Work in progress - ratings and comments are still to be finalised
Life Ledger
1.1 Stated purpose
Close, freeze or transfer all of your loved one's accounts from one place.
Our easy-to-use death notification service can help you notify over 1,000 companies across the UK of a death.
1.2 Episodic or relational
2.1 Statutory notification
2.2 Info validated by
Sector
4.1 Personal identifier used
Online portal
Offline alternative
1.3 Data included
Episodic
No
Facility to upload a death certificate
Financial services, Utilities
Opportunity to share several identifiers for the deceased person and the person making the notification. These include name, address, address history, account numbers, NI number.
Yes
No
Full name
Address
Address type
Date of birth
Date of death
Strengths
A thoughfully and intelligently conceived platform, which goes beyond other death notification services, both in its current functionality and its future potential.
A particular strength is the ability to plan ahead and assemble all your own information, records and documents in advance of death. This appears to be unique to LL among the death notification platforms.
The platform asks for enough information to enable receiving organisations to act on a notification without needing to demand further evidence, and explains why the information is needed.
Weaknesses
It's unfair to describe it as a weakness, but the approach taken by LL highlights its potential to do even more, e.g.:
- Extension from death notifications to other episodic notifications
- Capturing and sharing actionable support needs, particularly for an executor/representative who might be daunted by dealing with new institutions
- Incorporating Lasting Power of Attorney, Advance Statements/Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment etc (already on roadmap for future development)
- Extension to other sectors beyond financial services and utilities, specifically into health and social care, where it could offer a tool to capture/share someone's narrative information (About Me/This is Me) alongside the above.
A few minor niggles abouth the website (see 6.3), and it would be marvellous to see an offline route to use LL - perhaps a partnership with one or more VCSE organisations.
Further information
Overall functional rating
3. Transparency, choice and control
3.1 Transparency
An excellent privacy notice which sets the tone for the transparency of the whole site/service. Considerable thought has obviously been given to the specific information needed by recipients, so certain elements (e.g. the ID check) are clearly explained in terms of purpose.
3.2 Choice and control
Complete choice and control over what information is shared with whom.
4. Functionality
4.2 Structured data
4.3 Free text
Platform allows for structured data including account numbers, sort codes, card numbers etc. No facility for any free-text content.
4.4 Carer role
Excellent in respect of bereavement - you can nominate an executor/representative, whose ID can be verified and sent on to banks etc.
4.5 Acknowledgement of receipt
4.6 Updates
System allows for updates
4.7 Access to records
n/a
5. Reach
5.1 Multi-sector acceptance
Reaches over 1000 companies, but limited to financial services and utilities at present.
5.2 Recipients within orgs/services
Strong likelihood info will reach the right people in recipient organisations
5.3 Proactive sharing
Can add new accounts/recipients with no time limit
6. Language and user experience
6.1 Language
Language is clear and non-judgmental
Words to watch
6.2 Conditions vs actionable support
n/a
6.3 Online UX
Generally good online UX, although postcode search facility isn't completely up to date, and there are some broken links (e.g. Contact Us page redirects to "lifeledger/support".
6.4 Offline UX
No evidence of an offline alternative
7. Outcomes
7.1 Actionable support needs
Good for notifications of death; excellent for gathering all your own information together prior to death; a thoughtful touch in asking if the new holder of a utilities account (after bereavement) wants to join the PSR.
However, there's scope for it to do much more. Ironically the platform's strengths highlight its future potential - ideally you'd want it to capture your own and/or your executor/representative's ASNs, as well as LPA, ADRT etc.
7.2 Trustworthiness
Transparency engenders trust.
Think Local Act Personal: Data for People
Ratings against the 15 Principles
Overall
TLAP 2
TLAP 3
TLAP 4
TLAP 5
TLAP 6
TLAP 7
TLAP 8
TLAP 9
TLAP 10
TLAP 11
TLAP 12
TLAP 14
Money Advice Trust
Ratings against the 10 principles for designing vulnerable consumer data-sharing programmes
Overall
MAT 1
MAT 2
MAT 3
MAT 4
MAT 5
MAT 6
MAT 7
MAT 8
MAT 10-