Scottish Drugs Forum
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8 May 2010
INNOVATIVE technology which aims to give service users, staff and service managers a quick and simple way to help improve their drug service has been unveiled by Scottish Drugs Forum.
SDF’s Big Lottery-funded National Quality Development Programme team has created an online tool to help service users and staff identify what they feel is good and not-so-good about their treatment-related experiences or what’s on offer from where they work.
support
The aim is to make it as easy as possible for frontline workers and clients to highlight good practice and areas requiring support, so that services can be confident of what they are doing - or take steps to make improvements, with the aid of SDF’s team of quality development experts.
The online survey asks key questions on people’s thoughts on a wide variety of issues, including waiting times and accessibility, the range and impact of help offered, options for moving on and personal development to levels of staff courtesy.
Responses are being provided in a variety of formats – multiple choice replies via button selections and dropdown menus, while other questions will require short written text in space provided.
There is also an option to listen to the questions by clicking an on-screen button – especially helpful to those with literacy or vision problems and who may require support to complete the online survey.
Meanwhile, service managers receive automatic confidential reports generated by the software.
And the tool can also be used to measure progress and maintenance of improvement within the service.
resources
Laptops are available from the Quality Development Team for use in services with limited IT resources but where internet access is possible.
The tool was developed in line with the National Quality Standards for Substance Misuse Services, the Minnesota Recovery Toolkit and Scottish Government national agendas including The Road to Recovery National Drug Strategy and HEAT waiting times targets.
Biba Brand, SDF’s National Quality Development Team Manager, said: “The questions are designed to shed light on the key priorities for drug services - access, progression, retention, recovery, aftercare support, partnership working, welfare of children and re-engagement with family and significant people.
steps
“We hope this tool will help inform the steps which can be taken to further develop the quality of services in Scotland so that more service users will be helped to enter treatment and stay in treatment.”
The tool was designed by West Yorkshire-based online survey consultants Resurv, alongside staff from the Quality Development Programme.
software
Resurv provides similar evaluative software tools for Edinburgh’s education system and the English youth justice system around social development and service quality.
Anyone wishing more information about SDF’s National Quality Development Team or the online evaluation tool should contact Biba Brand, tel 0141 221 1175 or email biba@sdf.org.uk