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
If you have a history of schizophrenia, you should talk to a healthcare professional about planning your pregnancy. They can help you to manage any changes to your medication you may need, and to get any extra support you may need during pregnancy, as well as helping you bond with your baby.
If you have a history of schizophrenia, your health professional will work with the different professionals involved in your care to develop a care plan. You can be referred for specialist mental health support. They can give you advice and information about the risk of your mental health condition returning during pregnancy or after you give birth. The team can create a care plan for monitoring your mental health to make sure you have the right support for your mental health and your relationship with your baby.
A care plan might include:
What help is available to support me and my baby?
Services are available to support you and your baby so that you can be the parent you want to be. These include:
This 1-minute video from Tommy's goes through 5 key things to think about when planning a pregnancy with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia.
1. Keep taking your medication until you have talked to a healthcare professional.
2. Give up substances that could harm you and your baby.
3. Be as healthy as possible: physically and mentally.
4. Think about what support you might need.
5. Know your early warning signs of relapse and share them with those around you.
This video from the Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland outlines the specialist support available to help you keep well while preparing for pregnancy if you have a mental health condition or have had mental health issues in the past.
You can use this online form to record issues and questions you want to discuss with your midwife, health visitor, family nurse or other healthcare professional. Once completed, you can save it or print it out. Click on the icon below to access the form.
Mental health in pregnancy and after birth (SIGN)