eNews Autumn 2022

Clinician feedback helping to shape EnableNSW Online!

Eligible EnableNSW Clinicians will soon be able to submit an equipment request online through the upcoming platform, EnableNSW Online, set to be launched later this year. Clinicians who joined the engagement sessions in December 2021 were given the opportunity to see first-hand the progress that has already been made.

“We used these sessions as an opportunity to showcase what we’ve already built and to check we’re on the right track. We also wanted to provide an interactive platform to hear directly from the clinicians about their concerns, ideas and areas for consideration,” said Tara Williams, Senior Project Lead.

“Our developers are now using some of this feedback to directly shape the build of EnableNSW Online. Some of this feedback will be incorporated in the first release of the system, while other feedback will be incorporated into later releases”.

The team have also developed a Frequently Asked Questions section on the EnableNSW website that cover the main questions clinicians asked in the December 2021 sessions. These questions will be updated often as new information is available. Clinicians are also encouraged to continue thinking about their own clinical area and email the team at any time with ideas or questions at HSNSW-EnableComms@health.nsw.gov.au.

Clinicians can look forward to other engagement opportunities throughout the year and will be provided the right tools and resources when it’s time to set up their own account.

98% of people surveyed feel safer in their home!

Since the Ministry of Health (MoH) announced in June 2021 that funding for the SASH Home Modification program would be extended until June 2022, the team have spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the program to better understand the impacts to both patients and their clinicians.

“Not only did we want to understand how this important program was changing patient lives for the better, we needed to quantify these experiences into real data that we could use to support ongoing funding submissions,” said Jemma Burns, Senior Statewide Clinical Advisor.

Over the course of three months the team surveyed both patients and their clinicians about their experience with the program and found that:

• 98% of people surveyed who received home modifications through the program felt their safety had improved at home
• 89% of people felt more confident in their homes
• 91% of people who had previously reported a fall, had not had one since their modification was completed
• Clinicians reported the program achieved positive patient outcomes including supporting hospital discharge, managing falls risk and reducing the risk of injury to both patient and carers.

“The data we collected helped to confirm what we already knew,” said Anna Rueda, Statewide Clinical Advisor.

“The SASH HM program is vital because it not only benefits the person who needs the home modifications, it goes further to benefit the health system more broadly because the better equipped people are able to take care of themselves at home, the less likely they are to need hospital or residential care”.

The team have put forward a submission for funding beyond June 2022 and will update clinicians of the outcome when it is known.

Secure your place for one of our 2022 prescriber education sessions

The 2022 prescriber education schedule is now available and clinicians can secure their spot for one or more of the available education sessions.

Held virtually, these sessions will continue to focus on eligibility criteria, equipment selection and tips for prescription success in the following areas:

• Bed, mattress and pressure care
• Prescription success for self-care and mobility equipment
• Bariatric equipment prescription
• Power wheelchairs and scooters
• Power assist equipment
• Manual wheelchairs and cushions
• Self-Care and Transfer Equipment
• Prescribing Footwear and Orthoses
• Medical Grade Footwear – prefabricated, custom made and modifications

To ensure maximum engagement and to give clinicians the best virtual experience, sessions will be kept to small groups.

Clinicians are encouraged to visit the prescriber education page for more information or email HSNSW-EAPVisits@health.nsw.gov.au to secure a spot. Following attendance to any prescriber education session, clinicians will be provided with a certificate of attendance and can attribute these hours towards their continuing professional development.

Tools and resources to help you manage conflict of interest

As an administrator of public funds, EnableNSW (HealthShare NSW) has a duty of care to ensure the funds allocated to people in the community are done so in a fair and sustainable way.

One of the ways this is done is by ensuring all eligible EnableNSW prescribers agree to manage any actual or perceived conflict of interest with equipment suppliers or manufacturers they interact with.

“When submitting requests to EnableNSW, it is important to remember that you cannot also be a supplier or affiliated with the supplier of that equipment,” said Louise Mather-Mullard, Clinical Services Manager.

“To avoid any perceived conflict of interest it is essential to separate any personal or professional relationship with suppliers or manufacturers. An example is a clinician who is assessing a client for a new wheelchair and is in a personal relationship with the owner of a wheelchair distributor. In this instance, the clinician should make every effort to ensure the client knows about this connection with the distributor and presents the client with a choice for other distributors,” she continued.

Conflict of interest does not include interactions clinicians have with a supplier/manufacturer when determining a client’s clinical need, as this is considered an integral part of prescription success.

“You may for example, as part of your assessment process, be prescribing items such as wheelchair seating or medical grade footwear or compression garments, and interact with a supplier to ensure the item will meet the client’s needs. Provided there is no financial or family/personal affiliations, this would not represent a conflict of interest,” said Louise.

Clinicians are encouraged to review the relevant EnableNSW forms and funding criteria before submitting an equipment request to ensure perceived or actual conflict of interest is avoided.

Clinicians may also find the following links useful:

• The Professional Criteria for Prescribers (section 7)
• The AHPRA conflict of interest policy and procedure document which can be found on the AHPRA website at www.ahpra.gov.au.
• NSW Health code of conduct for all clinicians employed by NSW Health

These documents outline the core values, principles and standards of ethical and professional conduct and we encourage all eligible EnableNSW prescribers to review these from time to time.

Let us connect with you

In October 2021 the EnableNSW team transitioned to a new phone system; a cloud based platform that enhances the user’s phone experience.

“The decision to move to Amazon Connect was really simple,” said Lisa Seymour, Manager EnableNSW Customer Service.

“Our staff spend a considerable amount of time on the phone, so it was important to invest in a platform that allowed us the flexibility and autonomy to make changes in real time. We also needed a product that we could tailor to meet the needs and demands of the business.”

Users may notice some changes when receiving a call from the team, including:

• All outbound calls will be displayed as 02 9692 3751 on the person’s phone. Clinicians who regularly interact with the team via the 1800 number are being asked to save this number to their phone to recognise all incoming calls
• Before each outbound call is connected to a team member, the recipient will hear a short 15 second message about privacy and call recording. Clinicians who receive a call are being urged not to end the call but wait on the line until they are connected.

“It is understandable that some people may choose to end the call upon hearing the recorded message before they are connected to our team. As always, people are encouraged to call our team to have their call verified if they feel unsure who is calling,” said Lisa.

To learn more about this change, visit the new phone system news page.