Welcome to the Right Decision Service (RDS) newsletter for October 2024.
Development of the contingency solutions to maximise RDS resilience and minimise risk of future outages is in progress, aiming for completion by Christmas. As a reminder, these contingency arrangements are:
In the meantime, a gentle reminder to encourage users to download essential clinical toolkits to their mobile devices so that there is an offline version always available.
A new scheduled deployment with minor improvements drawn from support tickets, externally funded projects, information related to outages, and feature requests will take place in early December. Key improvements planned are:
We are also seeking approval to use the NHS Scotland logo and title for the RDS app on the app stores to help with audience engagement and clarity around the provenance of RDS.
We are still hopeful that user acceptance testing for at least the Search and browse enhancements can take place before Christmas. Thank you for your patience and understanding in waiting for these improvements. Timescales have been pushed back by old app migration challenges, work to address outages, and most recently implementing the contingency arrangements.
We are aware that there continue to be some issues around a number of RDS support tickets, in part due to constraints around visibility for the RDS team of the tickets in the existing support portal. We are investigating the potential to move to a new support ticket requesting system from early in the new year. We will organise the proposed webinar around support ticket processes once we have confirmed the way forward with the system.
There is a known issue with alterations in formatting of some RDS tables which seems to have arisen as a result of the 17 October deployment. Tactuum is working on a fix and on implementing additional regression testing to prevent this issue recurring.
Recently launched toolkits include:
NHS Lothian Infectious Diseases
Scottish Health Technologies Group – Technology Assessment recommendations
NHS Tayside Anaesthetics and Critical Care projects – an innovative toolkit which uses PowerAutomate to manage review and response to proposals for improvement projects.
If you would like to promote one of your new toolkits through this newsletter, please contact ann.wales3@nhs.scot
A number of toolkits are expected to go live before Christmas, including:
We have had a good response to the recent invitation to sign up to the new Teams channel for RDS editors. This provides a forum for editors to share learning, ideas and questions and we hope to hold regular webinars on topics of interest. The RDS team is in the process of joining participants to the channel and we’d encourage all editors to take part, using the registration form – available in Providers section of the RDS Learning and Support area.
The RDS team has worked with colleagues in NHS Grampian and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre to evaluate the impact of the Prevent the progress of diabetes web and mobile app in a small-scale pilot project. This app provides access to local and national resources and services targeted at people with prediabetes, a history of gestational diabetes, or candidates for remission. After just 8 weeks of using the app, 94% of patients reported increased their knowledge and understanding of diabetes, and 88% said it had increased their confidence and motivation to make lifestyle changes, highlighting specific behaviour changes. The learning from this project is informing development of a service model based on tailored support for patient groups with, high, medium and low digital self-efficacy.
Please contact ann.wales3@nhs.scot if you would like to know more about this project.
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.)
To invite colleagues to sign up to receive this newsletter, please signpost them to the registration form - also available in End-user and Provider sections of the RDS Learning and Support area. 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. Ensure any equipment required is prepared and ready for use where appropriate. This includes the following:
• HEPMA system
• Ward Controlled Drug Record Book(s)
• Controlled Drug cupboard keys
• Medicine Cups or appropriate receptacles
• Water
• Purple apron and/or signage as per NHSGGC Medicines Administration 1133-24 section 5.1
• Current online BNF
2. Please ensure the designated area for preparation is a clear and uncluttered surface.
Read the appropriate patients HEPMA record carefully
1. Two Registered Nurses must check stock of Controlled Drugs against both the HEPMA record and Controlled Drug Record Book to confirm availability prior to the first patient entering the room.
2. Identify roles for both practitioners as i.e. witness and administrator. The roles should not be swapped throughout the process of administration.
3. Ensure patients prescription is complete, identifying the following:
• Start date
• Medicine form i.e. elixir, tablet, caps
• Dose
• Route
• Time due
• Prescriber
• Allergies
1. Both practitioners check Ward Controlled Drug Record Book to reconcile stock balance of prescribed medicine against amount in the controlled drug cupboard prior to patient entering the room.
2. HCSW (or appropriate other i.e. student nurse or registered nurse) to escort patient to the treatment room as delegated by the registered nurses.
3. Ensure the environment where administration is to take place is clean, tidy and free from interruptions.
4. Confirm the identity of patient following process described in the Policy & Procedures for the Safe Identification of Patients
5. Confirm the patient’s allergy status
6. Both practitioners must accurately confirm the Controlled Drug(s) to be administered to patient from the HEPMA system.
7. Unlock and open drug cupboard and controlled drug cupboard door.
8. Both practitioners check the prescription medicine label i.e. medicine name, form, dose and expiry date.
9. Dispense medicine into appropriate receptacle.
10. Ensure both the witness and the administrator witness the patient ingesting the prescribed medicine.
11. Offer water as required.
12. Ensure Ward Controlled Drug Record Book is updated and signed immediately according to who administered and who witnessed the administration.
13. The administrating practitioner then makes a HEPMA system entry to confirm administration of prescribed medicine.
14. If prescribed medicine refused or not given for any reason this must be documented on recording sheet and the responsible doctor informed, if necessary.
15. Ensure area is left clean and tidy.
1. Both practitioners check Ward Controlled Drug Record Book to reconcile stock balance of prescribed medicine against amount in the Controlled Drug cupboard.
2. Check patient is available within the ward area.
3. Within the treatment room Both practitioners must accurately confirm the Controlled Drug(s) to be administered to patient from the HEPMA record.
4. Unlock and open drug cupboard and controlled drug cupboard door.
5. Check the prescription medicine label i.e. medicine name, form, dose and expiry date.
6. Dispense medicine into appropriate receptacle.
7. Both practitioners should then take the medicine, HEPMA laptop and the Ward Controlled Drug Record Book to the area where the patient is.
8. Confirm the identity of patient following process described in the Policy & Procedures for the Safe Identification of Patients
9. Confirm the patient’s allergy status.
10. Ensure both the witness and the administrator witness the patient ingesting the prescribed medicine.
11. Offer water as required.
12. Ensure Ward Controlled Drug Record is updated and signed immediately according to who administered and who witnessed the administration.
13. The administering practitioner then makes an appropriate HEPMA entry to confirm administration of prescribed medicine.
14. If prescribed medicine refused or not given for any reason this must be documented on recording sheet and the responsible doctor informed, if necessary.
15. Ensure area is left clean and tidy.
MyPsych App