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Right Decision Service newsletter: April 2024

Welcome to the Right Decision Service (RDS) newsletter for April 2024. 

Issues with RDS and Umbraco access

Tactuum has been working hard to address the issues experienced during the last week. They have identified a series of three mitigation measures and put the first of these in place on Friday 3rd May.  If this does not resolve the problems, the second mitigation will be actioned, and then the third if necessary.

Please keep a lookout for any slowing down of the system or getting locked out. Please email myself, mbuchner@tactuum.com and onivarova@tactuum.com if you experience any problems, and also please raise an urgent support ticket via the Support Portal.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we achieve a full resolution.

Promotion and communication resources

A rotating carousel presenting some of the key RDS tools and capabilities, and an editable slideset, are now available in the Resources for RDS providers section of the Learning and Support toolkit.

Redesign and improvements to RDS

The redesign of RDS Search and Browse is still on-track for delivery by mid-June 2024. We then plan to have a 3-week user acceptance testing phase before release to live. All editors and toolkit owners on this mailing list will be invited to participate in the UAT.

The archiving and version control functionality is also progressing well and we will advise on timescales for user acceptance testing shortly.

Tactuum is also progressing with the deep linking to individual toolkits within the mobile RDS app. There are several unknowns around the time and effort required for this work, which will only become clear as the work progresses. So we need to be careful to protect budget for this purpose.

New feature requests

These have all been compiled and effort estimated. Once the redesign work is complete, these will be prioritised in line with the remaining budget. We expect this to take place around late June.

Evaluation

Many thanks to those of you completed the value and impact survey we distributed in February. Here are some key findings from the 65 responses we received.

Figure 1: Impact of RDS on direct delivery of care

Key figures

  • 93% say that RDS has improved evidence-informed practice (high impact 62%; some impact 31%)
  • 91% report that RDS has improved consistency in practice (high impact 65%, some impact 26%)
  • 85% say that RDS has improved patient safety (high impact 59%, some impact 26%)
  • Although shared decision-making tools are only a recent addition to RDS, and only represent a small proportion of the current toolset, 85% of respondents still said that RDS had delivered impact in this area (53% high impact, 32% some impact.) 92% anticipate that RDS will deliver impact on shared decision-making in future and 85% believe it will improve delivery of personalised care in future.

Figure 2 shows RDS impact to date on delivery of health and care services

 

Key figures

These data show how RDS is already contributing to NHS reform priorities and supporting delivery of more sustainable care.

Saving time and money

  • RDS clearly has a strong impact on saving practitioner time, with 90% of respondents reporting that this is the case. 65% say it has a high impact; 25% say it has some impact on time-saving.
  • It supports devolved decision-making across the multi-professional team (85% of respondents)
  • 76% of respondents confirm that it saves money compared, for example, to investing in commercial apps (54% high impact; 22% some impact.)
  • 72% believe it has impacted already on saving money and reducing waste in the way services are delivered – e.g. reducing costs of referral management, prescribing, admissions.

Quality assurance and governance

  • RDS leads are clear that RDS has improved local governance of guidelines, with 87% confirming that this is the case. (62% high impact; 25% some impact.)

Service innovation and workforce development

  • RDS is a major driver for service innovation and improvement (83% of respondents) and has impacted significantly on workforce knowledge and skills (92% of respondents – 66% high impact; 26% some impact).

New toolkits

A few examples of toolkits published to live in the last month:

Toolkits in development

Some of the toolkits the RDS team is currently working on:

  • SARCS (Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service)
  • Staffing method framework – Care Inspectorate.
  • SIGN 171 - Diabetes in pregnancy
  • SIGN 158 – British Guideline on Management of Asthma. Selected sections will be incorporated into the RDS, and complemented by a new chronic asthma pathway being developed by SIGN, British Thoracic Society and NICE.
  • Clinical pathways from NHS Fife and NHS Lanarkshire

Please contact his.decisionsupport@nhs.scot if you would like to learn more about a toolkit. The RDS team will put you in touch with the relevant toolkit lead.

Quality audit of RDS toolkits

Thanks to all of you who have responded to the retrospective quality audit survey and to the follow up questions.  We still have some following up to do, and to work with owners of a further 23 toolkits to complete responses. An interim report is being presented to the HIS Quality and Performance Committee.

Implementation projects

Eight clinical services and two public library services are undertaking tests of change to implement the Being a partner in my care app. This app aims to support patients and the public to become active participants in Realistic Medicine. It has a strong focus on personalised, person-centred care and a library of shared decision aids, as well as simple explanations and videoclips to help the public to understand the aims of Realistic Medicine.  The tests of change will inform guidance and an implementation model around wider adoption and spread of the app.

With kind regards

Right Decision Service team

Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Disclaimer

Disclaimer

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) provides the ‘CfSD Neurology’ app/website to help the people it serves across Scotland. Each individual participating organisation which contributes resources to the App/Website has sole responsibility for the information created or published by them. Any information appearing on the App/Website is issued as general information, is not warranted by the CfSD, nor should it be taken as advice. No responsibility can be accepted by the CfSD or any other organisation for action or inaction as a result of information contained on the App/Website. Users should take advice from health and care professionals in respect of specific situations. The use and access of pages of the App/Website is subject to the terms and conditions set out below and by this disclaimer. By using or accessing the App/Website, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.

Links to other Websites and applications

The provision on the App/Website of a link to another website or application does not constitute any authorisation to access material held at that location. Links to sites are provided for informational purposes only and no responsibility is accepted for the quality of resources to be found on such websites. The contents and material made available on linked sites are completely out with the CfSD’s control and as such no liability is accepted for any loss or damage resulting from accessing or failing to access these sites. No endorsement is expressed or implied by the presence of a link on the  App/Website. The contents of a linked-to website may change without the CfSD’s knowledge and as a result, links may break or may terminate on pages which were not the original targets of a link. No responsibility or liability for the privacy of personal information is accepted for linked to websites, as these are beyond the Board’s control.

Warranties

The resources contained on the App/Website, including all files that are authorised for public and password-protected download or access, are provided on an “as is” basis and without any warranties. No warranty is given that files downloaded or accessed from the  App/Website are free of computer viruses. No warranties are made as to fitness for purpose, quality or completeness of information. The App/Website excludes any liability for any errors in or omissions in information provided on or linked to from the App/Website.

Reliability of information

The CfSD uses reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of information on the App/Website in accordance with the policies defined for the App/Website . However, no guarantees are made that the information contained on the App/Website  or associated, or linked to websites is accurate, complete and current at any given time. Information presented on the App/Website  or associated sites may be changed at any time. The resources made available on the App/Website are intended to assist  and support people to best manage their mental health and related needs. The App/Website is not intended in any way to replace the advice of health and care professionals. Nothing on the App/Website is intended to constitute advice. Specific advice should be sought in specific situations from a properly qualified health or care professional. Content on the App/Website is governed by a number of policies and guidelines. Users of the App/Website should inform the web team using the Feedback form  if they should come across any material contained which they consider to be potentially in breach of any of the published  Scottish Government or NHS Scotland policies or of any relevant legislation in order for the appropriate remedial action to be taken.

Availability of the App/Website

Although the App/Website has been tested and should work correctly under normal circumstance, there are many factors both within and outside of the control of the Board which may prevent the App/Website from being available to users of the world-wide-web. No responsibility is accepted by the Board for any losses that may arise from an inability to access resources on the App/Website. Where a user finds a specific error in the coding of a web page, or where they consider a page to be in breach of accessibility or other published policies of the App/Website, the user should notify the web team via the feedback form in order that appropriate action may be taken.

Governing laws

The terms and conditions of use of the App/Website shall be governed by the laws of Scotland.

Purpose and Audience

The Scottish Government commissions the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to support a Neurology Specialty Delivery Group (SDG) to develop a number of 'Once for Scotland' pathways to reduce unwarranted variation and sustainably improve waiting times for non-urgent care.

Our Neurology SDG brings together clinical, operational and managerial experts from across NHS Scotland and Scottish Government. Membership includes a nominated clinical, nursing and management lead from all NHS Scotland Boards providing Neurology services.

Purpose: to provide key information on the diagnosis, investigation and management of neurological conditions in one location to improve patient management, reduce unwarranted variation and sustainably improve waiting times for non-urgent care.

Audience: May vary on pathway but would generally include Prescribing Pharmacists, General Practitioners, General Practitioners with specialist interest, Physicians in ED and Acute Medicine, Neurologists etc.

Please note that while this toolkit is available for members of the public to access, it should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Governance

The Scottish Government commissions the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to support a Neurology Specialty Delivery Group (SDG) to develop a number of 'Once for Scotland' pathways to reduce unwarranted variation and sustainably improve waiting times for non-urgent care.

Our Neurology SDG brings together clinical, operational and managerial experts from across NHS Scotland and Scottish Government. Membership includes a nominated clinical, nursing and management lead from all NHS Scotland Boards providing Neurology services.

Key author, reviewer and approver roles

Author will be named on each distinct pathway, content will be reviewed by SDG, and approved by the CfSD Sign off Group.

Details of clinical review of content at point of publication.

A review is undertaken and included in each distinct pathway

 

Arrangements for review and updating of content - including responsibilities and planned review date(s).

Review dates will be assigned to each pathway, reviewed by SDG, and updated by the National Improvement Advisor as required

 

Outline of process used for systematic sourcing and evaluation of evidence to underpin the toolkit.

A Pathway Development Group is established for each new pathway. This is comprised of various clinical experts. The Groups hold meetings via MS Teams where members bring forward and discuss evidence base and best practice to form the basis of the pathway.

 

The contents of this Neurology app are overseen by the SDG, who have responsibility for ensuring that content is current and correct, regularly reviewed and updated as required, as well as scrutinising and approving any new content for publication.

 

Details of the governance body and process which approved content and the toolkit at point of go-live.

All pathways are developed and agreed by a Pathway Development Group, approved by the Specialty Delivery Group (SDG), and signed off by the CfSD Sign Off Group

 

Details of the governance arrangements for ongoing development and updating of the toolkit.

As above

 

Confirmation that any guidance within the toolkit that references medicines has been signed off by the local Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee for territorial Boards or an equivalent governance group for national resources.

All clinical content (including information relevant to drugs) are developed in accordance with the CfSD pathway development process. This includes approval by experts on the relevant Specialty Delivery Group and subsequent review and endorsement by the CfSD Primary Care Secondary Care Interface Group and CfSD Pathway Approval Group.

 

Risks to safety of patients/service users have been identified and mitigated.

EQIA will be undertaken for each pathway, where any issues would be identified and mitigations put in place.

 

Functional testing, usability testing and user acceptance testing have been carried out.

Pathways are developed and scrutinised by clinical leads from ach Board. Boards are asked to share data and experience of implementation of new pathways with SDG quarterly as relevant, with a view to refining and improving.

 

A plan has been defined for monitoring and acting on feedback and complaints.

The Neurology Clinical Lead, Workstream Lead, and National Improvement Advisor would be responsible for managing any feedback or complaints arising.

Copyright

The content of this toolkit complies with copyright legislation, all sources appropriately references and permission obtained for reuse of content.

Copyright © Centre for Sustainable Delivery 2023

This excludes the works of 3rd parties as listed below:

  • FlatIcon
  • Stephen Silberstein

Accessibility

The content of this resource has been produced in line with web accessibility standards. For information on the accessibility of the Right Decision Service platform technology, see the "About this site" page.

Key Contact

Enquiries: cfsd.pmo@gjnh.scot.nhs.uk

 

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Feedback

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