Car Stock

[Ian Wilde]

Any techs out there carry a stock of spare parts in their cars?

Ian

[Ivor D]

Hi Ian.
We carry spare parts, test/calibration equipment etc. in a van.
What sort of information are you looking for?

[Ian Wilde]

Hi Ivor,

We currently use our own cars and techs tend to keep a few odds and sods in their tool cases but I was thinking of getting something a bit more formal drawn up with a list of bits that may get you out of a pickle especially when you're miles away from base at a home patient.  I'm thinking it would be up to the individuals to make sure their own personal stock is correct and available to be counted if needed in a stock take exercise/audit.

Basically it's all about trying to be efficient when out on the road so people aren't having to make return journeys to places.

Ian

[Roger Moore]

Hi Ian

Are you and your techs aware of the mileage claim that can be submitted for carrying 'bulky items' such as test equipment, tool kits, etc.?

[Ian Wilde]

Hi Roger,

I think they give us something they refer to as "passenger rate" - tuppence a mile!  This sound familair??

[Gerry Boyle]

Hi Ian,

Before I can carry anything belonging to the Health Board in my car I am required to supply a copy of my insurance and have it cover business use.
Then I need permission from my line-manager, which doesn't happen, so I need to book a pool car, which needs my line-managers permission and so I get quizzed about why I'm going out, at which point I have lost the will to live.

When I worked for one of the dialysis manufacturers they insisted that any delicate equipment, such as reference instrument of DVM, couldn't be left in the company supplied car overnight as any temperature drop might affect the calibration.

The sooner we all have systems like Chris at Lister then the better we can analyse any breakdown cause and go out properly prepared to provide a first time fix.

Until then it will always be the case that the £25K of spares in your car don't include the 35p O ring that you need.   From bitter and twisted experience

Gerry

[Roger Moore]

The table below is taken from AfC Staff Handbook, Section 17:

[Ivor D]

How about the out of hours mileage rates?
I believe that we get public transport rate for that but only if the callout is further from us than the distance from home to base.

For example, if you have a home patient living near to your place of residence then you get paid nothing for travelling to the HHD patient using your own vehicle here. The only way to get reimbursement would be to travel to your place of work (base), hop in to the van/pool car, visit the HHD patient and return the way you came. You will then receive home to base mileage reimbursement at public transport rate.

I think that the system was introduced to stop certain professions abusing the system.

[Roger Moore]

We reimburse any mileage travelled when called out regardless of distance. Travel claim forms require one signature from claimant for miles during normal work and a second signature by claimant specifically for 'emergency' miles claimed.