Working Well Together - for a Better Winter
As the experts in what happens in your areas, for the care of your patients, you are in a good position to tell us what could be done to reduce patient waits.
We’re looking for ideas that will help ensure patients are seen and treated more quickly –the more quickly we can see even one or two patients, the better it is for all patients, as we improve patient flow. We are looking for ideas big or small – we appreciate the value of marginal gains – that are workable and will help make a difference this winter.
- Is there anything your team could be doing differently that would mean patients are seen quicker?
- Are there any new procedures that could reduce wait times for patients?
- Do you have an idea about how teams could work better and more efficiently together to improve patient wait times?
- Is there anything the Trust can give you to think about challenges differently? A discussion with the Medical Director about risk thresholds for example.
All ideas will be reviewed by the Medical Director and Service Improvement team and every single one will receive feedback from them.
The winning idea will receive £50 in vouchers of your choice.
"We will listen to you and promise to consider and give feedback to every single idea you send us. Any idea big or small could help us and our patients this winter."
Dr. Simon Horne
Deputy Medical Director.
Here’s an example of an idea that has come through this form of methodology already.
What problem were you trying to overcome? What was the situation/state before the idea was developed?
We have a significant cohort of patients who spend a protracted amount of time in the Emergency Department. A number of these patients spent several hours waiting for investigations in a crowded environment which, when combined with the above, can be immensely distressing and we know contributes to harm. There is a growing awareness of particular groups of patients who, with early identification, may benefit from alternative care pathways that although require a degree of risk sharing and discussion, may lead to an overall more positive outcome.
We wanted to review those patients with minor head injuries on oral anticoagulant therapy to see if, given a known incidence of confirmed injury, an alternative care pathway could be found that did not mean waiting several hours in the Emergency Department.
Who came up with the idea and how was the idea developed and implemented?
The idea came from consultant in the Emergency Department and is now a strand of a wider project looking at care pathways.
How long did it take to make the change?
At present, we are building towards IOC and hope to have a working pathway in the coming weeks.
What difference has this made to patients and to staff?
We believe with the correct safety measures, protocol and support, we can reduce a number of patients stays in the department as well as preventing a smaller number of admissions through timely decision making and virtual follow up.
