Pluss, the largest community equipment provider in the south west, is the latest service to reap the benefits of Ethitec's ELMS2 - the UK's most widely used equipment loans management system. Driven by the need to run its multi-site operation from a shared database, Pluss left its old IT system in favour of ELMS2.

In line with the model advocated by Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services, Pluss provides community equipment services on behalf of those local authorities (LAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs) who have outsourced the provision of Integrated Community Equipment Services (ICES).

With an expanding contract base that already covers the LAs and PCTs of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Pluss required an IT system that could support multiple stores from a single shared database - rather than each store having to operate independently. Unable to obtain this functionality from the existing version of its current system, Pluss began a review of alternative IT solutions on the market.

As the review coincided with Pluss being awarded Exeter's wheelchair repairer service contract, any new IT system had to also provide specialist wheelchair functionality. Delivering against this complex brief, Ethitec's ELMS2 was selected as the system of choice.

Guy Eatherington, Contract Manager at Pluss, comments: "By moving to ELMS2 and a shared database, we are able to truly operate as one organisation. It also sets us up for future growth as we can easily add sites as new contracts come on board. Even if we do experience any hiccups, we have direct access to Ethitec's developers, enabling us to resolve most issues on the same day.

As we were expanding into wheelchair service management, we really had outgrown our current software solution, and needed a system that was designed specifically for use in this market. Ethitec had proven experience in the area and ELMS2 provides the relevant features, so it clearly met our requirements."

Designed to provide a flexible, real-time IT solution, ELMS2 helps to deliver a more effective community equipment loans service by making efficient use of stock, streamlining purchasing, allowing on-line ordering, improving recycling rates, and producing many management reports at the touch of a button.

Having decided to adopt ELMS2, Pluss had to prepare its stores for moving to the new system. Working closely with Ethitec, a phased migration of three main ICES stores, one wheelchair service and over 75 satellite operations was completed in just six weeks.

Mike Weatherall, ELMS2 product manager, concludes: "The day to day functionality of ELMS2 has been designed specifically for busy community equipment or wheelchair services. From a more strategic perspective, the system can support multi-site services - making it ideal for third party providers whose portfolio of contracts is constantly evolving."

ELMS2 was originally developed in 1990, to support the British Red Cross in their management of Health and Social care led community equipment services in Leicestershire. Available for deployment as a client server, web-based or fully hosted system, ELMS2 is now used by 53 services across the UK, including third party providers and wheelchair services.