Legacy Data Liability

Beyond Go-Live: Don't Let Your Legacy Data Become a Liability!

The modern care sector is rapidly moving digital, but the journey often involves more than just swapping paper for a screen. Many providers are now making the smart move from one digital system to another, seeking better features, greater efficiency, or unified platforms for their growing groups.

But amidst the excitement of a new system, there’s a crucial question that often gets overlooked: What about the data for your discharged residents?

The Hidden Challenge: Data Retention for Discharged Residents

You might be focused on getting your current residents’ data into the new system (and rightly so!), but regulatory guidelines (like those from the CQC and data protection legislation) typically require you to retain resident records for a significant period – often 7 years or more from the date of cessation of service or death. In cases like mental health care records, this can extend to 20 years or even longer.

This isn’t just about compliance; it’s about crucial legal protection. In the unfortunate event of a medical negligence claim, accessible and accurate historical data can be your strongest defence

The Three Risky Roads to Legacy Data Management:

When you end your contract with your current digital care planning system provider, you’re usually presented with a few options for your legacy data, each with its own significant pitfalls:

The “Read-Only Access Fee” Trap:
- The Option: You pay your previous supplier a monthly fee for continued “read-only” access to your old system.
- The Risk: In a care landscape where budgets are already stretched thin, continuously paying for a system you’re no longer actively using becomes a major financial burden. You’re effectively paying for two systems.
The “Data Dump” Dilemma (CSV Files):
- The Option: Your previous supplier provides you with a “data dump” – often a collection of CSV (Comma Separated Values) files containing all your historical data.
- The Risk: While seemingly free at the point of exit, these data dumps are notoriously difficult to use. You’re left with sheer volumes of raw, unstructured data that is incredibly challenging to navigate. Trying to find specific information quickly (e.g., for a medical negligence claim that demands immediate, precise records) becomes a monumental, time-consuming task, potentially leaving you vulnerable when time is of the essence.
The “Clear All Data” Catastrophe:
- The Option: Some contracts may imply or even require you to clear your data before your contract ends.
- The Risk: This is perhaps the most dangerous option. Deleting data that you are legally required to retain can lead to severe regulatory penalties, major legal liabilities, and irreparable reputational damage. This should generally be avoided unless you have a robust, legally compliant alternative retention strategy.

Our Solution: Turning Legacy Data into Accessible Insights

At Care Match UK, we’ve seen a significant rise in care providers asking for our support with this exact challenge. We understand that simply having the data isn’t enough; you need it to be accessible, searchable, and defensible when you need it most.

We specialize in:

Secure Data Retrieval: Extracting all active and legacy data from your previous digital care planning system.
Intelligent Organisation: Transforming complex data dumps into highly navigable and user-friendly formats. We can help create structured folder systems within your chosen secure storage servers (like SharePoint or Google Drive).
Ensuring Accessibility: Our service ensures that crucial information, especially for past residents, is easy to find, review, and utilize for compliance, audits, or urgent legal claims.

Don’t let the vital historical data of your discharged residents become a source of stress or a potential liability. Plan proactively for your legacy data. Care Match UK is here to provide the expertise and peace of mind you need for a truly seamless digital transition, from start to compliant finish.