Answer Digital Ltd

Data Services and AI Platforms

Answer Digital provides hosted platforms for data and AI solutions for the NHS. Our platforms include solutions for training machine learning algorithms, deploying AI into a clinical setting, and a suite of data and data management solutions hosted in the cloud.

Features

• Software solutions for data governance and metadata management
• Host metadata catalogues in the cloud
• AI solutions to deploy machine-learning algorithms in clinical settings
• Accommodate multi-modal AI inputs: radiology, pathology, genomics, raw clinical data
• National technology standards compliant (DICOM, HL7, FHIR, OMOP)
• Federated learning network allowing models to be securely trained
• Medical Open Network for Artificial Intelligence (MONAI) Framework compliant
• Full support model for hosted solutions
• National regulatory standards compliant (IG, Clinical, Information Security)
• Methodologies include: Agile, DevSecOps, CI/CD, Rainbow-Team, Knowledge Transfer, Shift-Left

Benefits

• Lowers barriers to entry for access to clinical AI
• Enables efficiency and cost savings for clinical pathways and referral-to-treatment
• Harmonises AI deployments through existing Trust clinical IT environments
• Trains and validates local AI research for clinical practice
• Provides clinicians with near real-time access to AI analysis
• Training/validation of AI models without exposing personal identifiable data
• Enables Trusts to adhere to governance & data privacy regulations
• Speeds up AI transformation of patient pathways
• Improves outcomes for patients
• Proven across leading NHS Trusts

£350 to £1,250 a unit a day

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 bids@answerdigital.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.

Framework

G-Cloud 13

Service ID

833090248774008

Contact

Rebecca Forsyth
0113 201 0600
bids@answerdigital.com

Service scope

• Software add-on or extension: No
• Cloud deployment model:
  • Public cloud
  • Private cloud
  • Community cloud
  • Hybrid cloud
• Service constraints: None
• System requirements: System requirements agreed on an individual client basis

User support

• Email or online ticketing support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support response times: As agreed with the client
• User can manage status and priority of support tickets: Yes
• Online ticketing support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Phone support: Yes
• Phone support availability: 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Web chat support: No
• Onsite support: Yes, at extra cost
• Support levels: A prioritised help desk process is in place which includes defined 1st, 2nd and 3rd level support. Experienced Answer Technical Account Managers manage and allow for support effort.; ; Critical; 1 hour - Acknowledgement; 8 hours - Response; ; Major; 4 hour - Acknowledgement; 24 hours - Response; ; Minor; 12 hours - Acknowledgement; 48 hours - Response; ; Enquiry/Query; 48 hours - Acknowledgement; 1 week - Response; ; The basic Annual Support and Maintenance package from Answer Digital is based on a flat percentage of the total investment into the application development (typically 20%), This may be subject to requotation if the requirements for support (e.g. hours) during SLA definition are more significant.
• Support available to third parties: Yes

Onboarding and offboarding

• Getting started: Answer Digital agree bespoke on-boarding activities with each client to integrate the solution with their existing operational procedures.
• Service documentation: Yes
• Documentation formats:
  • HTML
  • PDF
• End-of-contract data extraction: Answer Digital agree bespoke off-boarding processes with each client
• End-of-contract process: Answer Digital agree bespoke off-boarding processes with each client

Using the service

• Web browser interface: Yes
• Supported browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 11
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Opera
• Application to install: No
• Designed for use on mobile devices: No
• Service interface: Yes
• User support accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Description of service interface: As agreed on an individual client basis to meet their deployment scope and existing clinical processes
• Accessibility standards: WCAG 2.1 AA or EN 301 549
• Accessibility testing: Answer Digital uses a combination of Manual and Automated Accessibility testing to assure that less able users can interact with the website without hindrance. All UI components are designed and tested to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA Level: Acceptable compliance for web-based content. This ensures that users within a targeted demographic are not excluded from using the website, proves regulatory compliance and demonstrates commitment to social responsibility as a whole.
• API: Yes
• What users can and can't do using the API: A variety of APIs are available including for; provisioning, instigation, management, security, and operations.
• API documentation: Yes
• API documentation formats:
  • Open API (also known as Swagger)
  • PDF
• API sandbox or test environment: Yes
• Customisation available: Yes
• Description of customisation: As agreed on an individual client basis

Scaling

• Independence of resources: As agreed on an individual client basis

Analytics

• Service usage metrics: Yes
• Metrics types: As agreed on an individual client basis

Resellers

• Supplier type: Not a reseller

Staff security

• Staff security clearance: Other security clearance
• Government security clearance: Up to Developed Vetting (DV)

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: Yes
• Datacentre security standards: Managed by a third party
• Penetration testing frequency: At least once a year
• Penetration testing approach: ‘IT Health Check’ performed by a Tigerscheme qualified provider or a CREST-approved service provider
• Protecting data at rest:
  • Physical access control, complying with another standard
  • Encryption of all physical media
• Data sanitisation process: No
• Equipment disposal approach: A third-party destruction service

Data importing and exporting

• Data export approach: As agreed on an individual client basis
• Data export formats:
  • CSV
  • ODF
  • Other
• Other data export formats: As agreed on an individual client basis
• Data import formats:
  • CSV
  • ODF
  • Other
• Other data import formats: As agreed on an individual client basis

Data-in-transit protection

• Data protection between buyer and supplier networks:
  • Private network or public sector network
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway
  • Bonded fibre optic connections
• Data protection within supplier network:
  • TLS (version 1.2 or above)
  • IPsec or TLS VPN gateway

Availability and resilience

• Guaranteed availability: As per agreed SLAs
• Approach to resilience: As per agreed design and SLAs
• Outage reporting: As per agreed SLAs

Identity and authentication

• User authentication needed: Yes
• User authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • Username or password
• Access restrictions in management interfaces and support channels: Access restrictions are agreed on an individual client basis
• Access restriction testing frequency: At least once a year
• Management access authentication:
  • 2-factor authentication
  • Identity federation with existing provider (for example Google Apps)
  • 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: User-defined
• Access to supplier activity audit information: Users contact the support team to get audit information
• How long supplier audit data is stored for: User-defined
• How long system logs are stored for: User-defined

Standards and certifications

• ISO/IEC 27001 certification: Yes
• Who accredited the ISO/IEC 27001: Alcumus ISOQAR
• ISO/IEC 27001 accreditation date: 8/11/2021
• What the ISO/IEC 27001 doesn’t cover: Elements of the service provision that require conformance with the client's ISO27001 ISMS
• 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: Answer Digital has a ISO27001:2013 certified Information Security Management system which documents all security policies and processes, and also includes an Information Security Register detailing the reporting structure. The Register details formal board member ownership for each policy and also details administration ownership. Each policy has an agreed review schedule to ensure the policy remains up-to-date and relevant to the company. Training and internal audits are scheduled to ensure that policies are followed.

Operational security

• Configuration and change management standard: Supplier-defined controls
• Configuration and change management approach: Configuration and change management processes are agreed on an individual client basis
• Vulnerability management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Vulnerability management approach: Vulnerability management processes are agreed on an individual client basis
• Protective monitoring type: Supplier-defined controls
• Protective monitoring approach: Protective monitoring is agreed on an individual client basis
• Incident management type: Supplier-defined controls
• Incident management approach: Incident management processes are agreed on an individual client basis

Secure development

• Approach to secure software development best practice: Conforms to a recognised standard, but self-assessed

Public sector networks

• Connection to public sector networks: Yes
• Connected networks:
  • Public Services Network (PSN)
  • Police National Network (PNN)
  • NHS Network (N3)
  • Joint Academic Network (JANET)
  • Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN)
  • Health and Social Care Network (HSCN)

Social Value

• Fighting climate change:

  Fighting climate change

  Method statement:; ; Answer Digital view environmental protection and improvement as pivotal to our collective future, and climate change as an urgent threat and are fully committed to supporting environmental protection and improvement through the positive contributions of our staff, suppliers, customers and communities in line with the Social Value Act 2012. ; Answer maintains a robust social responsibility policy focused on environmental education and projects. The strategy specifically includes:- ; ; Business premises, staff and travel: ; Working remotely where possible, promoting the use of alternatives, travelling only when necessary. ; Creating local teams (permanent, contractors, suppliers) for on-site work to minimise travel. ; Our cycle to work scheme encourages employees to travel to work via this method. ; Our green car incentive scheme encourages electric vehicles to be affordably leased ; Promoting use of public transport , favouring green transport. ; Seeking to reduce energy waste, e.g. using energy efficient equipment and ‘turn off when not in use’ policy.; Encouraging minimal use of printing, increased recycling and elimination of single-use plastics (eg all staff are issued water bottles); Facilitating volunteering opportunities for staff between projects, to support environment initiatives, agreeing a fixed number of days per year. ; ; Use of technology: ; Adopting a ‘sustainable by design’ approach to projects ; IT Equipment meets Regulation No 106/2008 on energy-efficiency labelling programmes for office equipment and we typically purchase laptops over desktops (80% less energy). ; Re-issuing IT equipment wherever possible to reduce the purchase/disposal of end user devices, documenting the age at point of disposal with asset registers. ; ; Information, training and communication: ; Providing transparency on environmental impact. Including environmental information and case studies on our website. ; Educating staff, suppliers and customers on the environmental impact of our processes and technologies, and opportunities to reduce these.; Facilitating community projects in the use of tech for good, including themes of environmental care.

Pricing

• Price: £350 to £1,250 a unit a day
• Discount for educational organisations: No
• Free trial available: No

Service documents

• Pricing document

  PDF

• Skills Framework for the Information Age rate card

  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 bids@answerdigital.com. Tell them what format you need. It will help if you say what assistive technology you use.