Welcome to the Right Decision Service (RDS) newsletter for April 2024.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Quality assurance and governance
Service innovation and workforce development
A few examples of toolkits published to live in the last month:
Some of the toolkits the RDS team is currently working on:
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.
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.
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
Realistic medicine is about providing the healthcare that people really value.
The core pillars of realistic medicine are:
You can use the toolkit to access resources for practice and learning across all these pillars of realistic medicine. Each pillar is organised to present resources of increasing depth. For example, learning resources for a particular pillar might start with a basic definition, then lead you on to some reflection, critical evaluation, applying a skill in practice, and teaching others. Quick access is provided to resources that will be useful for patient care.
Have a look at the following introductory resources, and think about how you could apply these pillars of realistic medicine in your own place of work and discuss with colleagues if you can.
We are pleased to announce that the Realistic Medicine Annual Conference will be held at the Technology and Innovation Centre in Glasgow on 25 April 2023. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to hear from a range of speakers on the themes of Value Based Health & Care, sustainability and health inequalities, as well as an opportunity to meet and network with fellow Realistic Medicine colleagues.
Programme and registration details can be found on the realistic medicine website.
Read the full report from the Chief Medical Officer - annual report: 2022. Realistic medicine: a fair and sustainable future.
Realistic Medicine is a way of thinking about healthcare that seeks to ensure that the tests, treatment and interventions that we provide are beneficial and suitable for each person; and that treatment that is harmful, unlikely to be effective and wasteful, is avoided. It focuses on the core relationship between those who provide care and those who receive it and emphasises the importance of carefully listening to what is important to each person.
In practice this means that the fundamental principles of Realistic Medicine (improving Shared Decision Making and Personalised care, Reducing Harm and Waste and Unwarranted Variation as well as Managing Risk Better in a climate of continued Improvement and Innovation) are widely publicised and that resources to help staff achieve these goals are easily available.
What is a realistic medicine champion?A Realistic Medicine Champion works with their colleagues to help promote Realistic Medicine at the front line, offering advice and information to help empower staff to adopt the fundamental principles. They will help promote a positive RM culture within their health board and across NHS Scotland. Our champions recognise Realistic medicine in practice and showcase success and support teams beginning their journey.
Why do we need RM champions?Champions are key to a successful change process. These are the people within an organisation who see the vision for change and want to actively advocate for and support the changes. They bring the message closer to the clinical workforce. Champions can be from any level within the organisation and champions from multiple levels and disciplines are encouraged.
What does an RM champion have to do?
If you are an RM Champion you will:
Why become an RM champion?
By becoming an RM champion you will be helping deliver excellent person-centred care, assist colleagues in reducing harm, waste and unwarranted variation and help drive innovation and improvement. It is also a great opportunity for your personal development.
Champions will be able to develop their knowledge and skills through:
To find out how to become a realistic medicine champion consult the information for your local health board.
Find out who your realistic medicine lead is.
A quarterly bulletin, produced by NHS Scotland librarians, compiles evidence relevant to the '6 Pillars' of Realistic Medicine.
To find out more view the realistic medicine bulletin.
Source: The Knowledge Network (NHS Forth Valley, The State Hospital and NHS Tayside)
Audience: all health and social care staff
Access: free online reosurce
Realistic Medicine - National toolkit for professionals