Centralised Trip Allocation Booking System FAQs

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1 Centralised Trip Allocation Booking System FAQs Transport for NSW collected these questions directly from participants after the presentation at the CTO Conference. We have answered them exactly as you have asked them. Potential for Integration Will CTABS have the ability to integrate with the My Aged Care system? The My Aged Care system currently does not allow any form of automatic integration, however if the opportunity is made available by the Australian Government in the future, TfNSW will implement this as quickly as reasonably possible. Will CTABS be the reporting mechanism for the Department of Health? The Data Exchange Report can be generated directly from CTABS. Will CTABS work for clients first? CTABS is primarily a trip allocation and booking system. The system will capture all the necessary client information required for transport including, name, address, phone number, level of mobility and mobility aids, client codes, funding source, language, clients' travel preferences etc and any other notes that will assist the driver or carer to deliver the transport service. In addition, during the implementation stage TfNSW will work with the vendor and service providers to identify a range of user defined fields. Will the case notes, care plans and care goals required for DSS reporting all be included in CTABS? Case notes, care plans and care goals must be recorded in the MAC client record. CTABS has the capacity to import and export data such as notes, which may make the transfer of information as easy as possible. The MAC client record is intended to be the source of truth for client information and is used by providers, assessors and clients. However, if there is information in a client record that will affect the clients transport needs, you will be required to put this information into CTABS. This information will be used in CTABS to identify appropriate transport for the client. For example, the client has a guide dog and therefore requires two seats in a vehicle. PDF documents such as the NSAF can also be attached to a client record in CTABS. Page 1 of 8

2 When service providers implement the new system will they still need to run two systems while the new one is configured? Once CTABS is deployed, it will not be necessary to run two systems in parallel and this practice will be discouraged. The solution procured by TfNSW will include adequate training, configuration and transition of your client data to CTABS as a standalone system for managing your transport services. Will CTABS replace TRIPS or be compatible with that software? CTABS will eventually replace all trip booking and allocation systems that are currently used by service providers, which include but are not limited to TRIPS/TMA. Multi-Service Organisations using other systems to manage client care plans may choose to continue using these system(s) alongside CTABS. TfNSW will work with the software providers to facilitate the integration of systems wherever possible. Will CTABS interface with other IT systems currently used by organisations? Organisations will be able to extract the relevant data in common file formats such as Excel or.csv from CTABS which will then be able to be imported into products such as MYOB or Reckon. CTABS will also interface with the Cost Model developed by TfNSW so that benchmarks may be developed in the future. Will the current data held for all clients go straight from our current system to CTABS or will we be required to re-enter all data on record? All client records will be extracted from the existing system in the form of a.csv or Excel file. The extracted client information must be cleansed and checked for accuracy before it is uploaded in bulk into CTABS. The level of manual data entry will depend on the quality of your data and may vary between organisations. Privacy and Confidentiality How will client privacy be assured? The initial deployment of CTABS will provide organisations with access to their clients' records only. CTABS will prohibit unauthorised access from other organisations or third parties that are not involved with providing services to the client. Any information sharing that may result from a desire to coordinate effective services in the future for clients will meet all legislated privacy requirements. Will each organisation be able to see what others are doing or do they only see their own client information? The initial deployment of CTABS will provide organisations with access to their clients' records only. Other organisations will not be able to see client records of other organisations. Page 2 of 8

3 Are client and volunteer information protected? All information including client and staff member information that is stored within CTABS is protected by a secure user login and user permissions that is specifically configured for each user and can be audited by authorised system managers. What type of security will protect the system? CTABS is compliant with TfNSW's Information Security Policies and Standards as well as one of the world's strictest security audit standards: Service Organisation Control (SOC) 2 Type II. Client information that is presented to the driver in the form of a run sheet on the mobile tablet device will be encrypted and password protected. The run sheet will be available to the driver on the day of service and will no longer be accessible on the tablet thereafter. Who will have access to the service information and what will those individual users be able to view? User-permissions will be assigned to individual staff members based on their role in the organisation. Their access will determine the level of information that is visible to them within the system. For example, a manager may have a higher level of access to view, modify and delete records whereas a scheduler may only have access to view and modify records. System Capability Will CTABS have the capacity to work with other Australian systems and to work with those systems used in cross-border locations? CTABS is capable of allowing organisations to work collaboratively to provide services to clients that reside outside of their LGA/LPA border. This capability will be made available to organisations following a readiness assessment across the industry and after the initial deployment of CTABS. If a provider in one location has spare capacity, how will the system prevent other localities along the same corridor from booking the spare capacity, before clients from the original location have an opportunity to book a trip? The management of spare capacity bookings will be assessed following the initial deployment of CTABS and only once organisations are have effective arrangements in place. TfNSW will work in partnership with the industry and vendor to develop and refine policies, processes and procedures to underpin maximum efficiency and effectiveness and to maintain customer/client satisfaction. If the system is automated and configures the pick-up times after clients have made their bookings, won't that create double handling by the need to call back clients with adjusted pick-up times? Advanced features of the system allow for better information being available at the time of booking and will also allow for automated messaging depending on configuration parameters set by service providers. Page 3 of 8

4 CTABS will automatically recommend trip allocations based on the trip request, vehicle and staff member availability. Trip allocations should be checked by the scheduler to ensure it is correct before proceeding to confirm pick-up times. If there is an adjustment to the pick-up times thereafter, the client should be notified as per the current process today. Training What training will be provided to organisations: 1) to staff/employees 2) volunteers? How will training be delivered? Will it be comprehensive enough to allow users to become proficient and confident in using the new system? A training plan will be tailored for each individual contracted service provider. The vendor will deliver training onsite to both paid employees and volunteers and the relevant training guides will be provided in electronic format upon deployment. A customer support website is also available for access to helpful information regarding the use of the software, common practice and up-to-date training documents. The vendor also has 24 hour telephone support and self-help resources such as a bulletin board and training videos. On-line training sessions, scheduled web training classes and an annual user conference will be available to allow organisations to remain up-to-date with software developments. CTABS super users and champions will also be available across the industry to provide additional hands on training and support after deployment. TfNSW staff will also be trained in CTABS and will be available to provide support. If training is to be provided by TfNSW, how much training will that cover? Will there be any funding for additional training required to ensure people are able to use the system fully? Refer above. TfNSW is committed to ensuring that adequate training is provided to ensure industry feels confident using the system. The vendor s training plan includes ongoing support after CTABS is implemented to ensure that organisations are confident in using the system. Transfer of technology between vehicles Given that we use multiple vehicles, including volunteer vehicles, will we be able to transfer the trip management technology between vehicles? The mobile tablet devices will be installed onto vehicles using a suction cap mount which can be easily transferred to other vehicles if necessary. Who will be responsible for the costs of providing these mobile technology options? TfNSW s Rural and Regional Service Delivery and Performance will fund CTABS for the first five years. This includes the mobile technology solution that is deployed across NSW. Will the CTABS technology be provided for all vehicles in our fleet? Mobile tablet devices will be provided to all vehicles that are owned by the service provider. Page 4 of 8

5 TfNSW will trial the devices with a limited number of volunteer vehicles initially and assess whether further deployment to all volunteer vehicles is required. Volunteers Will volunteers be expected to take responsibility for clients from other Local Government Areas? What will happen if volunteers refuse to pick up clients outside the region funded for operations? Service Providers manage their own volunteers and are responsible for all arrangements and volunteer agreements at the organisation level. Many providers have developed protocols to collaborate with neighbouring services to allow efficient practices. TfNSW encourages the use of spare capacity and resource sharing where possible. There are referral processes in place to facilitate appropriate service provision by more than one organisation to eligible customers and this has been modelled under the TfNSW Spare Capacity Booking System. Will volunteers be expected to learn new skills to manage the new technology? What if the learning curve is seen as too steep? TfNSW understands that for many service providers volunteers are critical to your operation and TfNSW has worked hard to ensure that this system will not have adverse effects for volunteers. The in-vehicle tablet is very easy to use. However, we understand that people may not wish to use the tablets and we have factored a trial period for volunteer use of the tablets, where the organisation and volunteers can opt-in to participate. How will we overcome the loss of volunteers who opt out of volunteering because they don't want to use the new technology in vehicles? There will be no mandated use of tablets for volunteers in the roll out phase. The system is user friendly and the volunteers found the tables easy to use during Proof of Concept trials and more functional than pen and paper. Implementation and Locations How long before CTABS will be rolled out in the country/regional areas? CTABS will be rolled out to a combination of both Sydney metropolitan and regional service providers at each wave. Our deployment strategy is to get the maximum benefit as early as possible from those organisations who are both keen and able to participate. The first deployment to certain regional service providers may be as early as mid Early in 2016, TfNSW will ask organisations to express their interest in becoming an early adopter of CTABS. There will also be an assessment readiness exercise that will demonstrate what system capabilities service providers will be required to have to implement CTABS. Page 5 of 8

6 Will the implementation be phased to gain a clearer idea of the time and costs involved in setting up and running this new system? The implementation will be phased over two years where the deployment process will be assessed and refined to ensure a successful outcome. Will those service providers currently paying for other booking and allocation software systems like TRIPS be able to transition to the new system immediately or will they be compensated for the ongoing costs of maintaining those other systems? TfNSW will not be responsible for any costs associated with maintaining other systems. Location devices When volunteers are using their own vehicles, how can those vehicles be tracked? Volunteer vehicles will only be tracked if the mobile tablet device is installed in the vehicle. TfNSW will trial the devices on a limited number of volunteer vehicles initially and assess whether further deployment to all volunteer vehicles is required. What type of tracking devices will be provided and will they be specific to one vehicle or able to be moved easily between vehicles? The tablet is also the tracking device and is able to transmit the location of the vehicle in real-time when in range of the mobile phone network. Does CTABS need an ipad to work or will it be able to be used on other platforms such as Samsung? The CTABS mobile application is an Android program installed on a Samsung Galaxy Active 8 Tablet with 4G enabled. Duplication of System With nine vehicles in our fleet we find the TRIPS software more than adequate to utilise these vehicles daily. Organisations maybe unaware of the advantages that CTABS will provide as it is a next generation technology and provides different functions to TRIPS. The highest order benefits will come with greater demand densities. Service volumes and service quality are both expected to increase substantially with the ageing population and TfNSW is implementing CTABS to help manage that demand. CTABS captures additional information such as geo-coded addresses and will simplify the reporting process. CTABS is also intended to provide a consistent platform across the state. This will allow TfNSW to better plan for future growth of the sector and provide information that will assist to understand where unmet needs are located. Page 6 of 8

7 Why should more taxpayer dollars be spent on the development and implementation of another trip allocation and booking system when we already have a solution that is tailored to this industry and continues to meet our service needs? CTABS is an off the shelf product and already proven in numerous other locations. The CTABS project aims to provide a common trip allocation and booking system to be used by all contracted Service Providers. The industry is changing and we need to be prepared if we wish to remain competitive going forward. Customer service expectations are changing and TfNSW investment in this system is supporting your industry to stay viable as these changes occur. A centralised system will enable a significant increase in value for money from the industry with a minimum 12.5% increase in efficiencies anticipated. Trips delivered will be visible and transparent enabling accurate benchmarks and expectations for continuous improvement across the industry. If TfNSW are going to be out of the sector by 2018, where is the benefit in forcing a common system on all providers? TfNSW has a contract with the Aged Care Branch of the Department for Health until TfNSW will endeavour to stay engaged in this industry for as long as we are able. Community Transport was recognised as a public passenger service in the Passenger Transport Act TfNSW is enabling systems to create a consistent and reliable service offering from the future accredited providers for community transport customers across NSW. TfNSW provides funding under CTP and is also working with other NSW government agencies to enhance the long term sustainability of the sector and CTABS will support that commitment. Functionality Will CTABS have an Uber-style application developed for bookings? It is possible that a direct customer interface (or app ) into the system will be available in the future similar to Uber. How will the clients be assisted to deal with the increased functional use of technology, given their natural fear/reluctance to use that functionality? Clients may opt-in to receive a SMS message on their mobile phone or an automated voice call to confirm or remind them of trip bookings. If clients do not opt-in for this service, the service can continue to contact clients as per the current process. Will the CTABS system hold all the client information necessary? The system will capture all the necessary client information required for transport including, name, address, phone number, level of mobility and mobility aids, client codes, funding source, language, clients' travel preferences etc and any other notes that will assist the driver or carer to deliver the transport service. Page 7 of 8

8 In addition, during the implementation stage TfNSW will work with the vendor and service providers to identify a range of user defined fields. Client file notes are to be kept in the My Aged Care system to ensure that clients can have access to information stored about them and so that other service providers are aware of any changing circumstances that may affect service delivery. However the client s NSAF can be saved within CTABS for ease of access. Will CTABS be an integrated system that can also be used to store staff management information? Staff information can be stored directly in CTABS. The information that is captured in CTABS includes name, emergency contact, medical checks, criminal record check, availability, driver authority details, drivers licence, qualifications, preferred vehicle, and employment history. How and where is the CTABS trip data stored? CTABS will be a cloud-based software where the data is stored in a secure data centre in the United States that meets Australian information security standards. Will the system monitor driver behaviour e.g. speeding or rough driving? Driver infringements, and drug and alcohol testing status may be recorded in CTABS against the drivers' record. Since the vehicle is tracked, the system allows service providers to record the entire service and the play-back feature can be used to assess speeds, incidents, actual client load times or time and location of when the vehicle is idle or off - route. Phase 2 - Costs How will trips be accounted when the trip is delivered by multiple providers? These are matters that relate to policies and procedures associated with Phase 2 and will be determined in partnership with industry at a later stage. How will client contribution be split when vehicle is shared? These are matters that relate to policies and procedures associated with Phase 2 and will be determined in partnership with industry at a later stage. How much will CTABS cost providers after the first funding period? TfNSW has made a commitment to fund CTABS for the first five years. As there is no contract beyond this period future costs are as yet unknown. For more information please contact your Contract Officer who will be further able to direct your enquiry about the CTABS project. Page 8 of 8