Equipment and adaptations: guidance on provision - executive summary

Care Homes

In 2012 the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) and Scottish Government jointly issued a National Protocol for the Provision of Equipment in Care Homes, The Protocol was jointly developed and agreed with CoSLA, Scottish Care, local health & social care partners, and the Scottish National Association of Equipment Providers. The Protocol became a part of the National Care Homes Contract.

The Protocol reiterated that care homes are expected to provide a wide range of equipment to fulfil their obligations to their service users and to their workforce.

In order to ensure equity, people who are self-funding, and have been confirmed as having an assessed need for specific equipment should not be charged for this essential equipment provision. Similarly, families should never be asked to fund this equipment.

Where partnerships have developed interim care home placement models, it is essential that appropriate arrangements for equipment are in place. Therefore, the approach is the same as for permanent care home placements, acknowledging that timely provision of equipment to support more complex needs is critical to the success of the transitional pathways. Commissioning contract arrangements should therefore ensure that the care home facilities have suitably resourced themselves with a stock of equipment which will support these needs e.g. including standard support seating to address essential postural management needs.

For day, and respite facilities, again it is expected, that the same approach will apply as for the other facilities, and that these settings are suitably resourced with appropriate equipment for the service users they are funded to support.

To support good practice, commissioning and equipment service leads within statutory providers (HSCPs) should work with their local care home sector to agree the most suitable makes and models of generic equipment e.g. beds, mattresses, modular support seating etc. This will assist the care homes in the cost effective procurement of appropriate equipment to meet common needs within the Care Home population and effectively support the people in their care. It will also assist local equipment stores to stock a range of suitable bespoke attachments to customise relevant equipment as required (e.g. accessories for modular seating systems), to meet the assessed needs of an individual.

Key Actions

• Care homes should provide a wide range of equipment to fulfil their obligations to their service users and to their workforce, in line with the national Protocol for the Provision of Equipment in Care Homes.
• Services users who have been confirmed as having an assessed need for specific equipment should not be charged for this essential equipment, and families should not be asked to fund this provision, this includes people who are self-funding.
• Commissioning and equipment service leads within statutory providers should work with their local care home sector to agree the most suitable makes and models of generic equipment, and ensure this equipment is in place.
• These principles should also apply to all care groups including homes for younger adults, interim care home models, and day and respite facilities.