What are the tools?

The Desuto tools are multifunctional care decision and report writing tools. The tools:

• Guide care providers to make lawful decisions
• Record the decision trail
• Quickly and easily produce detailed written reports
• Increase efficiency

The tools have been well summed up by one of our partners who said,
"It is like having an expert to hand, guiding you step by step through the increasingly complex legal and ethical decisions that we are required to make."

What tools are available?

The tools currently available include:

• The Mental Capacity Assessment tool
• The Best Interest Decision tool
• The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards tool

We are seeking partners to develop other tools for the health and social care sectors and anyone interested should contact us via email to start a conversation.

How do the tools work?

The tools are very simple to use. The user answers a short series of questions using mouse clicks. Most questions require a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. On completion of a tool the user is presented with a detailed report in an editable format so that final changes can be made before downloading and saving or printing. Alternatively, the user can opt to copy text into an electronic health record system such as RIO.

How long does it take to produce a report?

A detailed Mental Capacity Assessment report will take about 5 minutes to complete and a further 5 to 10 minutes to edit. Writing a similarly detailed report from scratch could take several hours to complete.

Can I use the tools on my smartphone or tablet?

The tools are fully optimised for use with a wide range of devices. Limitations may result from using phones and tablets primarily at the download stage. We recommend completing the tool on your phone or tablet and then editing it once it can be re-opened on a desktop or laptop.

Are the tools just another form of e-learning?

The tools are real time decision making and report writing tools designed to be fit for use in real world scenarios. The feedback we have received from users is that they are fantastic learning aids and probably more effective than e-learning because learning is linked to real life scenarios. Detailed prompts are provided at each stage of the decision making tool to help the novice user understand the question and points to consider. Regular users will quickly come to understand the legislation and therefore will rarely need to access these prompts after a while.