This fund is now closed. Please visit this project page for further updates on this work.

LOTI is pleased to announce the launch of its New Service Models in Adult Social Care Innovation Fund. The Fund will make £200K available to LOTI boroughs and their partners to design and test new and innovative approaches to addressing Adult Social Care (ASC) needs.

Our intention is to fund two projects (up to £100K each) that address challenges in one or more of the following themes:

1. Better residential and care homes
2. Better care at home
3. Better community support models

What’s on offer

• Funding: Up to £100K for projects that seek to design and test new service models in the field of ASC. For an overview of what LOTI means by ‘new service models’ see this blog.
• Hands-on support from the LOTI team: A LOTI project manager will support the delivery of the projects.
• External support: Depending on each project’s specific needs, LOTI can help boroughs access and allocate their funding towards sourcing expert external support, for example in additional project management, consultancy, data analysis, research, design or technology development.
• Information Governance advice: Victoria Blyth, Pan-London Information Governance Lead at LOTI, can provide support on information governance matters, including data sharing and processing.
• Dissemination and design support: LOTI can help project teams produce first-class, accessible resources that can be reused by all LOTI members.
• Personal Professional Development: Projects funded by this initiative will act as professional development opportunities for borough staff involved. Participants will work with their peers in other boroughs and have the opportunity to draw on and learn from experts to deliver the project’s goals. They will be publicly acknowledged on all documentation produced and will be given the opportunity to showcase their work via LOTI’s public platforms, including our website and show and tells.

Project criteria and selection

Projects supported by this fund should:

1. Test new and innovative approaches to addressing care needs. 
2. Be relevant to one or more of the themes of: Better residential and care homes; Better care at home; Better community support models.
3. Involve at least two LOTI boroughs. (Boroughs are encouraged to seek involvement from other partners in the third and private sectors to help them deliver on their ideas.)
4. Be enabled at some level by better use of technology and data (but the innovation should go beyond just implementing new tech.) 
5. Practically test an idea, not merely produce a discovery report. 

Projects are likely to be favoured if they can also demonstrate one or more of the elements below:

1. Focus on prevention rather than reaction
2. Empower residents and/or front-line practitioners
3. Involve collaboration between different sectors or groups
4. Entail boroughs playing a different role from delivering or commissioning a service
5. Build on ideas that are generated as part of the New Service Models in Social Care Innovation Day, held on 21 November 2022. A summarised list of ideas generated on the day will be published on 29 November 2022.

Application process

Expression of interest: 21 November 2022 – 9 January 2023

The fund launches on 21 November 2022. LOTI boroughs are invited to complete a short Expression of Interest (EOI) form (a downloadable version of the project selection criteria and questions can be viewed here).  EOIs should be submitted by midday on 9 January 2023. The LOTI team will review all EOIs, provide feedback on these early ideas, connect similar projects and provide additional advice on filling in a full proposal in the next stage.

Application process: 18 January 2023 – 24 February 2023

Those wishing to submit a full application after the EOI feedback will be invited to complete an online application form outlining their full project idea including budget implications.

Timeline

• 21 November 2022:  Fund opens for Expression of Interest (EOI)
• 30 November 2022: LOTI webinar to share more details about the fund and answer any questions. The recording of the webinar can be accessed via this link and the slides presented can be accessed in this document.
• 9 January 2023: Deadline for EOI applications at midday.
• 13 January 2023: Feedback to applicants on their EOIs.
• 18 January 2023: Applications open and mentoring support is available to help boroughs develop detailed project proposals.
• 24 February 2023: Deadline for applications.
• 03 March 2023: Clarification interviews.
• 09 March 2023: Successful projects confirmed and relevant teams informed.

Frequently asked questions

In this document, you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Innovation Fund. This is a “live” document that the LOTI team updates regularly in the lead-up to the deadline of 24 February.

Please contact us at contact@loti.london if you have questions about the fund or how to apply.