Dorset HealthCare 6 Month Assessment Provider
We asked the 6 month assessment provider at Dorset HealthCare to provide us with some advice for 6 month assessment teams on SSNAP. Please see below for key information on how they ensure as many 6 month assessments are completed and entered onto SSNAP as possible:
It has taken a significant amount of work and investment to get our 6-month review service up and running, and inputting information consistently onto the SSNAP database. We are fortunate in that our local CCG commissioned a dedicated 6-month review service for all patients in their catchment area, which obviously goes a long way to ensure patients are offered reviews on a consistent basis - since we have a dedicated resource for this, unlike some other areas. This would be my biggest piece of advice – as although we have internally tried to make the SSNAP process as easy as possible for staff, it is ultimately dependent on our service having staff and time available to do the reviews!
In terms of data entry – we have put efforts into building links with all of our local stroke services who use SSNAP (both inpatient and ESD), who now transfer their patients on to us for 6-month review at the point of discharge from their services, using the relevant section on SSNAP. This allows our workflow to be more efficient, but also provides a safety net in case we do not receive a referral for a patient via any other means. Our local inpatient units also copy our review service into their written patient discharge summaries, so we have access to this clinical information. We have also ensured that our review staff have access to as many local electronic clinical information systems as possible – to be able to access relevant information from other services involved in the person’s care prior to their review (e.g. being able to view medical history, their summary care record etc). Our appointment letters also highlight the request for patients to bring/have available their current medication list. These all help our staff have the necessary info for SSNAP available, particularly in instances where the patient is not aware or able express their medical history and medications independently.
In terms of other internal processes – as clinical leads we provided training for all our staff who enter data, and supported this by writing our own user guide with screenshots etc.
