< Previous | Contents | Next >

Equipped for Inclusion: Report of the Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations

Appendix 2: Approach to the task

The National Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations reviewed equipment and adaptations and technological developments in a holistic manner to formulate recommendations that will maximise organisational and professional co-operation and lead to greater efficiencies of service delivery. They focused on:

• the person who may require equipment or adaptations and those who assist them
• those involved in providing information, advice and demonstration
• those involved in diagnostic assessment and in assessing need for funding purposes
• those involved in the selection of equipment and adaptations
• locality stores and those technical professionals involved in the delivery of equipment and adaptations
• organisational managers and commissioners of service delivery
• manufacturers and commercial distributors of equipment

Members of the group are listed at Appendix 3. They concentrated on a vision for the future and the strategies to deliver this, and formed a number of groups:

• the Joint Future Sub-Group assessed the implications of the wider Joint Future agenda, including joint resourcing and joint management of services, and single shared assessment. It included consideration of the self-selection of equipment and adaptations, as defined in the remit of the Forum.
• the Blue Sky Sub-Group developed the strategic vision for the future of equipment and adaptation services, to ensure that the modernisation process continues far beyond the present work on joint resourcing and joint management of community care services, or single shared assessment. It included consideration of areas for research on the effectiveness of equipment and adaptations, and rehabilitation services as defined in the remit of the Forum.
• the Information Sub-Group considered the information that is required to empower people to find modern and effective equipment and adaptations. This is critical for the change process to succeed. It included consideration of core information requirements and minimum service standards for information, advice and demonstration, for service users and assessors as defined in the remit of the Forum.

The Internal Reference Group ensured that the equipment and adaptations strategy could be integrated with national policies and developments, notably:

• the Joint Future agenda
• the Free Personal Care agenda
• Direct Payments
• the Scottish Executive review of Audiology services
• implications of the Housing [Scotland] Act 2001
• Supporting People
• Care and Repair services
• improving standards in care homes through the National Care Standards Committee and the work of the Care Commission
• quality and standards, monitoring and evaluation e.g. Social Work Services Inspectorate Annual Report, Audit Scotland review of equipment and adaptations

They carried out research and analysis:

• 'Equipment and Adaptation Services in Scotland: a Survey of Waiting Times for Social Work Provision' was commissioned to provide a snapshot survey of waiting times for a sample of equipment and adaptations available through local authority social work services
• 'Using the law to develop and improve equipment and adaptation provision' was commissioned from Michael Mandelstam to review of the current legislative and regulatory framework

Members of the Forum actively encouraged discussion of its work with their representative interests. Meetings and discussions took place with people who are undertaking similar work in England and Northern Ireland, and with a range of interested groups and organisations, including the Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies in Glasgow, the recently established Independent Living Network, the British Health Trades Association [BHTA], and the National Associations of Equipment Providers [NAEP].

One key conference 'Disability Equipment and Adaptations: Thinking Outside the Box' in May 2002 brought this wider thinking to the Scottish context.

Presentations were made to the Forum, including Alison Porter on her research project for Sheffield City Council 'Equipment and Adaptations: Information and Advice and Self-Assessment'.

Manufacturers of the iBOT wheelchair demonstrated this development as a potential alternative to adapting the environment to accommodate the use of a wheelchair.

A variety of organisational web sites were accessed throughout the course of the work of the Forum to establish remits of specific groups, and consider the range of activity relevant to the agenda.

< Previous | Contents | Next >