Community Equipment Clinical Assessment Toolkit Harmonises Council Prescriptions
Derbyshire Council have been using the TCES Community Clinical Assessment Toolkit product since April 2016 and have been successful in the usability of it across their service. The latest version due to launch in September 2017 will continue to support decision making whilst driving down over prescription of high risk pressure care items.
”The Derbyshire contract has used the clinical assessment tool to monitor and shape decision making regards pressure care mattresses. The CSS lead for this project has been instrumental in developing this tool through partnership working with the commissioning team and their equipment lead practitioner. Amendments to the tool have been required, as sometimes there are unexpected consequences, and wording used in questionnaires changed to accomplish the desired results. Recommendations made by the tool have harmonised equipment prescription, and supported junior staff to understand the critical elements of safe prescription. It has also on occasions, corrected patterns of over and under prescription. The CSS lead has clinical experience and this has been a great asset in forging a shared understanding of how the project is progressed. We have noted quick turnaround on amendments to the questionnaire, good levels of support on implementation and advice freely shared on lessons learned by other similar projects. What has been particularly impressive regards this project lead for these tools is a flexibility to acknowledge issues arising, but an openness to change and the request of improvement from their software development team.”
Gareth Hughes Lead Practitioner, Derbyshire Council
(Integrated Community Equipment Stores: ICES)