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
Respiratory conditions can be affected by anything from air quality and the weather to your housing. Being aware can enable you to make changes that could improve your wellbeing. Here we bring together links to a range of relevant topics. Each of the links opens in a new window/tab.
Living with a chest condition - Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS)
Air pollution can be a real issue for people with respiratory conditions so it is important that you know about the risks and how to avoid them, as far as possible. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Air pollution - Asthma + Lung UK
Indoor air pollution - Asthma + Lung UK
Living with a respiratory condition can have a major impact on your financial situation, so it's important to make sure that you get all the help which is due to you. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Financial support - a leaflet from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS)
Benefits and financial support - Asthma + Lung UK
Welfare support - Highland Council.
Anybody can self refer to the Highland Council Welfare Team by emailing: welfare.support@highland.gov.uk or phoning 0800 090 1004
Citizens Advice Scotland - or call 0800 028 1456 for free, one-to-one and impartial general advice on employment, housing, debt, benefits and consumer issues like energy bills as well as many other topics. Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
Worrying about money - a leaflet from Highland Council and NHS Highland
There is no reason why people with respiratory conditions shouldn't be able to travel and go on holiday, but you may need to spend a little extra time planning your trip. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Holidays and travel - My lungs, my life
Driving with a medical condition - a leaflet from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS)
Air travel - a leaflet from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS)
Travel and motor insurance - a leaflet from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS)
If you are living with a respiratory condition it can be especially important to ensure your home is warm and free from damp. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Home Energy Scotland - information and advice about reducing your energy bills, saving money and making your home warmer
Make my home warmer - Home Energy Scotland
Highland Council - Housing - housing information from the Highland Council
Citizens Advice Scotland - or call 0800 028 1456 for free, one-to-one and impartial general advice on employment, housing, debt, benefits and consumer issues like energy bills as well as many other topics. Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
Towards a Healthy Home - Managing Dampness, Humidity and Air Quality - a presentation from Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association
Healthy Home - Humidity and Air Quality - A Self Help Guide - a talk by Donnie Mackay, Energy Advice Manager
Did you know both cold weather and hot weather can trigger an exacerbation (flare up) of your symptoms, especially if you become dehydrated in hot weather. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Met office weather alert emails
Keeping well in cold weather - Asthma + Lung UK
Looking after your lungs in hot weather - Asthma + Lung UK
Are you Winter Ready? - a video from LGOWIT (now MySelf-Management)
Living with a long term respiratory condition does not necessarily mean that you will have to stop working. Each of the links below opens in a new window/tab.
Work and COPD - My Lungs, My Life
Citizens Advice Scotland - or call 0800 028 1456 for free, one-to-one and impartial general advice on employment, housing, debt, benefits and consumer issues like energy bills as well as many other topics. Open Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm
Respiratory Resource Hub for patients and carers