We are a team of 3 appliance nurses with the focus on promoting cost-effective, high quality and safe use of appliances across Suffolk and North East Essex.
Appliance Nurses assess the provision of appliances by looking at individuals and local populations, improve quality by reducing variations in clinical care and minimise waste to enhance the use of prescribing budgets and NHS spend. This is achieved through formulary and pathway development that collaborates with key stakeholders, such as specialist clinicians across acute, community and primary care services.
In order to achieve the best patient outcomes, we develop good working relationships and continue to network across various services to ensure all professionals relevant to the project are jointly involved. This project has been successful since 2017, with many examples of safer and high-quality prescribing. This has a direct impact on patient care by improving local care pathways in relation to appliances and prescribing.
The aim of the project is to develop formularies and guidance around appliances and implement through a coaching model. Medicines Management invested in these 3 roles, which has resulted in 2019/2020 QIPP savings within the team of £199,751 in East Suffolk.
Following on from that, our QIPP targets have increased to £283,060 across Suffolk. This oversight on appliances within Medicines Management is often not overseen by nurses in other areas. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we had to be more innovative to ensure these savings were consistent and improve the collaboration with clinicians and commissioners.
To achieve this, we developed a 'coaching model' to support, educate and empower primary care to enhance prescribing at a local level and ensure the provision of appliances is optimised and effective. We currently have 6 project areas within our role, which includes skin care, stoma, continence, wound care, compression garments and tracheostomy appliances. All areas have formularies for prescribing and guidance to support.
When developing these documents, we involve a panel of stakeholders/clinicians who provide specialist knowledge and complete patient evaluations under our guidance. Any appliance evaluated will be supported by best practice evidence, including impartial research and studies such as randomised control trials. These evaluations are then extended out to care homes, practice nurses and community teams/services to support an integrated approach.
The Appliance Nurses lead on forums, groups, and regular education programmes virtually and face-to-face. These provide up-to-date and unbiased information about each project area, treatments, and care pathways to enhance clinical skills and knowledge.
