Hertfordshire Equipment Service boosts efficiency through ELMS2

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The  challenge  Hertfordshire  Equipment  Services  (HES)  is  a  Community  Equipment  Service  which  promotes  independence  and  supports  people  with  a  long  or  short  term  disability  or  illness  to  live  at  home  for  as  long  as  possible.      With  around  80,000  pieces  of  equipment  being  delivered  per  annum,  including  electric  profiling  beds,  hoists,  and  pressure  care  mattresses,  by  38  HES  technicians  on  the  road  performing  around  100  drop-­‐offs  and  swap-­‐outs  daily,  HES  is  much  in  demand.  It  delivers  to  approximately  27,000  unique  service  users  per  annum,  often  delivering  to  the  same  user  three  or  four  times  in  the  same  year  depending  on  the  level  of  need.      Given  the  scale  of  its  operation,  HES  concluded  that  it  needed  a  robust  and  powerful  IT  solution  to  enable  the  service  to  achieve  the  efficiency  improvements  it  desired.    

 

 

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The  solution  Following  significant  research  into  the  market,  HES  adopted  the  ELMS2  system,  a  comprehensive  software  solution  that  supports  the  efficient  management  of  Community  Equipment  Services,  Wheelchair  Services  and  other  areas  of  NHS  and  Social  Care  supplies  provision.      Easing  what  can  be  a  difficult  transition,  Ethitec  provided  training  to  staff  at  HES  prior  to  implementation  that  enabled  continuity  of  service  during  the  system  switch.  The  training  assisted  the  service  to  move  forward  with  the  system,  and  staff  quickly  became  confident  in  exploring  the  system's  functionality  with  handheld  scanners  and  keeping  records  updated  in  real-­‐time.      "The  transition  from  the  old  system  to  ELMS2  went  smoothly,  predominantly  due  to  the  support  provided  by  Ethitec  and  the  testing  of  migrated  data  prior  to  going  live,"  comments  Barry  Fearon,  a  Manager  at  HES.    The  system's  intuitive  browser-­‐based  interface  also  proved  a  hit  amongst  staff  at  HES,  says  Barry:  "It  is  a  reflection  of  the  user-­‐friendliness  of  ELMS2  that  we  never  receive  calls  

CASE STUDY

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from  staff  asking  for  further  guidance  with  the  system."    ELMS2  offered  a  modular  and  flexible  solution  that  scaled  to  suit  the  specification  of  any  service,  and  the  system  is  constantly  evolving  to  fit  the  needs  of  HES,  explains  Barry:  "Ethitec  has  been  very  responsive  in  undertaking  enhancements  to  assist  in  shaping  the  system  to  meet  the  way  we  work,  rather  than  HES  needing  to  change  the  way  we  work  to  fit  in  with  the  system.    "One  such  adaptation  has  been  developed  to  address  the  routing  inefficiencies  faced  by  Road  Technicians.  In  Hertfordshire,  we  have  two  levels  of  Technicians:  one  group  undertaking  adaptations,  and  one  group  undertaking  drop  off  work.      "Ethitec  recently  added  an  additional  search  box  in  the  'Booking  List',  to  filter  'drop  off'  work  and  'adaptations'  for  scheduling  and  routing,  and  this  additional  function  significantly  improved  our  vehicle  routing  efficiency."  

  Lorem  Ipsum  

 

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The  benefits  Since  the  introduction  of  ELMS2,  HES  has  reported  a  number  of  efficiency  improvements.  Online  orders  are  increasing  month  on  month,  with  the  first  year  seeing  a  50%  rise  in  online  ordering.  This  has  lessened  the  pressure  on  office  staff  and  allowed  resources  to  be  allocated  more  efficiently.    Barry  explains:  "Since  the  introduction  of  barcode  scanning,  there  has  been  a  definite  reduction  in  the  number  of  calls  we  are  receiving  from  frontline  staff  to  check  on  the  delivery  progress  and  status  of  equipment.  This  is  thanks  to  the  real-­‐time  functionality  of  ELMS2;  when  equipment  is  delivered  and  scanned,  the  system  is  updated  almost  immediately,  and  automatically.      "Staff  can  then  check  ELMS2  to  see  whether  the  equipment  has  been  delivered  or  is  due  for  delivery,  and  /  or  they  can  choose  to  receive  automated  emails  or  SMS  providing  this  information."  HES  has  identified  further  efficiencies  it  can  make  using  ELMS2,  in  particular  to  improve  ordering  online  rates  of  high  cost  equipment.      "The  issue  we  face  here  is  that  our  authorisation  process  can  be  time  consuming.  Although  the  system  supports  online  authorisation,  we  have  yet  to  take  full  advantage  of  this    

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and  are  considering  a  few  options."    Despite  this,  the  flexibility  of  the  solution  has  enabled  HES  to  begin  the  rollout  of  bed  ordering  online  and  assisted  the  service  to  make  informed  decisions  when  moving  forward  with  clinical  approval  for  high  value  items.    Trials  are  running  in  various  areas  of  the  county  to  test  models,  and  HES  looks  forward  to  using  the  full  functionality  of  the  system  to  support  the  loan  out  of  high  cost  equipment  in  the  future.    The  historical  data  and  trends  provided  by  ELMS2's  comprehensive  reporting  have  helped  HES  highlight  and  address  inefficiencies.      "As  part  of  our  authorisation  trial,  activity  reporting  is  fundamental  in  informing  budget  managers  on  the  prescribing  levels  of  their  staff  to  ensure  their  consistency.    "The  reports  on  ELMS2  are  very  comprehensive,  and  having  the  ability  to  export  them  to  Microsoft  Excel  or  present  them  in  a  PDF  format  is  extremely  helpful."    HES  has  also  benefited  from  Ethitec's  twice  yearly  User  Group  meetings,  which  enables  networking  with  other  ELMS2  users  and  acts  as  a  forum  for  suggestions  to  develop  the  system.  

The  future  HES  is  currently  trialling  a  new  aspect  of  ELMS2's  Online  Ordering  Module  which  is  specifically  designed  for  smartphones  and  smaller  tablets.  The  app  enables  referrers  to  order  equipment  in  real  time  in  the  service  user's  place  of  residence,  avoiding  the  need  to  return  to  an  office  before  sending  in  the  order.    Barry  comments  on  the  trial's  success:  "The  feedback  from  referrers  is  extremely  encouraging.  This  development  will  certainly  meet  the  changing  demands  and  expectations  of  Hertfordshire  Social  Care  and  Health  colleagues  who  are  requiring  increased  speed  of  equipment  provision.    "This  initiative  also  complements  the  Hertfordshire  County  Council  ‘SmartWorker'  programme,  which  enables  staff  to  work  peripatetically  and  reduce  the  need  to  print  off  documents.    "Overall,  we're  very  happy  with  Ethitec  and  ELMS2,"  concludes  Barry.  "The  system  is  robust,  the  support  is  excellent  and  Ethitec  are  responsive  and  flexible."      

Ethitec

This case study was featured in Equipment Services Journal January 2016.

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