Changing Children’s Service Fund
Shared Equipment Services
A Joint Future Initiative
Preliminary Report
October 2003
CONTENTS
1.Introduction
2.Budgets and Ordering Procedures
3.Transport
4.Decontamination/Cleaning
5.Maintenance/Repairs/Recording
- Procedures already in place
- Recent Purchases
- Contact List
1.Introduction
The following document outlines the initial findings of the services presently offered by NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council (ACC) - Education and Social works with regards to Equipment for Children with Special Needs.
The information gathering process for the document involved carrying out interview style meetings with key personnel within the main bodies. This enabled the Project
Co-ordinators to gather information, to get an overview of how the service is being managed at present.
A more in depth questionnaire is in the process of being commissioned by the Clinical Audit Department which will be sent to all relative personnel involved with equipment such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Special Educational needs, Teachers, Parents and Voluntary Sector Workers. This audit questionnaire will highlight the present level of service provided, and will be a platform on which to build.
At this early stage of the project this document has been produced purely to communicate the information received to date with regards to the Procurement and Delivery, Transportation, Decontamination/Cleaning, Maintenance/Repairs/Recording of Equipment for Children with Special Needs, between the main bodies. It does not set out to make recommendations or changes.
2.Budgets and Ordering Procedures
2.1ACC – Education and Social Work
Ordering equipment for ACC - Education and Social Work is very similar in that the processes in place within both departments are almost the same. (See Appendices 1 - 6) .The only slight difference being that within the Education Service sometimes an invoice may be sent to the school that has ordered the equipment instead of to the Clerical Officer, Education Service. This is only seen as a minor hiccup and is easily resolved by forwarding the invoice to the Clerical Officer.
2.2NHS Grampian
The ordering process for equipment for NHS Grampian appears to be disjointed and lacking in continuity as a result of having no allocated equipment budget.
Differences arise in how records are kept of equipment purchased. To simplify these differences the tables on the following pages have been produced.
Appendix 1
Aberdeen City Council –
Education Service
Subject / Education ServiceACC /
Comments
Overall Budget / £76,000 / Includes Special Needs and MainStreamSchoolsBudget Allocation / £5,000each
£5,000each / Essential equipment for School for the Deaf and Visually impaired
Recording of Equipment
Purchased
/ By individual schools / Paper based system organised by invoices relating to specific schoolMonitoring of Equipment / Equipment stays at school until it is no longer serviceable or required. Can be transferred to another school using form.
No log kept of condemned equipment.
WoodlandsSchool offer a loan service of their equipment to HazelwoodSchool and also to carers over holiday periods using a similar form to the staff at the Raeden centre.
Appendix 2
Ordering Process for equipment for SEN schools. Education Service (ACC).
Appendix 3
Aberdeen City Council –
Social Work
Subject / Social WorkACC /
Comments
Overall Budget / £250,000 / Covers child and adult populationBudget Allocation / £0.00 / No funds are specifically set aside for the 5 to 18 year age group
Budget Allocation / £4,000 / Equipment budget set aside for Raeden centre (approximate figure)
Recording of Equipment
Purchased
/ By Patient Record / Equipment is recorded on “Care First” database along with Patient details.Monitoring of Equipment / Letters are sent to parents on a yearly basis to inquire if electrical equipment and equipment over £300 is still required. (See Appendix 10) A log of condemned equipment is kept at the Torry store.
Note: Social Work has a separate budget for adaptation provision.
Social Work also purchase a small amount of equipment for RACH
Appendix 4
Ordering Process for equipment for home use via Raeden Centre. Social work (ACC)
Appendix 5
NHS Grampian
Subject / NHS Grampian /Comments
Overall Budget
/ £0Budget Allocation / £0 / No dedicated equipment budget.
Recording of Equipment Purchased / Allocated number and logged on clipboard.
Monitoring of Equipment / Not monitored unless Battery and/or Mains Operated.
Appendix 6
Ordering Process for equipment at Raeden Centre
3.Transport
The transport infrastructure for Aberdeen City Council (ACC) - Education and Social works and NHS Grampian handle the delivery of equipment in very different ways.
3.1ACC – Education Service
The Education Service relies mainly on the Janitorial Delivery Service to uplift equipment from one school and to deliver to another. At present there is no dedicated vehicle to transport equipment.
The Education Service should be informed if equipment is moved by other means i.e. by Private Transport, the School or Therapist involved so that a record of the action can be taken.
3.2ACC – Social work
The Social work use the transport facilities provided by the Torry Store. The store provides an uplift and delivery service for all equipment including adult within AberdeenCity.
The equipment is cleaned and decontaminated before being inspected and any servicing and repairs carried out.
The children’s equipment is then loaned back out into the community or delivered to Jill’s Barn at Raeden Centre.
A risk assessment was recently carried out at Torry Store with regard to the transportation of clean and contaminated equipment in the same vehicle. The recommendations made were that the store should either have two vans, one for the delivery of clean equipment and one for the uplift of contaminated, or there should be a single van with split areas.
3.3NHS Grampian
NHS Grampian, Occupational Therapy and the Physiotherapy equipment loaned out from the Raeden Centre is transported either by the Therapist in their own car, by the parent or by taxi if the driver is willing to deliver and uplift equipment. Larger equipment can be delivered to the patient’s home using the centre’s minibus if available.
In general most Therapy staff use their own vehicle to transport equipment from one location to another. This ensures that the correct equipment is issued and minimises the chance of any possible delay in equipment arriving.
4.Decontamination/Cleaning
Decontamination and Cleaning of Equipment are major issues.
The Infection Control Departments for Grampian University Hospitals Trust and
Grampian Primary Care Trust were met with and the general advice given for
cleaning equipment is to follow the manufacture’s instructions.
The manufacturer’s cleaning instructions however do not cover such important points
as the condition of the child who has used or may use the chair in the future i.e.
resilience to infection and the release of bodily fluids. The advice given in these
circumstances are to follow Trust Policy (currently under review).
Equipment that is returned to Raeden Centre is placed in ’Jill’s Barn’ where it is cleaned when it is next required to be used again.
Cleaning staff at the centre were contracted to clean returned equipment until budgets were cut. Therapy staff now clean and check equipment prior to issue. As there are no records kept of cleaning it is not possible to calculate the costs associated with cleaning, or establishes if this method is the best use of resources.
4.1NHS Grampian
NHS Grampian is piloting a decontamination and cleaning facility at Inverurie. This facility has been purpose built and isolates contaminated and clean equipment from each other. The facility deals mainly with adult equipment, only very occasionally decontaminating children’s equipment. At this stage in the pilot there is no scope to expand into taking on children’s equipment.
An interesting point to note is that due to high operating temperatures involved in the decontamination process only certain items can be placed in the chamber. Items that are said to be “active” i.e. wood, fabric or foam are unsuitable for the decontamination chamber and have to be cleaned by hand. It would appear that the vast majority of equipment supplied to children with special needs would fall into the active category.
4.2ACC – Social work
ACC – Social work operate a decontamination facility out of Torry Store. There is unfortunately no sign of the segregated clean and dirty split clearly visible at the Inverurie facility.
Equipment uplifted to the Torry stores is first checked to see if it serviceable before the decontamination process begins. If not, any parts that can be used again are removed for spares. A note of the condemned piece of equipment is taken before the equipment is discarded.
An important point to come from discussions with Infection Control was that alcohol wipes are not an effective method of decontamination due to the speed in which the alcohol evaporates.
5.Maintenance/Repairs/Recording
The levels of maintenance and repair of the equipment across the main bodies varies considerably.
5.1ACC – Social work
ACC - Social work use the services provided by the Torry store. The store has no budget to buy spare parts however the main equipment budget can be used if required. Most equipment is maintained from parts removed from condemned equipment as this is cheaper and more environmentally friendly. No record is kept of repairs carried out on the equipment.
Equipment is cleaned and repaired then placed back out on loan into the community. When the equipment is no longer serviceable the usable parts are removed for spares and a new piece of equipment issued in its place.
95% of their stock is recycled.
5.2ACC – Education Service
Schools within ACC - Education Service are responsible for carrying out their own maintenance and repair of equipment. In general any major repairs would be carried out by the supplier, once completed a record of the repair would be made via the invoice logging system for that school by the Clerical Officer.
There are some Special Educational Needs schools that are classed as free standing, where equipment repairs and the purchasing of equipment has been sourced from different avenues in addition to the funds they receive from the Education Service.
5.3NHS Grampian
At Raeden Centre the Janitor or one of the Therapists carries out the smaller repairs. Grampian University Hospitals Trust Works Department carries out larger repairs requiring additional tools or skills. The Works Department uses response time code from 1 to 3 depending on the priority of the job. The centre does not have a repair maintenance budget or keep a formal record of repairs.
6.Procedures already in place
There are already some paper-based systems in place for equipment tracking, these are as follows.
6.1Equipment Loan Forms.
6.1.1NHS Grampian
The Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Department’s at Raeden Centre offer an equipment loan service. When a piece of equipment is loaned out an Equipment Loan Form is completed. The form asks for information on the equipment identification number, patient details and includes a disclaimer. The form also asks for a signature from the carer to say they have been shown how to use and maintain the equipment. The original form is help within Raeden, and two copies are taken, one is issued with the equipment and the other is filed in the patient’s notes. (See Appendix 7)
6.1.2ACC – Education Service
The Education Service has a system in place, which allows surplus equipment to be used elsewhere. A form is completed by the school who no longer require the equipment and sends it to the Clerical Officer who in turn informs other organisations ie NHS Grampian, of the available equipment. (See Appendix 8)
WoodlandsSchool offer an equipment loan service to HazelwoodSchool. This is an informal arrangement agreed between the two schools. An equipment loan form is used. (See Appendix 9)
6.1.3ACC – Social work
Once a year the Clerical Officer within the Social work undertakes an equipment survey. This is to check on the status of the equipment i.e. is the equipment still in use and is the equipment faulty and in need of repair. This check is for electrical equipment and for equipment with a value of £300 or over. A letter is sent to the user/carer requesting this information in the form of a tear off slip to be returned to the Social work. (See Appendix 10)
Appendix 7
Physiotherapy Department
Raeden Centre
Midstocket Road
Aberdeen, AB15 5PD
Tel 01224-321381 Ext 72245
EQUIPMENT LOAN FORM
Date: ______
I, (Name) ______
accept the loan of ______
Number ______
I have been shown how to use and maintain this piece of equipment by:
______
and agree that it has been checked and is in good and safe working order. When no longer required I will return it to Physiotherapy Department, Raeden Centre. I will notify the Department of any damage, loss or fault in this piece of equipment.
Details of specifics which must be checked prior to use:
______
Signed: ______
Issued and Checked by: ______
Patients Details:
Name: ______
Address: ______
______
Tel Number: ______
Date of Return: ______
Physio/Docs/Equip-Form
Appendix 8
ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL
EDUCATION SERVICE
NAME OF SCHOOL: ______
Summerhill Education Centre, Stronsay Drive, Aberdeen, AB15 6JA
Appendix 9
WOODLANDSSCHOOL
MALCOLM JOHNSTONCRAIGTON ROAD
Head TeacherCULTS
ABERDEEN
Tel: 01224 868814AB15 9PR
Fax: 01224 868501
e-mail:
EQUIPMENT LENDING
Issued To:
Date Issued:Date Returned:
Type of Equipment:
Name of Strudent:
Location Of Equipment:
Issue Signature:
Return Signature:
Appendix 10
Our Ref:
Your Ref:
Contact:
Direct Dial:01224 665380
Direct Fax:01224 665396
E-Mail:
Text Phone:01224 522381 DX529451, Aberdeen 9
8 October 2002
NameNEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES
AddressCENTRAL
Occupational Therapy
West Team
Woodhill House
Westburn Road
ABERDEEN
AB16 5GA
Dear
Re: Equipment Survey
It is some time since you were provided with a <equipment> through the Social work.
Please complete the tear-off slip and return it to me in the enclosed pre-paid envelope so that I can update my records.
Yours sincerely
Margaret Kemp
Clerical Assistant
Enc
<Title> <First Name> <Last Name> <Address 1> <City> Tel <Home Phone>
Please tick the appropriate options
I still use the equipment ____
I never use the equipment and would like it uplifted ____
The equipment is faulty and unable to be used ____
The equipment was returned earlier ____
Signature: ______
GORDON McINTOSH – CORPORATE DIRECTOR
7.Recent Purchases
Oak Radial worktops Desks2off (£140 each)£280.00
Desk high pedestal oak Draws 2off (£76 each)£152.00
4 draw blue filing cabinet£176.00
Suspension files Blue£25.87
Suspension files Red£25.87
Post- it pads2off (£2.36 each)£4.72
Laptops and cases2off (£1500 each)£3000.00
HP Photosmart 7550 Printer£248.90
Olympus mju 300 Camera2off (£240 each)£480.00
Total£4393.36
Two Lap Tops have been delivered and are awaiting set up by I, M & T, however due to the recent Virus Outbreak there is a four-week backlog. Once these are set up co-ordinators will be contactable by e-mail.
A Printer and Digital Cameras have been ordered and we await delivery.
8.Contact list
Below is list of the personnel contacted for their advice in compiling this document
Margaret KempACC Social workClerical Officer
Derek Stewart ACC Social workTorry Store Manager
Peter GilchristNHSGrampianInverurieHospitalDecontamination Manager
Friederike DebusACC
Integrated Transport Scheme for Children Development Office
Linda AndersonNHS Grampian, Raeden Centre Physiotherapist
Janet SeatonNHS Grampian,
Clinical Effectiveness Dept.Clinical Auditor
Margaret GrayACC Education ServiceClerical Officer
Christine RaeNHS Grampian, Northfield ClinicDistrict Nurse
Anne SmithNHS Grampian,
Grampian University Hospitals TrustInfection control Nurse
Roy BrowningNHS Grampian
Grampian Primary Care NHS TrustInfection Control Nurse
Teresa Murray and TeamACC Social workSenior Occupational Therapist
Authors: Malcolm McKie/Marlene WalkerPage 1 of 20