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If you're researching software for your homecare agency and want to access government digitisation funding, the NHS assured supplier list is the place to start. Formally called the Assured Solutions List, it's maintained by NHS England and sets out which Digital Social Care Record (DSCR) systems have been formally assessed and approved.
Choosing a system from the list is a prerequisite for accessing any digitisation funding made available through your local Integrated Care Board, and it confirms the software meets national standards for security, data quality and interoperability.
Birdie is on the list. This post explains what the list is, how suppliers are assessed, and what it means for your agency when you're choosing a digital care management system.
What is a Digital Social Care Record (DSCR)?
A Digital Social Care Record is software that replaces paper-based records across a homecare business. That includes care plans, medication administration records (MAR charts), daily visit logs, risk assessments and the audit trail that supports safe, CQC-compliant care delivery.
For homecare providers, the shift from paper to digital is not just about convenience. Paper systems make it harder to spot emerging risks, respond to incidents quickly, share information with NHS colleagues, and produce the consistent, timestamped evidence that CQC inspectors look for. A DSCR brings all of this into a single digital record: managers can access it in real time, and carers can update it from a mobile app at the point of care.
DSCR adoption by CQC-registered care providers rose from 41% in December 2021 to 80% by July 2025, according to NHS England data. For most providers now, the question is not whether to implement a DSCR, but which one to choose. Birdie's practical guide to digital social care record systems covers what to look for in a system built for homecare.
What is the NHS Assured Supplier list?
The NHS Assured Solutions List is an official, curated register of DSCR systems that have been assessed and approved by NHS England. It's managed through the Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme and is the authoritative reference point for homecare providers making a procurement decision.
All solutions on the list have passed the DSCR Capability Assessment and Standards Assurance process. This confirms they meet the core functional capabilities required from a DSCR and comply with NHS data security requirements, including the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit.
The list serves two practical purposes. First, it gives providers a shortlist of systems that have already been independently vetted, so procurement decisions can be made on the basis of evidence rather than vendor marketing. Second, it's the gateway to government digitisation funding: if your Integrated Care Board (ICB) is running a funding scheme to support providers in adopting digital records, that funding will only cover systems on the assured list.
The current list is published at beta.digitisingsocialcare.co.uk/assured-solutions and covers a range of providers across different care settings, from residential to domiciliary.
How do suppliers get on the NHS Assured Supplier list?
To appear on the NHS Assured Solutions List, a software provider must go through a formal assessment run by NHS England. The process originated as a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) managed by NHS Transformation Directorate and has since evolved into the DSCR Capability Assessment and Standards Assurance process.
The assessment covers a range of technical and operational standards, including information governance, data security, interoperability and the core functional capabilities a DSCR must provide. These include person-centred care planning, medication management, real-time visit recording and a complete audit trail. NHS England publishes the core capabilities required for any solution to qualify.
Not every homecare software provider is on the list. Inclusion is not automatic and suppliers must submit evidence and demonstrate compliance across each standard area. The list reflects NHS England's judgement about which systems are fit for purpose as a digital social care record. This is relevant when you're comparing options: if a system is not on the list, it has either not been assessed or has not met the required standards.
Is Birdie on the NHS Assured Supplier list?
Yes. Birdie is listed on the NHS Assured Solutions List as an approved DSCR provider, having been through NHS England's assessment process and met the required standards.
For homecare providers, Birdie's inclusion on the list means it's a system you can adopt to access ICB digitisation funding, and it provides the core DSCR functionality NHS England expects, built specifically for the domiciliary care model. The platform brings care management, rostering, finance and analytics together in one place. That matters operationally: it removes the need to run separate systems for scheduling, care recording and payroll, and means that the data generated by carers in the field connects directly to the business decisions managers need to make in the office.
If you're comparing your options across the list, Birdie's 2026 buyer's guide to domiciliary care software covers the leading platforms and the practical questions that separate them.
What does the NHS Assured Supplier list mean for your agency in practice?
Choosing a system from the NHS Assured Solutions List matters on several practical levels.
It confirms independent assessment. The software has been evaluated against NHS standards, not just assessed against a vendor's own claims. That is a meaningful filter in a market where every platform uses similar language about quality and compliance.
It enables access to funding. ICBs across England have funding available to help care providers transition to digital records. That funding is only available for systems on the assured list. The process varies by region, but the DiSC website is the right starting point for finding your local ICB contact and understanding what is available in your area.
It supports safe information sharing. Systems on the list comply with NHS data security standards, which means they provide the technical foundation for sharing information with GPs and other health services. This is increasingly important as homecare providers take on more complex clients and need to work more closely with primary and community health teams.
It's consistent with the direction of CQC. CQC has noted digital record adoption positively in inspection reports, and the Local Government Association's implementation guide makes clear that digital records are moving towards a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. For providers preparing for inspection, having an assured DSCR in place is increasingly the default expectation.
For providers in the early stages of evaluating a switch, Birdie's DSCR switching checklist from Digital Care Hub is a useful starting point for planning the transition.
The NHS Assured Solutions List is the practical starting point for any homecare provider looking to implement a digital social care record system. It narrows a crowded market down to systems that have already met NHS standards, and it's the route into any digitisation funding available from your local Integrated Care Board.
Birdie is on the list, built specifically for homecare, and covers care management, rostering, finance and analytics in a single platform. The combination of NHS assurance and a platform designed for the specific demands of domiciliary care is what makes it the right choice for most homecare agencies moving to digital.
If you want to see how Birdie handles the practical challenges of a domiciliary care business, including medication management, offline working, and CQC evidence gathering, book a demo and put your questions directly to the team.
Published date:
November 12, 2025
Author:
Lucy Ogilvie
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