Hospital trusts share improvements made through ‘lean’ working

27 June 2019

The hospital trusts working in partnership with the USA’s ‘Hospital of the Decade’ came together to share the improvements they have made through ‘lean’ working.

The NHS partnership with Virginia Mason Institute (VMI) was launched in 2015 and yesterday (26 June) the five Trusts gathered at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to share how they have developed a lean culture of continuous improvement which puts patients first.

• The team from Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust gave a presentation on the work they have done to become ranked in the top 20% of hospitals nationally as a place to work and receive treatment in the most recent national NHS Staff Survey.

• The team at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust gave a presentation on the work they have done that saw them winning a 2018 HSJ Patient Safety Award.

• Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust gave a presentation on the work they have done that resulted in them being named Finance Team of the Year at the National Healthcare Finance Awards after they delivered the largest surplus in its 20-year history in 2017/18.

• Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust’s gave a presentation on the work they have done to introduce cultural change and improve engagement levels with executive and divisional directors.

• Four teams from SaTH gave short presentations. They included the work done throughout the Respiratory Value Stream, which includes a two-day reduction in length of stay, and our Procurement Team who were nominated for a HSJ Value Award after they made a £1.8m saving.

Mr Tony Fox, Vascular Consultant and the medical lead for SaTH’s improvement work in partnership with VMI, said: “To hear so many positive examples of how hospitals across the UK are changing the way they deliver healthcare is incredibly powerful.

“Sometimes we can think we’re alone in the challenges we face but when you listen to stories from other organisations you realise everyone is overcoming issues through really innovative ideas that are being driven from the bottom up.

“By working collaboratively like this we all learn from one another. The challenge going forward is for those of us at the event to engage with the rest of the organisation and spread the messages we heard.”

He added: “Our Transforming Care Production System (TCPS) is here to stay. This is the way we now do things at SaTH and how we will improve.”

Representatives from 14 different trusts attended the Sharing Event, organised by SaTH’s Kaizen Promotion Office (KPO) Team.

On the morning of the Sharing Event, VMI Sensai Mellissa Lin, tweeted from her home in Seattle, USA: “Holy moly, I’ve woken up this am to see my Twitter feed exploding with excited tweets covering the Sharing Event that is being hosted by SaTH. I am beaming with joy to see the stories that are being shared.”

Mother-of-four Julie Southcombe, who has worked closely with SaTH to improve ophthalmology services also spoke at the conference, providing a patient’s voice.

She said: “I was sceptical and dubious of SaTH’s Transforming Care work when I was first asked to get involved. I wanted to have a voice but had concerns it would not be heard amongst doctors and nurses, but I am so pleased and excited I got involved, as having a patient’s voice is of huge value to the Trust and the staff here really appreciate my contribution.

“I would recommend the process to anyone wanting to get involved. What we have done, and what we hope to achieve in the future, is rewarding, exciting and very constructive. By having different voices from different backgrounds you make sound decisions. It is also ok to fail because there is no blame culture within the Transforming Care Institute, and by eliminating blame you promote creativity so you can try new ideas in a safe environment.”