Summary of responses received during the equipment and adaptations consultation
Section One - Introduction
Section Two - Responses Received
Section Three - Respondent Information
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Section One - Introduction
Background
The Audit Scotland Report, Adapting to the Future, published in 2004 recommended that the then Scottish Executive should:
"Update national guidance on roles and responsibilities in relation to community equipment and adaptations to reflect new ways of working promoted by the Joint Future Agenda; local government reorganisation; and developments in technology."
To this end new draft guidance on the provision of equipment and adaptations was issued for public consultation on 31 December, running until 31 March 2009. The guidance aims to enable professionals, users and carers better understand local health and social care partnerships responsibilities, and to create a more consistent approach to the provision of equipment and adaptations across Scotland.
Consultation process
A total of 75 responses were received from a variety of organisations and individuals. Responses received were generally positive, and welcomed that new guidance was being produced.
Three consultation event were also held in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. These events were independently run by Capability Scotland, Quarriers and Cornerstone respectively. The three events were well attended by service users, carers and professionals. Reports from the three events were received from the organisations and have been used to inform the consultation process. These reports are available separately on the Scottish Government website.
Initial analysis of the responses has highlighted the need for stronger recommendations, including timescales for completion of tasks. There was some feeling that this guidance was aimed mainly at professionals involved in the delivery of equipment and adaptations. We acknowledge this and will develop separate information resources for members of the public.
A number of respondents also felt that the sections on adaptations and care homes did not contain enough details. This is also acknowledged, and we are working to further develop guidance on these two areas. A part of this work is the development of a funding guide for adaptations which we hope to launch alongside the final version of the guidance.
A full analysis of the consultation responses will be published in due course.
Next Steps
Following a full analysis of the results, we will address the issues raised within the draft guidance with a view to producing a final version of the guidance at the end of the Summer.
Alongside the guidance we are developing a number of toolkits to assist partnerships implement the key recommendations. One of these is a Best Practice Guide for Community Equipment Provision. This guide has been developed, in consultation with professionals involved in the provision of equipment to service users from all care groups. It provides a useful baseline for partnerships to benchmark their current services against, and will help ensure a more consistent service delivery across Scotland.