Shadow Running Launch
New Community Equipment retail model tested in North West (15 Oct '07)
Download Launch announcement HERE
The trial of a new system to deliver community equipment(1) to service users has been launched in the North West. Both Cheshire and Oldham's Local Authority and Primary Care Trust partners went live with a trial of the new service on Monday 15th October. The trial will cover adults and children who use community equipment.
The new community equipment retail market model was collaboratively designed by the Department of Health's CSED programme with a wide spectrum of stakeholders. The design objective was a radical new model for delivery of community equipment in England which places service users and carers at its heart and which makes best use of the strengths of the third and private sector(2).
The new system will not change the way a user or carer who need state support are assessed(3). The new system will however change the way that equipment is provided with accredited retailers(4) agreeing to stock and distribute the necessary equipment. Accredited Retailers will give state supported users the choice that they have not previously enjoyed, by offering to either exchange equipment for a prescription(5) or topping up existing prescriptions to a user's product of choice suiting their lifestyle or preference.
Micro-sites: Over the next two months other councils, also based in the North West, will follow Cheshire and Oldham as ‘micro-sites', trialling the new model using and testing material developed by these lead partners. In order to validate and build on the lead partners' output, the micro sites comprise a broad range of authorities. These micro-sites have been selected to provide a range of governance set-ups, sizing, customer bases and locations(6). The following Councils have elected to act as ‘micro-sites'; Manchester Council, St Helens and Knowsley Council and Wirral Councils.
Macro-sites: This testing approach will also include input from a number of ‘macro-sites', also based in the North West. These macro sites will help to develop specific components of the retail model and review the design developed for lead sites as verified and amended by the micro sites. They will have a much lighter involvement in the design of the central model. The macro sites include Rochdale Council, Blackpool Council, Salford Council, Trafford Council and Sefton Council.
Minister for Care Services, Ivan Lewis MP said" I am delighted to hear that our partners in Cheshire and Oldham have taken this important step forward for community equipment services. The new retail model, which they are shadow running, was developed by the people who use and deliver services and has users and carers at its heart. It demonstrates how local government, the NHS and third sector organisations can work with retailers to deliver personalised services more efficiently.
This is a true partnership, which combines the strengths of the partners to deliver better services for people. Cheshire and Oldham are offering the sort of service that underpins our drive to enable everyone to access services when they need them and to exercise choice and control over what they need to live independently. "
Cliff Bush, Chairman North West Surrey Association for Disabled People said "I am delighted to hear that shadow running has been launched - I hope that we are now a day closer to community equipment users in England getting the same kind of real choice afforded to the rest of the population".
Imelda Redmond, Chief Executive, Carers UK said "Carers UK endorses this programme as getting the right equipment to people at the right time. This can have a significant impact on the independence of both the carers and the person needing support".
Alan Norton, Director Assist UK said "This model offers the opportunity for disabled people to move from just existing to living".
Susan Heap, leading the joint project for Cheshire County Council and PCT said "We in Cheshire are really pleased that we are one of the Lead partners working with the Department of Health piloting the innovative ‘Retail Model' regarding the provision of community equipment. This gives choice and control to people of Cheshire that need equipment to promote independence and enhance their quality of life. Cheshire are also delighted that we will be working on the pilot with our local retailers, manufacturers and suppliers".
Tom Wolstencroft, leading the joint project for Oldham County Council and PCT said: "We are delighted to take a leading role with the DH in an innovative project enabling flexibility and a greater range of choice of community equipment to enable people to live in their own home"
Notes:
1. Following the review of existing Community Equipment services in England, and our extensive consultation with stakeholders, the conceptual model is now available on the CSED website at http://www.csed.csip.org.uk/.
2. The community equipment retail model is designed to:
- Put community equipment users at the heart of services
- Improve quality of services for all users and their carers
- Empower state services to focus on users with more complex conditions
- Maximise the skills of professionally qualified staff
- Be non-mandatory, but to demonstrate a way of delivering personalised services
- Deliver on the prevention and the personalisation agenda for the whole population, encouraging the delivery of effective information to all, enabling the public to anticipate and plan for any future need of family and friends.
3. State assessments of need will still be carried out by state bodies in accordance with their statutory duties, which remain unchanged in all respects. For self-funders, the new model suggests the development of a new private (for a fee) service with the advent of ‘independent needs assessors'. An Independent needs assessor provides a private service for any individual. An independent needs assessor is a local qualified professional who can, for a fee, carry out a full assessment of equipment needs and will be able to issue a ‘private' prescription for any products.
4. An accredited retailer is any retailer that has met the criteria of accreditation, and provides knowledgeable and trained staff required by regulation for the supply of community equipment. In the future this could be a local 3rd Sector outlet, a supermarket, a specialist retail outlet or a pharmacy. Users are covered by all the usual consumer rights and may return products if they prove unsuitable.
5. The ‘prescription' enables a state funded user to obtain their equipment free of charge.
6. The purpose of shadow running is, within a controlled, well understood and measured environment:
- To test user behaviour and views on the changes.
- To test the effectiveness of new processes.
- To measure the impact of the new processes on, for example:
- the number of users signposted to retail solutions
- the number of users entering the service
- the existing waiting list
- the budget
- ratio of low to complex need
- staff views about the changes
- To evaluate and establish the financial and quality benefits