Equipment and adaptations: guidance on provision - executive summary

Integrated service pathways for equipment provision

Anyone requiring equipment and adaptations or other care services should experience a seamless journey through the pathway of care, which then ensures they receive the right intervention at the right time. To guarantee that changing care needs are managed effectively, it is essential that equipment and adaptations are seen as an integral part of the service pathways and can be provided by a wide range of staff across all service settings.

Our pathways should be designed to ensure that any staff who are involved in assessing the needs of a person who may require equipment to support them, are then able to directly provide equipment, to complement their interventions, and/or support wider service goals.

Relevant health & Social Care staff, should be able to access a wide range of equipment appropriate to the type of service they are providing, and not based on professional or agency boundaries.

It is essential that financial arrangements support this, and that Partnerships have funding mechanisms which ensure that all equipment purchased through the Store service is paid for from the one funding 'pot', with no barriers according to type or professional use.

To support all professions and services in these roles, Core Training modules should be available as part of an annually updated training programme which is open to all relevant partners and agencies.

Inter-agency agreements (Protocols) should be in place, defining the arrangements between the Partners in terms of the roles and responsibilities of staff and their managers, and the processes for assessment, prescription, and provision of equipment.

Key Actions

• Equipment and adaptations should be seen as an integral part of the wider service pathways and their contribution should be clearly articulated in local health and social care strategies.
• Relevant health & social care staff, should be able to access a wide range of equipment and relevant adaptations, appropriate to the type of service they are providing, and not based on professional or agency boundaries.
• Partnerships must have funding mechanisms which ensure that all equipment purchased through the Store service is paid for from the one funding 'pot', with no barriers according to type, or professional use.
• Staff across services who are involved in identifying equipment and adaptation needs should be trained to assess and provide a wide range of solutions, irrespective of their own professional background. The training should strongly emphasise good assessment practice, the need for 'good conversations' which focus on personal outcomes, and encourage prescribers to consider their reasoning for provision, contraindications, recording of decision making, and encourages avoidance of over-prescription.
• Inter-agency agreements (protocols) should be in place, defining the arrangements between the partners in terms of the roles and responsibilities of staff and their managers, and the processes for assessment, prescription, and provision of equipment and adaptations.
• Individuals with simple or non-complex needs should be able to access equipment and minor adaptations without the need for a specific professional assessment. This can include models utilising direct access and self-assessment tools.