FOI_8183

Internal Reference Number: FOI_8183

Date Request Received: 30/09/2024 00:00:00

Date Request Replied To: 04/10/2024 00:00:00

This response was sent via: By Email

Request Summary: Discharge to Assess (D2A) model is happening in all Spinal Cord Injury Centres (SCICs)

Request Category: Companies


Question Number 1: This request is solely aimed at provision aimed within your trust’s SCIC. To help us understand what is happening in each SCIC and more about discharge to assess, please provide information to the following questions: - Does your SCIC have a specific policy or framework on discharge to assess? If so, can you please provide it?

Answer To Question 1: No we do not have a specific SCIC D2A policy.

Question Number 2: - Is discharge to assess considered to be best practice and if so why?

Answer To Question 2: The Discharge Coordinator, from a subjective point of view, considers D2A to be a good discharge tool. The D2A forms are concise and go to a central hub so avoids confusion over which team will be dealing with the referral. During Covid D2A discharges were processed very quickly and delays were minimal but this is not the case any longer.

Question Number 3: - In your SCIC, are the appropriate staff members being a part of the completion of the DST (providing support indirectly) or (directly) completing it with the patients? If not, is the ICB preventing this?

Answer To Question 3: DST's are not currently being completed in hospitals.

Question Number 4: - If the ICB and local trust is allowing the SCIC to do the DST, do the SCIC nominated staff have protected time to undertake this work/ is this factored into their job plan? We acknowledge there is an allotted time needed to complete this administrative task for any SCIC staff member / clinician involved in this work

Answer To Question 4: N/A

Question Number 5: - If an SCICs policy is to discharge to assess, do you have outreach workers to support individuals in the community when they have their DST or do they signpost them to SIA or elsewhere? If elsewhere, please specify where.

Answer To Question 5: No - DST's need to be completed by the team that know the patient and their care needs best at that point in time.

Question Number 6: - If outreach workers can support in the community to complete the DST, would consideration of a contact email address be provided for collaboration with SIA regarding DST completion?

Answer To Question 6: N/A

Question Number 7: - Currently admitted to your SCIC, how many patients need (or expecting to need) their care provision to follow the D2A pathway?

Answer To Question 7: 16

To return to the list of all the FOI requests please click here

Our staff at Salisbury District Hospital have long been well regarded for the quality of care and treatment they provide for our patients and for their innovation, commitment and professionalism. This has been recognised in a wide range of achievements and it is reflected in our award of NHS Foundation Trust status. This is afforded to hospitals that provide the highest standards of care.