The Department of Health has announced a second wave of 12 demonstrator projects to target aspects of information management to improve the quality of social care. The projects form part of the Information for Social care initiative and are due to be in operation by March 2003.

The Department received 55 project proposals. The 12 chosen will focus on the electronic social care record, process mapping, information sharing, NHSNet and connectivity.

Achievements of the first six projects which ran during 2001-02 covered the input of assessments on portable media, information sharing, a community health and social care website, a social care risk model, management tools and service delivery.

For details of the demonstrator programme and individual projects, see the Department of Health’s web site at www.doh.gov.uk/infsoc/ifscdemonstrator.htm