All Change for the new NHS
I feel like saying – ‘oh no; here we go again! Rearranging the deck chairs’. What is it that Petronius famously said? “We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralisation.“
On the positive side of things I liked David Nicholson’s letter to the NHS even if it was a little long (15 pages). I liked his commitment to seeing the NHS as a system and not as an organisation; his commitment to managing the transition this time as well. We forget that
humans + change = transition.
Ward Round Process Delivering Safer Care
Report of Findings from Visit to Worthing Hospital to see Dr Gordon Caldwell’s Post Take Ward Round Process Delivering Safer Care Friday May 14th 2010
Doctor Gordon Caldwell has been studying the reliability of clinical and administrative processes that enable timely, effective, safe and productive treatment of patients admitted to medical beds at Worthing Hospital and how these processes support (or not) the optimum outcome of care for patients.
Credit Crunch in the NHS
McKinsey’s report on saving money in the NHS may make some people think that the action required by NHS staff is one of bottom line cost reduction. This will only make matters worse not better. Also, we have known for years that too many people take up a hospital bed when they don’t need it; it didn’t take the credit crunch to highlight that.
Now, more than ever, is the time for health and social care communities to be working together to look at the patient flows and value streams (we call them pathways) and understand what adds value from the point of view of the person using the service and receiving care. To take account of the frustrations of staff in waiting for things; duplication; lack of continuity and communication and rework and feeling disengaged and disempowered.
Next Stage Review
The recent unveiling of the Next Stage Review and launch of the NHS constitution consultation marks a significant point in the history of the NHS. We must applaude Lord Darzi for the sterling work that he has led over the past 12 months, engaging clinicians at SHA level in the development of a review that reflects local vision for service development and improvement whilst at the same time managing a clinical workload and life in the House of Lords.
Dear colleagues
Over the next few weeks I will start to write my observations on the current climate surrounding and impacting on public services particularly since the recent political party conferences.
One thing that saddens me is how much both sides continue to make a football game out of public sector services. I know they are publicly funded; however the people working within them need some constancy of message and more voice and choice in really making services effective and high quality for the local people they serve.
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