Welcome to the Right Decision Service (RDS) newsletter for April 2024.
Tactuum has been working hard to address the issues experienced during the last week. They have identified a series of three mitigation measures and put the first of these in place on Friday 3rd May. If this does not resolve the problems, the second mitigation will be actioned, and then the third if necessary.
Please keep a lookout for any slowing down of the system or getting locked out. Please email myself, mbuchner@tactuum.com and onivarova@tactuum.com if you experience any problems, and also please raise an urgent support ticket via the Support Portal.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while we achieve a full resolution.
A rotating carousel presenting some of the key RDS tools and capabilities, and an editable slideset, are now available in the Resources for RDS providers section of the Learning and Support toolkit.
The redesign of RDS Search and Browse is still on-track for delivery by mid-June 2024. We then plan to have a 3-week user acceptance testing phase before release to live. All editors and toolkit owners on this mailing list will be invited to participate in the UAT.
The archiving and version control functionality is also progressing well and we will advise on timescales for user acceptance testing shortly.
Tactuum is also progressing with the deep linking to individual toolkits within the mobile RDS app. There are several unknowns around the time and effort required for this work, which will only become clear as the work progresses. So we need to be careful to protect budget for this purpose.
These have all been compiled and effort estimated. Once the redesign work is complete, these will be prioritised in line with the remaining budget. We expect this to take place around late June.
Many thanks to those of you completed the value and impact survey we distributed in February. Here are some key findings from the 65 responses we received.
Figure 1: Impact of RDS on direct delivery of care
Key figures
Figure 2 shows RDS impact to date on delivery of health and care services
Key figures
These data show how RDS is already contributing to NHS reform priorities and supporting delivery of more sustainable care.
Saving time and money
Quality assurance and governance
Service innovation and workforce development
A few examples of toolkits published to live in the last month:
Some of the toolkits the RDS team is currently working on:
Please contact his.decisionsupport@nhs.scot if you would like to learn more about a toolkit. The RDS team will put you in touch with the relevant toolkit lead.
Thanks to all of you who have responded to the retrospective quality audit survey and to the follow up questions. We still have some following up to do, and to work with owners of a further 23 toolkits to complete responses. An interim report is being presented to the HIS Quality and Performance Committee.
Eight clinical services and two public library services are undertaking tests of change to implement the Being a partner in my care app. This app aims to support patients and the public to become active participants in Realistic Medicine. It has a strong focus on personalised, person-centred care and a library of shared decision aids, as well as simple explanations and videoclips to help the public to understand the aims of Realistic Medicine. The tests of change will inform guidance and an implementation model around wider adoption and spread of the app.
With kind regards
Right Decision Service team
Healthcare Improvement Scotland
In small schools, it is easier for staff to know which pupils have been diagnosed with an allergy.
A register that indicates which pupils have allergies should be distributed to all staff in the school, including the catering staff.
The catering manager should always be aware of the allergen free meals required per day for pupils with food allergies.
Young children are at risk of accidental exposure to allergens in primary school. Many substances and utensils used in activities can contain allergens such as playdough (gluten), dried pasta, lentils, balloons (latex), egg cartons etc.
Therefore, young children require supervision at all times and activities should be planned with allergies in mind.
Management Plans: Young children can develop tolerance (outgrow allergies), particularly to milk and egg. Therefore in the child's time at primary school, the Personalised Allergy Action Plan may change. Schools should ensure that parents/carers update them of any changes by having annual meetings or sending reminder letters/emails.
Strategies outlined in the 
Scottish Government guidance to prevent food allergic reactions include:
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Education in hygiene and cross contamination for all pupils - hand washing encouraged before and after meals/snacks/activities. |
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Appropriateness of meals purchased in the canteen should be checked with parents/carers. |
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Pupils with allergy should be taught and encouraged to ask catering staff about allergens in meals. |
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Where possible, all meals, drinks and snacks served in the school should be clearly labelled with allergens listed. |
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Individual drinks bottles or containers can be labelled with children’s names. |
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Appropriate supervision during meal times. |
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Permission obtained from parents/carers before giving food treats to pupils with allergies (e.g. Birthday parties/ Special events). |
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Plan to accommodate pupils with allergens before activities (e.g. craft, science or cooking classes). |
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Plan for catering arrangements and complete risk assessments before out of school activities (school trips, sports events, camps), including emergency planning for anaphylaxis. |
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Consider a no food/ utensil sharing policy. |
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Consider allergen free areas, used by everyone to avoid stigma. |
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Education for staff in cross contamination and reading food labels to check for allergens. |
The level of understanding and competence of the child needs to be assessed first in order for them to independently manage their allergy and carry their own emergency medication. Regular discussions with the school, parents/carers and healthcare professionals should be held to monitor this. Usually health professionals start offering training in how to manage allergic reactions and in the use of an AAI in children after 7 years of age.
The school should store the emergency medication on behalf of young children. It should be stored as part of an emergency kit.
In primary schools where the child does not move rooms often, the kit could be stored in the class, e.g. in the teacher’s shelf. It should be taken with the teacher or support staff member if the class moves far away from where the child’s kit is kept e.g. outdoor activities.
Transport between Home and School
Young children who can’t carry their own medication, must still have access to an AAI when travelling to and from school. The child’s own emergency kit should be carried by the parents/carers or left at school and pass it back to the parents/carers for transport to and from school.
The school should conduct regular audits of the emergency kit to ensure the medication is correct and in date. They should also send reminders to the parents/carers about this. It is recommended for the child's name and picture to be displayed on the outside of the kit where possible, for quick identifications in emergencies.
Teaching other pupils about allergies is a great way to encourage empathy, inclusion and responsible behaviour.
Educating pupils from an early age about allergies can also help tackle the national misunderstandings surrounding this topic.
Allergy can be added to the curriculum by using online resources such as:
Food Standards Scotland: Happy Hands!
Anaphylaxis Campaign: School Allergy Awareness Resource Pack
Creative Ideas to Engage Young Children:
Glitter can be used to demonstrate how allergens are easily spread by shaking hands or touching toys, books and surfaces. This also highlights the importance of hand washing to remove allergens. Food Allergy Canada
School allergy care
