Welcome to the Right Decision Service (RDS) newsletter for July 2024.
There has been a delay in implementing the final phase of the RDS redesign due to Tactuum having to prioritise the recent security and outage issues. Work has now resumed, and the intention now is that external user acceptance testing will start in September 2024.
As a reminder, the key improvements in this release include the following responses to user feedback:
Migration of the final two original standalone apps (NHS GGC paediatrics) was completed in July 2024. This means that the RDS is now truly the Once for Scotland platform for all web and mobile apps created using the RDS toolset. This has streamlined and simplified the processes around fixes, enhancements and release processes. The recent security issues are a case in point – previously these would have had to be addressed across 27 standalone apps as well as the RDS platform.
Figures 1 and 2 are derived from the usage statistics reports we generated in July 2024. They show how usage of the RDS has increased over the past 2.5 years. Figure 1 shows combined usage[1] across old standalone apps and the new Once for Scotland RDS platform. 2023 saw a 71% increase in usage over 2022 figures, and the usage in just 6 months of 2024 almost equals total use in 2022. Figure 2 shows use of the new RDS platform only. Usage in just 6 months of 2024 has increased by more than 100% compared with all 12 months of 2023.
As stated in a previous newsletter, there are caveats around comparison of use on the old and new platforms due to the different structures of each. Now that all the old standalone apps have been migrated to the new RDS platform we will focus primarily on usage of the new platform going forward.
Neurological Conditions Framework
The RDS will be supporting the SG Clinical Priorities team by delivering regional and national neurology guidance and shared decision-making resources.
Waiting Well programme
The RDS team has been working with the NHS GGC Knowledge Services team to deliver a national toolkit for the Waiting Well programme. This will provide resources and tools for services supporting patients to maintain wellbeing while on waiting lists.
Feasibility study for Value-Based Health and Care Action Plan
The RDS team has delivered an evidence review and report of stakeholder interviews to inform consideration by Scottish Government of the potential for a national approach to implementation of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) across NHS Scotland. The final component of the feasibility study – a report on target architecture and realistic first steps towards delivery.
Gender Identity Standards
An RDS toolkit for the new Gender Identity Standards, including an interactive self-assessment questionnaire, is being developed in collaboration with the Standards and Indicators team in Healthcare Improvement Scotland. This toolkit should be published as part of a package of resources to be announced by Scottish Government in early October.
Please email ann.wales3@nhs.scot if you would like to know more about any of these developments.
We are now in the final stages of producing the UK CA marking documentation for this calculator and aim to publish it to live at the end of August 2024.
6.1 Training sessions for new editors (these also serve as refresher sessions for existing editors) will take place on the following dates:
To book a place, please contact Olivia.graham@nhs.scot, providing your name, organisation, job role, and level of experience with RDS editing (none, a little, moderate, extensive.)
The NHS Grampian critical care toolkit is now live.
The following toolkits are due to go live imminently:
The RDS team has delivered a report for the SG Realistic Medicine Policy Unit on an implementation framework for digital tools to engage people in decisions about their care. The report was produced to support implementation of the Being a partner in my care: Realistic Medicine together app, but has wider applicability to shared decision-making apps more generally. Please contact ann.wales3@nhs.scot if you would like to know more about the key findings and recommendations within this report.
If you have any questions about the content of this newsletter, please contact his.decisionsupport@nhs.scot If you would prefer not to receive future newsletters, please email Olivia.graham@nhs.scot and ask to be removed from the circulation list.
With kind regards
Right Decision Service team
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
The Right Decision Service: the national decision support platform for Scotland’s health and care
Website: https://rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk Mobile app download: Apple Android
[1] Unique users’ in Google analytics counts individual users to a website. Every time a user visits the website, their IP address assigns a unique identifier which is used to track the number of times they visit the site.
