NMDS-SC Steering Group
16th January 2013
FOR DECISION
Request for Change No. 8:
Additional job roles, service types and service user categories in NMDS-SC
Purpose:
The NMDS-SC Data User Group has recommended the addition of three
new service user definitions to better reflect the groups of people
receiving social care services. It previously recommended the addition of
two new job roles which was agreed by the Steering Group in November
2012. It also recommended reviewing and improving the guidance on
main service definitions. This report provides information to the NMDSSC Steering Group so final decisions can be made on these
recommendations.
A separate report went to the DH/ADASS Outcomes and Information
Development Board (OIDB) on whether to make the additional two job
roles available to local authorities from September 2013. A further report
will need to go to the OIDB on these three new service user definitions.
Decisions:
1. The Steering Group agree the DUG recommendation that three
new service user definitions be added to the data set to be
available in Release 6.3 in August 2013.
2. Note the proposed guidance to help employers select main
service definitions
3. Advise what forum, if any, the proposed additional data items for
Children and Young People need to be taken to for agreement
with respect to local authority data collections.
Author:
David Cubey
Project Manager, Workforce Intelligence (Strategic Development)
Date of paper:
January 2013
Introduction
The NMDS-SC Data User Group (DUG) is the stakeholder group for NMDS-SC, keeps the
NMDS-SC under review to ensure that it continues to reflect the reality of social care services
and oversees the change control process for NMDS-SC.
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The DUG makes recommendations for change to the data set for independent sector
employers to the Skills for Care NMDS-SC Steering Group. In the case of local authority
NMDS-SC collections the DUG makes recommendations to the Outcome and Information
Development Board (OIDB) chaired by DH and ADASS.
The NMDS-SC data set was developed in 2005 with a range of stakeholders and has been
updated periodically since then. The NMDS-SC Data User Group commissioned Skills for
Care (January 2012) to undertake research into existing job roles to establish if there were job
roles within social care services that needed to be added to the data set. The research on job
roles also incorporated a consultation on service types and service user category definitions
and whether these needed to be expanded.
Issues to Consider
The DUG (September 2012) recommended the addition of two job roles to the NMDS-SC data
set in order for NMDS-SC to better reflect job roles in the social care sector. This follows
research and consultation with the sector following feedback to Skills for Care that there were
some job roles missing from the choices available. The two recommended additional job roles
were:
1. Activities Worker or Co-ordinator
2. Safeguarding and Reviewing Officer
This recommendation was agreed by the NMDS-SC Steering Group and the OIDB (by
correspondence) in November 2012 and they will be added in the next release of NMDS-SC
(6.2) in May 2013.
The DUG also recommended mapping the proposed new service types and service user
category definitions with existing categories to see where there is overlap and improve the
guidance where necessary. For example personalisation of services will apply to a lot of main
service types rather than being a ‘stand-alone’ service type. A similar argument applies to
‘user involvement services’ where all services should seek to involve the service user in their
care. The guidance on main services and other services will therefore be amended to read:
Please note that the personalisation of services and increasing user involvement is a
requirement for all services commissioned by local authorities. It is expected therefore that
this will be a feature of all services rather than a stand-alone definition of a service. If however
your service is not included in the definitions below then please add it to the Other Service
box.
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The DUG further recommended in December 2012 the addition of three new service user
definitions to better reflect the groups of people receiving social care services. This was in
response to the research and consultation with the sector following feedback to Skills for Care
that there were some categories missing from the choices available.
1. People receiving end of life care (74%),
2. People with neurological conditions (64%)
3. People with brain injury (63%)
The figures in brackets are the percentage of those consulted who supported these new
categories. The DUG further considered these three proposed service user categories and
agreed to recommend their addition to the data set to more accurately reflect the groups of
people receiving social care services.
If agreed they would need to be added to the three separate sections on Older People, Adults
and Children and Young People making a total of nine additional tick boxes. Providers will
only need to tick one box in most cases and would have already had to tick the ‘other service
users’ box without this increase in options. They will also go to the section that was relevant to
them e.g. Older People, so there will in effect only be three additional tick boxes to choose
from.
However, the DUG acknowledged that this does give employers a longer list to choose from
and therefore can compromise the usability of the data set. However, there is also a need to
represent the diversity and complexity of the social care sector and people receiving services.
It was felt therefore that the long lists (e.g. qualifications) that employers are faced with be
considered as part of the work of the ‘usability’ project perhaps through increased use of
routing to appropriate sub lists.
A remaining issue is what forum if any the proposed additional data items for Children and
Young People need to be taken to for agreement with respect to local authority data
collections.
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Findings from the consultation exercise: job roles, main service definitions and service
user categories review
Introduction
This report outlines the findings from the final stage of the review of job role categories
currently available in NMDS-SC. The research has taken the form of desk-based research to
identify categories that featured repeatedly in the ‘other’ categories of respective questions, a
period of fieldwork with NMDS-SC stakeholders to begin to prioritise these additional
categories, alongside an opportunity for the field to make further suggestions for
consideration. The final stage was the formal consultation with the NMDS-SC stakeholders to
ascertain support or otherwise for proposed additions.
The consultation was via an online survey which was promoted through DUG members1,
Employers Working Group, local authorities, NMDS-SC news, Skills for Care’s e-news and the
Skills for Care website.
Findings
Spread of responses
There were 172 full and partial responses to the consultation from a spread of organisations
including local authorities (48%), private and independent organisations (26%) and voluntary
or charitable organisations (19%). The majority of respondents were from larger (500+
employees) organisations (52%) and the remainder spread over small to micro organisations.
Respondents considered themselves to be both users and providers of NMDS-SC data (46%),
providers of data only (33%) or users of data only (21%). Finally, the majority worked in adult
services although there still some representation from children’s services (see Table 1 below).
Table 1: Services provided by frequency of response
Services offered
Frequency (%)
Adult residential
Adult day care
Adult domiciliary
Adult community care
Children’s residential
Children’s day care
Children’s domiciliary
Healthcare
Other
69%
45%
50%
45%
16%
14%
13%
7%
18%
1
DUG members were requested to distribute the link to member organisations
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Base (n=)
159
Job roles
Only two additional job roles were included in the consultation following the desk based
research and the initial fieldwork that took place earlier this year. The two roles were:
 Activities worker or co-ordinator

Safeguarding and reviewing officer
Respondents were asked the extent to which they would support the inclusion of the new
roles and were able to fully support, partially support, neither support or oppose, partially
oppose or fully oppose.
The charts below highlight the findings for this section of the consultation.
Chart 1: Activities co-ordinator or worker
4%
5%
Strongly or partially
support
Neutral
29%
62%
Partially or fully
oppose
Don't know
Chart 2: Safeguarding and reviewing officer
6%
3%
Strongly or partially
support
Neutral
30%
61%
Partially or fully
oppose
Don't know
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It is clear from the data that the majority of respondents were supportive of the introduction of
the two new job roles reflecting an activities co-ordinator or worker and safeguarding and
review officer. A significant minority were undecided in both instances while only a small
proportion opposed the introduction of the new roles.
It should be noted that during the period of the consultation one response suggested that
further attention was given to different types of social work. This was a single response
offered at the consultation stage. It was not highlighted either through the desk-based
research or during the fieldwork stage where respondents were specifically asked to identify
additional categories. Therefore there was not enough support throughout the entire research
process to make further changes to the social worker job role.
Main services
While there were only two job roles in the consultation, there were five additional main
services that were included: supported living services, user involvement services,
personalisation services, personal care services and preventative services. The table below
indicates the support for the alternatives included.
Table 2: Support for additional main services categories
Supported living services
User involvement services
Personalisation services
Personal care services
Preventative services
Full or
partial
support
Neutral
Partial or
full
opposition
Don’t
know
Base
74%
68%
68%
65%
61%
17%
21%
19%
23%
27%
5%
8%
6%
8%
6%
4%
3%
7%
4%
6%
122
124
122
119
121
It is clear from the table that the majority of respondents support the introduction of all five of
the main services offered that were included in the consultation. It is clear from both the data
that the most popular addition would be the supported living service, with least support for
preventative services. It is important to note however, that the recent White Paper places a
degree of emphasis on preventative services so this might be more relevant as the White
paper is implemented.
Service user categories
Seven additional service user categories were included in the consultation that focused on the
adult population. Table 3 (below) highlights the support for the new categories in order of
popularity.
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Table 3: Support for additional service user categories
Adults with long term health
conditions
Adults with ongoing care and
support needs
Adults requiring end of life
care
Vulnerable adults (e.g.
socially isolated)
Adults needing support to
live independently
Adults with neurological
conditions
Adults with brain injuries
Full or
Neutral
partial
support
Partial or
full
opposition
Don’t
know
Base
78%
16%
4%
3%
114
76%
15%
6%
3%
114
74%
19%
4%
3%
113
72%
21%
4%
3%
114
68%
22%
5%
4%
111
64%
26%
4%
5%
111
63%
28%
4%
4%
111
It is clear that the majority of the respondents to these questions were supportive of the
introduction of all of the proposed categories outlined in the table above and although there
was a significant minority who made no indication of their support or opposition, there was
limited opposition to the introduction of any of the categories.
Recommendations
Given the path of the research, it is not surprising that there is support for the additional
categories suggested as NMDS-SC stakeholders were involved at each stage. The
recommendation from these findings would be to adopt the changes supported and make the
necessary changes to the NMDS-SC dataset and associated guidance.
Liz Burtney, Project Manager, Research
September 2012
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