Want to get to know Allocate eCommunity?
When speaking to nurses, managers and directors about the Allocate eCommunity system, we always receive a lot of in-depth questions about how the system really works.
There are a few questions that come up more than others though. So, we thought we’d share your most commonly asked questions here.
1. Can you bundle multiple visits in the system? E.g. ensure the same clinician sees the same patient to help with continuity of care?
Yes, you can. If a patient has multiple care plans coming from different referrals, you can bundle all the care plans into one visit. For example, if a diabetic patient requires an insulin injection and a wound dressing, these would be different care plans but can be bundled into the same visit, so the same clinician (where possible) provides the required care.
2. If there is not enough time in the clinicians diaries for the visits on the system, what happens to the visits which cannot be allocated?
If clinicians are being asked to work extra to cover these visits you can extend working times in Allocate Optima (previously known as HealthRoster) to allocate – this is really important to keep a track of additional working hours and to fully understand capacity and demand challenges.
If this isn’t possible the visits can be allocated to a different team (OOH for example), deferred or cancelled. All of which require a reason and in some cases, a risk assessment, to be added to the system. You can then easily track within the reports where visits have been deferred, by how many times and for how many days, so they are never ‘lost’.
3. Does Allocate eCommunity have the option to have different skills reflected for staff? e.g. B5 cannot see End of Life (EOL) patient as they’ve not had the training yet?
Yes, each treatment has a minimum band you can set, but you can also use specific skills for this if only certain band 5s have had the training for that specific skill. Skills can also be time-based where an annual re-assessment is needed, for example. All the information on which staff have what skills automatically comes from Allocate Optima through our one-of-a-kind interface so it’s always up to date in Allocate eCommunity.
4. How does the system import roster information from Allocate Optima?
Allocate eCommunity is the only scheduling system with native integration through Allocate Optima which brings across the approved roster, including staff role, band and skills, and importantly any subsequent changes to that roster (e.g. sickness, addition of bank/agency, movement between teams). This ensures Allocate eCommunity always has a live view of capacity and staff availability.
5. How does the system handle tasks that are not patient visits but still need to be scheduled e.g. team handovers / meetings, pick up of equipment?
Allocate eCommunity calls these tasks ‘non-patient activities’ which can be fully configured by teams and added to the schedule as needed. They might be one-off tasks for individual clinicians (e.g. pick-up of equipment), or they might be regular tasks for a number of the team, such as team huddles. They can also have a location linked or be remote activities.
6. Can the system be integrated with a PAS system?
Yes, Allocate eCommunity is interoperable with the Access Rio and SystmOne PAS systems, providing easy access to patient data, such as demographic and referrals. This integration means changes to patient care requirements are updated in a more timely manner, ensures data is always up to date, helps to eliminate human error and provides a much safer method for sharing data.
Have you got another question?
Simply complete the form below and a member of the team will be in touch. Alternatively, visit the Allocate eCommunity page to find out more.
