The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) now live on ELMS2

Ethitec are pleased to announce that another service in Northern Ireland has chosen to implement their ELMS2 system. The rollout of ELMS2 to the community equipment and continence services managed by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) was completed in November 2023.

SEHSCT is an integrated organisation incorporating acute hospital services, community health & social services that serves a population of approximately 350.000 people. The Trust covers the local government districts of Ards, North Down, Down and Lisburn. The Community Nursing Equipment and Loans Service (CELS) provides equipment and products for patients in the community, whether it be in a nursing home, residential home or in the patient’s own home. The provision of suitable equipment can assist with hospital discharge and can also help patients to remain independent in their own homes for longer.

The ELMS2 system commissioned by the Trust provides a comprehensive set of easy to use software functions specifically designed to manage their ordering, stores, servicing, and distribution activities. Ethitec also delivered a set of technical, training, and consultancy services to help ensure a successful transition to the new system.

SEHSCT is now the 5th organisation to use ELMS2 in Northern Ireland, following the successful implementation of the system at three other Community Equipment Services which are hosted by the Northern, Southern and Western Health and Social Care Trusts respectively, and also at the Northern Ireland Regional Wheelchair Service.

The One Stop Resource Centre in Sale now live on ELMS2

Ethitec are delighted to announce that the One Stop Resource Centre (OSRC) in Sale, Greater Manchester, has just ‘gone live’ with the company’s ELMS2 software solution. The OSRC is a joint venture between Trafford Local Care Organisation (community health services managed by Manchester NHS Foundation Trust) and Trafford Council. It provides equipment and adaptations to people within the borough who may be recovering from an illness or have a disability to help them live more independently at home.

Their service includes:

  • Assessing people's needs for community equipment, minor and major adaptations.
  • Provision of equipment to prevent hospital admission or get back home as early as possible.
  • Central warehouse supplies and satellite stores in local hospitals to support early discharge during out-of-hours periods.
  • Short-term loan wheelchair service until the patient's own equipment arrives.
  • Advice Line, Triage, and Signposting.
  • Refurbishment services covering delivery, fitting, repairs, and decontamination of equipment.

 

Ethitec’s ELMS2 system has now been fully deployed and will serve as a comprehensive management tool for the OSRC team, supporting their end-to-end operations. Ethitec worked closely both with the staff at the OSRC and the project team from MFT to ensure a smooth and timely transition to ELMS2.

DCB0129 Documents Available Online

We are happy to confirm that, upon request, our Tiara9 and ELMS2 customers can now access Ethitec’s Clinical Risk Management documentation online.

Although DCB0129, and the corresponding DCB0160, standards have been in effect for a period of time, historically clinical safety has not been an issue that has been raised by our customers. More recently, however, Ethitec has started receiving regular requests concerning the DCB0129 status of our healthcare products, presumably due to the focus on health and social care organisations needing to complete DCB0160 for the systems they employ. As a consequence, we have made efforts to formalise our position.

Consulting with 8fold Governance, long-time experts in this field, we have reviewed and updated our products and Clinical Safety and Clinical Risk Management processes to ensure we have the materials required to prove our compliance with DCB0129. This is an ongoing process, with Ethitec’s Clinical Safety Officer regularly reviewing updates to the systems and maintaining Hazard and Clinical logs.

Should you have need to look at these documents, please let us know and we will grant you access.

The Airedale Wheelchair Service is live on ELMS2

Ethitec are very happy to confirm that their ELMS2 software solution has recently gone live at the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, where it is now being used to manage the operations of the Airedale Wheelchair Service. Airedale Wheelchair Service are a small friendly team who aim to improve the quality of life for people living with a disability, and their carers, through timely access to appropriate assessments, support and the provision and maintenance of equipment.

ELMS2 is a comprehensive software solution that supports the efficient management of Wheelchair Services, Community Equipment Services, and other areas of NHS and Social Care supplies provision. It provides comprehensive functionality for the Trust to manage patients, referrals, waiting lists, appointments, assessments, stock, distribution, servicing, and repairs.

Michelle West, Service Manager at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said “ Hats off to the team at Ethitec for their responsiveness, the quality of the ELMS2 solution and professionalism of their Staff.  Our procurement timescale was very short and they rose to the challenge and delivered a working solution with training inside 8 weeks. We were supported with overviews, presentations and training utilising MS Teams where necessary - because of the pandemic we could not do all of this on site but the Ethitec team adapted to suit this without compromising quality and were available on site for go live handholding. The ELMS2 software enables us to go paperless with improved quality, increases the responsiveness of our staff which in turn benefits patient experience. The procurement process was smooth, quick and easy and the solution was ready in record time.  Everyone we interacted with knew who we were and were ready to support us, evidencing great team working and cooperation within Ethitec itself. As with any system refresh, it’s important to understand your business processes and how these should adapt or change to make the most of new technologies - this is an ongoing journey for us".

Michelle continued – “I would not hesitate in recommending Ethitec as partners. They are very reliable, highly professional and really do know their solution. All the team have good insight into how wheelchair services use their software and work really well together. After care and support is a priority for the team, they have been great in supporting us through the implementation process and supporting with embedding new ways of working”.

Ethitec look forward to continuing to work closely with the Trust over the duration of the contract.

 

ISO 9001 – We’ve passed with flying colours… again!

Ethitec’s Quality Management System (QMS) has been evaluated once again by accreditation body SGS  UK and we have been successfully re-certified. Our ISO 9001:2015 certification demonstrates our ability to consistently meet and exceed the expectations of our customers. To assess this, SGS UK operates a system of continuous certification and, as part of this programme, it undertakes a more in-depth triennial recertification visit to Ethitec to review all aspects of our Quality Management System.

This internationally recognised standard confirms that we have the quality management processes and procedures in place to ensure the work we undertake on your behalf is performed to the highest standard and that our organisation is, top to bottom, committed to the delivery of high-quality products and services.

Supporting our aims and objectives, our QMS is based on seven quality management principles that define the way we operate to meet the requirements of our customers and stakeholders:

  • Customer focus
  • Leadership
  • Engagement of people
  • Process approach
  • Improvement
  • Evidence-based decision making
  • Relationship management

Having held the standard for a number of years, we are now used to the demanding audits that not only confirm our continued commitment to meeting the standards of the regulating body, but also review, assess and make recommendations for improvements in the way that we work.

So, we are justly proud to announce that, once again, we’ve passed with flying colours!