Imosphere Ltd

Strengths-based Toolset and Formulate for Adult Social Care

An off-the-shelf but customisable solution that enables local authorities to deliver efficient, strengths-based Care Act assessments, and ensure fair, accurate, and sustainable personalised budgets.

Features

• Integrated suite of form templates to use in local system
• Self-assessment templates for adults/carers to use in Citizen Portal
• Clear and concise form questions to drive the calculation
• Real-time estimated personal budget calculations via a web service
• Allocation Summary output accompanying estimated budget (breakdown by care domain)
• Quality Assurance output to help ensure accuracy of data
• Continuing Healthcare 'prediction' output to facilitate CHC referrals
• Remote updates to algorithm configuration as things change
• Inclusive benchmarking service for comparison to other local authorities
• Specialist support with configuration and implementation

Benefits

• Strengths-based principles throughout to move away from a deficit-led approach
• Designed to align with the Care Act’s principles and guidance
• Tools integrate into existing case management systems (no separate system)
• Reduce need for long-term support and evidence early intervention impact
• Each tool pre-populates the next, avoiding repetition of questions
• Gain control of ASC spending through unparalleled accuracy levels
• One PB tool for all adults (all levels of need)
• Reflects the government’s new Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard
• Reduce inequity (allocate similar funding for individuals with similar needs)
• Measure change in need over time and forecast future need

£46,000 an instance

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at oliver.brown@imosphere.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 14

Service ID

405363859605232

Contact

Oliver Brown
0800 802 1884
oliver.brown@imosphere.co.uk

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: Yes, but can also be used as a standalone service
• What software services is the service an extension to: The strengths-based toolset is built into a local authority's existing core IT system and the estimated budgets are calculated via integration with the Formulate web service - meaning the solution is an extension of that system. Formulate can be a standalone service where used on our optional cloud-based software platform.
• Cloud deployment model: Public cloud
• Service constraints: There is a brief monthly maintenance window for the Formulate web service which is timed to be outside of UK core office hours. The algorithms web service uses SOAP and support TLS 1.2 minimum for integrating with 3rd party IT systems.
• System requirements:
  • The algorithms web service uses SOAP technology for integration
  • The algorithms web service supports TLS 1.2 minimum for integration
  • Licences for the tools/algorithms are organisation-wide

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Email or online ticketing
• Support response times: We will acknowledge customer support queries within one working hour. We aim to respond to queries within one working day. More complex questions may take longer.
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: No
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 9 to 5 (UK time), Monday to Friday
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: During the implementation period, as part of the standard SLA we provide regular virtual calls to facilitate configuration decisions, IT systems implementation, and system testing before go-live, as well as 9-5 email and phone support provided by our consultancy team (including product and system experts). We supply training videos and e-learning quizzes to support a successful implementation - as well as providing training workshops for nominated 'superusers' as an optional extra.; ; After implementation, and for the lifetime of the contract, we provide a standard package of support which includes 9-5 email and phone support provided by our consultancy team, as well as a number of consultancy days to cover algorithm updates and remote 'health check' activities.; ; Additional time outside of the standard SLA can be purchased at an additional cost.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: We recommend planning user familiarisation activities early on because supporting people to have the knowledge they require about a change increases the chances of internal adoption.; ; We offer a suite of training videos accompanied by e-learning quizzes and these are recommended alongside internal training about changes to processes. We also offer a 'superuser' training package where we facilitate remote workshop sessions to explain how to use the Formulate algorithm outputs, the benefits of Formulate, and the importance of accurate completion of the questions - enabling nominated superusers to provide support to end users.; ; Additionally, we provide extensive training materials and product documentation.; ; In respect of ‘go live’, as part of our package for 'superusers', we facilitate further remote workshops to help with answering queries coming through from practitioners as they begin to put their first cases through the system – providing guidance and assurance at this key stage.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: The data is extracted and returned in CSV format. CSV data is one of the most widely accepted and portable data formats.
• End-of-contract process: Having agreed the end point of the contract, allowing time for export of the data required, we would disable all access to the relevant system(s) and securely destroy data held on our systems (including the web service databases) in line with our data sanitisation processes. Any user accounts and related information would also be destroyed. We retain financial information regarding our relationship for the period required by HMRC. The above is included in the price of the contract.; ; Additional data export services and migration consultancy are available at an additional cost.

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Chrome
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: Yes
• Differences between the mobile and desktop service: 'Yes' only applies where an LA has chosen to use the Formulate Portal cloud-based software for undertaking estimated personal budget calculations. Where used on a mobile device, assuming the device can access the service with respect to network and firewalls, the system allows for core data and features to be accessed. This may differ in presentation/appearance compared to the desktop view to accommodate differences in screen sizes and available visual space.; ; For LAs using Formulate via integration from their main IT system and only using Formulate Portal for analytics, this functionality has not been designed for mobile devices.
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: None or don’t know
• Description of service interface: Where a local authority uses the Toolset/Formulate within their local core IT system, any such compatible system can be connected to our cloud-hosted Formulate web service via a SOAP interface.; ; Where a local authority wishes to use the tools/algorithms within the Imosphere software system, this is supplied with a built-in interface with the Formulate web service.
• Accessibility standards: None or don’t know
• Description of accessibility: N/a
• Accessibility testing: N/a
• API: No
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: The following can be customised:; ; (1) The unit costs (rates) applied to 'units of care/support' calculated by the Formulate algorithm. This is facilitated by the local authority completing a local ‘Formulate Configuration template’. The configuration template is the key deliverable for the local authority - setting out each step of the algorithm’s allocation process and explaining the options available for configuring to reflect local circumstances and costs. This process and the expertise we offer in supporting it are essential in ensuring fair, sufficient and financially sustainable personal budgets – and providing a clear record of all decisions. Once the document has been completed (involving senior representatives from finance, commissioning and front-line practice), the decisions are applied by Imosphere to the algorithm.; ; (2) With regard to the Strengths-based Toolset, local authorities are able to make bespoke changes to the forms as part of embedding these into their main IT system so long as a record is maintained of all changes so these can be re-applied in future version upgrades if still needed. Any significant changes for changes that might affect estimated budget calculations via Formulate need to be ratified with Imosphere.

Scaling

• Independence of resources: For customers calculating via the Formulate web service, the enterprise server dealing with calculation requests is heavily resourced. The logical tenanting structure of the algorithm setup ensures that concurrent requests from distinct organisations are processed independently. The majority of activity on the server involves reading from the database with very few write requests, keeping the likelihood of disruptive locks extremely low.; ; Managing user demand is not applicable for customers calculating via an internal script or similar solution within their local system(s).

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: Nominated local authority representatives are provided with access to 'Data Explorer' within our Formulate Portal cloud-based platform. This includes:; ; - Insights: A set of pre-designed 'dashboards' showing a variety of statistics about the organisation's use of the system, including numbers of calculations submissions by customisable time period.; ; - Extracts: Enables them to generate their own CSV exports of the input and output data involved in their estimated budget calculations via Formulate. This will show numbers of cases submitted through the system together with dates and times.
• Reporting types: Real-time dashboards

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

Asset protection

• Knowledge of data storage and processing locations: Yes
• Data storage and processing locations:
  • United Kingdom
  • European Economic Area (EEA)
• User control over data storage and processing locations: No
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: Another external penetration testing organisation
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
  • Scale, obfuscating techniques, or data storage sharding
• Data sanitisation process: Yes
• Data sanitisation type:
  • Explicit overwriting of storage before reallocation
  • Deleted data can’t be directly accessed
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: Imosphere provides the facility for local authorities to generate data exports of the input and output data involved in their estimated budget calculations via Formulate in CSV format.
• Data export formats: CSV
• Data import formats: Other
• Other data import formats: N/a

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
• Data protection within supplier network: TLS (version 1.2 or above)

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: For customers calculating via the Formulate web service, the service is intended to be available continuously except for periods of maintenance or upgrades. Any maintenance or scheduled tasks are triggered out of regular working hours, from 7pm. Support will be available during core working hours. ; ; In the event of service availability falling below our KPI minimum percentage standard of 99.9% during 24x7 hours, 4% of annual licence costs will be credited. Availability performance of the Live systems over the past year has been 99.95% over 24x7 hours.; ; For customers calculating via an internal script or similar solution within their local system(s), service availability is not applicable.
• Approach to resilience: Information is available on request.
• Outage reporting: Outage reports and notifications of planned work that may affect services are available via a public dashboard. Detailed information, including where individual customers may be affected, is provided via email alerts.

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication: Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: For customers calculating via the Formulate web service, restricted access is not relevant as this is automated integration between a local system and the web service, rather than a front-end system.; ; For customers calculating via an internal script or similar solution within their local system(s), this is also not relevant.; ; For customers using our cloud-hosted software system, only users assigned Administrator permissions can access management interfaces.
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least every 6 months
• Management access authentication: Username or password

Audit information for users

• Access to user activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long user audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: At least 12 months
• How long system logs are stored for: At least 12 months

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: LRQA
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 22/01/2013
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: All operations of the business are within scope.
• ISO 28000:2007 certification: No
• CSA STAR certification: No
• PCI certification: No
• Cyber essentials: Yes
• Cyber essentials plus: Yes
• Other security certifications: No

Security governance

• Named board-level person responsible for service security: Yes
• Security governance certified: Yes
• Security governance standards: ISO/IEC 27001
• Information security policies and processes: Our Information Security Management System is an integrated framework of policies and procedures developed in compliance with ISO 27001 and includes, amongst others: employee screening & training, record classification and retention, information risk and opportunity management, data protection impact analysis, change management, incident management, business continuity, relationships with suppliers and third parties, network & access control, cryptographic controls, pseudonymisation and de-identification, and physical security.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Documented and independently audited configuration and change management process.
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Patches are deployed on a monthly scheduled basis following testing in a lab environment. Critical patches are deployed following our emergency change process. Multiple sources are used for information: independent security organisations (i.e. BugTraq, Full Disclosure), vendors, government (e.g. NCSC, NIST), published information from security organisations and professionals and security conferences.
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: We monitor activity at the firewall and internal detection systems based on log monitoring.
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Our incident management process is based on the ITIL approach and includes consideration of prioritisation, proportionate response, monitoring, escalation and retrospective review. All employees are trained on the incident reporting and management approach. Senior management monitor issues in aggregate and on specific escalated issues, including performance against internal and external SLA standards.

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Independent review of processes (for example CESG CPA Build Standard, ISO/IEC 27034, ISO/IEC 27001 or CSA CCM v3.0)

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: No

Social Value

• Social Value:

  Social Value

  Wellbeing

  Wellbeing

  The Formulate product is able to support wellbeing by identifying the needs of the individual and establishing a fair estimated budget to have these needs met and improve their wellbeing.

Pricing

• Price: £46,000 an instance
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Service definition document

  PDF

• Terms and conditions

  PDF

Request an accessible format

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need versions of these documents in a more accessible format, email the supplier at oliver.brown@imosphere.co.uk. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.