Saturday, 20 October 2018
Equipment Program Prescriber Update
Home modifications
The home modifications prescription form and procedures have been recently reviewed as a result of feedback received by the Equipment Program. Four procedures (Prescribing a home modification, Determining eligibility for home modification, Seeking delegate approval for home modifications and Involving a consultant in prescription of major home modifications) are now a single procedure named “Prescribing a home modification” with the following changes also being made:
- Inclusion of an additional check on prescriptions for clients who are residents of low income/retirement village facilities
- Clarifying and clearly outlining roles, responsibilities and the communication process between the prescribing clinician and home modification consultant / MFO / contractor
- Supporting documents (i.e. checklists) have been updated
Transportation of people in wheelchairs
The Clinical considerations for prescribers “Motor vehicle transport of people in wheelchairs”has been reviewed and clarified for situations involving new items and when clients already have wheelchairs.
Non crash-tested wheelchairs that are currently out with clients should not be replaced due to transportation needs alone, only when the existing chair requires replacement due to maintenance issues or significant functional or postural changes. However, additional safety features such as headrests may be provided to those non crash-tested wheelchairs. To assist with this, a “Headrest Position Specification Form” has been added to the team site to assist in the prescription of headrests.
A one-off training session for prescribers regarding transportation of people in wheelchairs is being planned and several of these will be added to the training calendar soon.
Repair contingency planning
Most items of equipment provided by the DCSI Equipment Program will need repairing during their life cycles. Stock items are normally replaced with an equivalent item and the original item is repaired or disposed of by DES as part of the equipment cycle.
Customised items often cannot be replaced quickly and may require repair and return to the client. In some circumstances a replacement may be able to be provided to clients while the repairs take place, but this is not always possible.
To assist in planning for these situations, a “Loan of Equipment When Undertaking Repairs”has been launched along with a template for a “Repair Contingency Plan Highly Customised Equipment”. This needs to be completed for customised or high risk items that cannot easily be replaced. The “Prescription Agreement Form” has been updated to reflect this also.
Submitting Prescriptions and quotes
Please always use the items codes from the DES equipment catalogue and ensure information and specifications are included to enable matching of equipment. Quotes should only be sought from a supplier after the initial prescription is sent to DES and DES has contacted the prescriber requesting a quote. Prescriptions do not need to be resent when sending in quotes.
Updated Equipment Services Operational Policy available
The equipment operational policy has been reviewed and relaunched and is available on the team site. This is an important document and provides essential information about eligibility and all operational elements of the Equipment Program. A big thank you to those stakeholders who have assisted with this.
Clients transferring to an Australian Government residential aged care facility
Residential aged care facilities are expected to provide standard equipment items (beds, hoists, chairs etc) for residents, and DCSI clients aged over 65 years transferring to an aged care facility must return items of this nature to DES. If the person has DCSI custom made equipment, the resident can opt to take ownership of the item(s) following the“Transferring ownership of equipment items from DCSI”procedure. In this circumstance, DCSI is no longer responsible for its repair, maintenance or replacement. Service coordinators should advise clients about this policy before the transfer into residential care and, following the procedure, ensure that DES is contacted as early as possible to arrange for the transfer or collection of equipment.
Entrapment update
The FDA Guide 2006 defines entrapment as a person being caught, trapped or entangled in the spaces in or about the bedrail, mattress or bed frame. An Entrapment Working Party has been established to review current entrapment evidence, documentation and training available to prescribers.
The program will notify prescribers when updated training, supporting information for prescribers and clients regarding entrapment risk for beds, bed accessories and equipment items are finalised. These will influence clinical practice in assessment and prescription of beds, bed accessories, and entrapment risk and entrapment zones.
In the interim, clinicians are asked to be vigilant around issues of entrapment and, where in doubt, consult with an experienced clinician or member of the Entrapment Working Party.
Equipment Procurement
DES is undertaking a series of procurement activities to provide better quality equipment and associated services as well as deliver value for stakeholders. DES has been working with the Victorian State-Wide Equipment Program on the joint procurement of a range of about 70 non-customised items. This process has included a comprehensive clinical and technical evaluation of all the items to ensure quality, safety, clinical appropriateness and value for money. Thank you to all those people who have been involved. Once finalised, any new items will be added onto the DES equipment catalogue with their relevant specifications.
Training Program update
When booking training, please remember to only email the mailbox d not individuals. This will ensure that a prompt response is provided.
Document access
All Equipment Program documents are on the DES website
Regards,
Matthew Massy-Westropp
General Manager, Domiciliary Equipment Service
Disability and Domiciliary Care Services
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion
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