A multi-stakeholder co-creation platform for better access to long-term care services

Project Information

SoCaTel

Grant agreement ID: 769975

DOI

10.3030/769975

Project closed

EC signature date 27 September 2017

Start date 1 December 2017

End date 31 January 2021

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Europe In A Changing World - Inclusive, Innovative And Reflective Societies

Total cost

€ 4 232 748,20

EU contribution

€ 3 809 402,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SoCaTel (A multi-stakeholder co-creation platform for better access to long-term care services)

Reporting period: 2018-12-01 to 2021-01-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

As estimates show, one quarter of the EU population is going to be aged 65 and over by the middle of this century.

There are many challenges that the ageing population face on a daily basis, as there are a substantial amount of barriers for accessing long-term care (LTC) services.
The SoCaTel project targets the improvement of LTC services for this growing population, by encouraging the involvement of all stakeholders in a digital co-creation process, while promoting active and dignified ageing in Europe. SoCaTel aims at advancing the accessibility, responsiveness, efficiency, transparency and transferability of social and care services through digital co-creation.

Service users (older adults and their family carers), care professionals, researchers and innovators have collaborated throughout the whole process, from design, development, testing and implementation of the SoCaTel co-creation platform. This platform has been piloted in four European countries (Ireland, Spain, Finland and Hungary) representing a variety of welfare models, care systems and addressing different challenges. The platform facilitates the co-creation of services that address emerging needs and encourage bottom-up innovation. Digital co-creation has become a silver lining in the middle of the Covid-19 context, enabling all LTC stakeholders to discuss and address emerging needs in an agile way while co-creating innovative services adapted to the new global pandemic context and to local specific situations while empowering citizens’ voices.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The co-design of the SoCaTel platform resulted from the integrated work of the technical team, social researchers and co-creation experts who translated users’ needs and preferences expressed during the research phase into functional requirements, completing the plan for the platform building with a front and back-end, and data sources for the Knowledge Base were defined and classified.

The SoCaTel platform will simultaneously empower citizens’ voices and generate business opportunities for SME's and entrepreneurs. SoCaTel has been scaled-up by means of the SoCaTel twinning (funded by the Project DigitalHealthEurope) with ISRAA, an institution in charge of older adults’ care in the region of Veneto (Italy). ISRAA has carried out digital co-creation which has become a useful tool in the Covid-19 context (participating also in the ValueCare H2020 Project, ID: 875215) and implementing the full adoption of the platform.

The SoCaTel platform is an open-source platform accessible in GitHub (github.com/SoCaTel) or by means of a URV spin-off in charge of facilitating its uptake by public administrations across Europe. Moreover, the impact assessment framework was convened for analysing the effects of the SoCaTel project. Policy recommendations for fostering co-creation processes and digitalisation of LTC services were proposed based on the planning, conducting and evaluation of the co-creation process.

Finally, 13 high ranking scientific papers have been published and some more are expected to be published postproject. SoCaTel website (socatel.eu) has an update about SoCaTel activities and achievements. Updates are also communicated on SoCaTel social media channels.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The SoCaTel method is concerned with fully-functioning LTC services designed on-line, materialized and implemented as a model for uptake by European administrations and companies and entrepreneurs. As a tool for ideation of more cost/efficient social and care services to be transferred to society, SoCaTel has already had societal impacts, being ahead of its time in a Covid-19 context. SoCaTel digital co-creation has become a silver lining in this tragic circumstance of Covid-19.
It can provide support for end-users and/or their families and communities when needed, while introducing, spreading and improving co-creation methods within social and care institutions. The scientific impact is breaking grounds.

Regarding the economic impact, a detailed exploitation plan has been developed throughout the project’s implementation. SoCaTel has created a tangible value for a wide range of stakeholders involved in LTC and in an inclusive co-creation practice.

Moreover, SoCaTel is intended to impact on eGovernment, public services (i.e. social services, health and care services), third sector organizations, private-sector providers and end-users and their formal and informal carers, relatives, in cases requiring LTC services. SoCaTel could also measure the development of citizens’ engagement in participatory processes of co-designing services and improving, in the long-term, LTC services for citizens.

Dissemination banner in a Social Work Conference - Spain

Lego Serious Play Preliminary Workshop - Spain

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Lego Serious Play Preliminary Workshop - Spain

End users Focus Group - Spain

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