.
West Lothian customers making benefit claims, who have children at school, need proof of eligibility before free school meals are provided by the education service. Customers used have to make an application to the education service after making a benefit claim, where the only additional information provided was details of the applicant's children and the school they attended. Applications could sometimes take up to three weeks to administer. Following a review of the way customers access this service, the process has been changed. West Lothian Connected deals directly with free school meals claims at the same time as their customers are claiming benefit. This cuts down on administration for the education service and results in meals being available almost immediately for the children. It is less complicated for claimants, quicker and less bureaucratic. This has resulted in the responsibility for processing claims shifting from education to the benefits agency. This makes sense from a customer point of view, but has meant some cultural changes in the way both agencies have traditionally worked. The emphasis is not on who 'owns' the process, but what makes sense from a customer aspect. For more information see: www.westlothian.gov.uk |
Much of this personal data will relate to named individuals and may be of a sensitive nature. Therefore, those collecting and using such data have to know and abide by the Data Protection Act 1998, and other legislation, to ensure individuals' rights are protected. Information on the current data protection legislation is available from the Information Commissioner website (see link). The Data Protection Act 1998 does not stop data sharing but it regulates when and how to balance public needs with individual responsibilities and individual rights. However, work for the Task Force has highlighted uncertainty and differing interpretations of such legislation amongst Community Planning partners. A Scottish Executive led working group is addressing this issue.
- The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of maintaining confidentiality and public trust in how the public sector handles citizens' data. It has set up a Scottish Data Sharing Working Group (SDSWG) with other public sector representatives. Its remit is to:
"Deliver advice for the benefit of the Scottish public sector which addresses common issues and misconceptions about data sharing and the relevant legislation including advice about tests of compatibility, practical steps which can be taken to share data and highlighting areas of successful data sharing and test cases".
- The 21st Century Government Unit is looking at the issue and under the auspices of the Senior Officer Group on Data Sharing (SOGDS) ran workshops in June 2003 on data sharing to consult key stakeholders on a strategic approach to data sharing. The event attracted 150 delegates from the public, voluntary and consumer sectors and included may organisations involved in Community Planning.
- The 21st Century Government Unit is working with the Department of Constitutional Affairs which is responsible for Data Protection in the UK, on the development of guidance on data sharing for the public sector.
- SODGS is considering the development of a strategic framework to support data sharing in the public sector and the SDSWG has been established to take forward the initiatives agreed by the SOGDS.
- Draft guidance for public sector legal practitioners has been produced by the DCA. It is written with reference to the law in England and Wales and the statutory provisions that apply in those jurisdictions. While certain key statutes (such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Human Rights Act 1998) apply equally to Scotland, the Executive is considering what modifications would be required to make it more relevant to the Scottish public sector. The Scottish version is expected to be issued late in 2003.
- The SDSWG is also represented on a Department for Constitutional Affairs working group that is developing guidance, including draft codes of practice and protocols, for public sector practitioners. This is expected to be available before the end of December.
With appropriate care, the Data Protection Act 1998 allows the use of aggregated and anonymised personal data for research and statistical analysis. The sharing of such aggregated data amongst Community Planning partners is encouraged as it can provide a valuable source of information for strategic planning purposes. While there may be some management information of a sensitive nature, it should still be possible to provide access to a more limited data set. |
Links / other reading
Information Commissioner website
http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/commissioner.htm
Models for Information Sharing
There is no single model for information sharing. In some partnerships it may be thought appropriate for information sharing to be addressed on a themed or project basis whilst in others it may be thought appropriate to have a single strategic group to oversee the information sharing and development process. The development of "protocols" or formal agreements as a basis for information sharing amongst Community Planning partners is encouraged. As noted above the Scottish Data Sharing working group will be issuing a draft model protocol for information sharing in relation to personal data.
Community Planning partners across West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute and Renfrewshire have recognised the need to plan together and the need to share planning information. An information sharing partnership has been established across three council areas. The partnership has: - Established a set of principles and a protocol for sharing information (this does not include the sharing of identifiable personal information).
- Developed a data inventory profiling data held by all partners.
- Organised an information sharing seminar.
There are also developments underway to: - Establish a Register of Surveys, to co-ordinate consultation.
- Further develop the Data Inventory, to ensure it is widely accessed.
- Organise future information sharing events.
For more information see:
www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/
www.argyll-bute.gov.uk
www.renfrewshire.gov.uk |
Partners may also wish to consider appointing an individual officer to ensure the information sharing process is taken forward and fully developed.
Dumfries and Galloway StatMap project was a 12 month project funded and line managed by the Department of Public Health Medicine in the NHS Board on behalf of the Community Planning partners. It was initiated in February 2002 to look at data collection, collation and issues surrounding data use, access and sharing. This was with a view to determining the requirement for a central resource incorporating basic data on Dumfries and Galloway accessible to public, private and voluntary sector organisations and the local community. Main achievements to date include: - Website development to help people find, use and understand data.
- Data resource- database of data websites, documents both locally and nationally.
- GIS system- web-based facility awaiting data input for use by all.
- Production of the document "A Guide to Data and Its Use".
With the pilot project ending, partners have identified the need for better co-ordination of existing resources and increased investment. Dumfries & Galloway Council is developing proposals to maintain and further develop the dataset. This may include funding an Information Manager Post and /or a central research unit for Dumfries and Galloway. For more information see:
http://www.dgstatmap.scot.nhs.uk/ |
It will be increasingly important for partners not only to share the information they currently collect, but also to look for ways to improve joint collation of information as a basis for making cost-effective use of resources. For example, the joint commissioning of surveys to establish need, or surveys to collect customer feedback. Partners are also encouraged to share expertise in the processing, analysing and interpretation of data, for example joint analysis of Census data. In this respect joint partner training on data processing and analysis would also be useful to ensure a consistent approach.
Information Communication Technologies
The sharing of information supports the joined up delivery of services, many of which are increasingly being delivered through information communication technologies (ICTs). The Scottish Executive is committed to ensuring that technology is used innovatively to support high quality services. This is being taken forward under the 21st Century Government banner which recognises ICT as a critical tool. ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/c21g/)
The Modernising Government Fund (MGF) helps to take forward projects involving the innovative provision of improved services. One of the core initiatives funded through the MGF is E-Care. E-Care is a series of projects aimed at developing and implementing the electronic means of information sharing to improve inter-agency working. It focuses wholly on the direct shared care of patients and clients. E-care will work with groups' practitioners, within and across existing institutional boundaries to help them provide well-integrated direct services to their users. This project aims to produce a common language and standard customer data definitions and codes that will support information sharing across social work and health boundaries. Lessons from pilot projects will be translated into a national strategy. Customers stand to benefit from reduced requests for information and a faster service while organisations benefit from reduced duplication in information capture and initial responses to requests for information. ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/c21g/fund.asp) |
This joined up approach to the electronic delivery of services requires interoperable computer systems and a common approach to data definitions, access and system security and data protection. The Scottish Executive's Information Age Government in Scotland: A Common Framework ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/iag-framework.pdf) is a useful document in this respect setting out a framework for the adoption of consistent standards and guidelines across the public sector. The 21st Century Government Unit within the Scottish Executive has also set up a Common Infrastructure Standards Advisory Group, with members from across the public sector, to develop and promote common data standards.
Links / other reading
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