One year on from MORI research indicating that 84% of users of community equipment would collect it from retail dispensers themselves, a survey conducted by Ricability for BHTA has shown that at one retail outlet, just 10% of users collected equipment themselves.
Worryingly a further 14% of prescriptions were collected by professionals who then delivered the equipment to the users in what can only be described as a backwards step when the programme to transform Community Equipment Services is intended to help free up professionals to do what they do best - assess the needs of users.
The Transforming Community Equipment Services (TCES) project is part of the Department of Health's Care Services Efficiency Delivery initiative. TCES is recommending a number of changes to the current provision of community equipment services in England to meet government policy objectives and to promote independence, choice and personal control. Part of the TCES proposal is the change from equipment delivery from a Loan Store to the personal redemption of a prescription by the equipment user at a retailer accredited to dispense these items.
All decisions about changes to the current system should be based upon sound data and information. To support this, BHTA appointed consumer research charity Ricability to audit 100% of prescriptions redeemed over 3 months at one of its members, a retailer within the Cheshire pilot area. The results of the audit were:
- Redeemed by Family 47%
- Redeemed by User 10%
- Redeemed by Other 5%
- Not known4%
- Delivered by Retailer20%
- Redeemed by Professional 14%
When deliveries by the retailer (20%) are added to the percentage delivered by the professional to the service user (14%) – this means that over one third of the prescriptions do not involve any retail experience for the user, their family or their acquaintances / helpers.
Two further outlets in Cheshire informed Ricability that this tallies with their experience, too.
BHTA is therefore calling for a further survey to be conducted at all the retail outlets now participating in the scheme both in Cheshire and in Dorset, to help retailers and service providers understand the real level of activity.
Editors Notes
Ricability is the trading name of the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs (RICA), a national research charity dedicated to providing independent information of value to disabled and older consumers. Under the trading name of Ricability, the charity researches and publishes consumer reports. They are all based on rigorous research and provide practical information needed by disabled and older consumers.
As the Research Institute for Consumer Affairs it also works with manufacturers, service providers, regulators and policy makers to improve products and services. Its aim is to increase their awareness of the needs of disabled and older consumers through specialist research.
30 Angel Gate
City Road
London EC1V 2PT
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7427 2460
Textphone: +44 (0)20 7427 2469
Fax: +44 (0)20 7427 2468
E-mail: mail@ricability.org.uk