Continuous Improvement Culture developed for major NHS Trust saves £3.5m

2 Minute Read

Senior patient with neck collar and his doctor analyzing medical report while walking through hallway at the hospital.

The Challenge

A major NHS Trust needed to transform its culture and introduce new ways of working, whilst delivering the highest quality of patient care.

The Trust tasked Unipart Consultancy with embedding a new continuous improvement culture.

The Solution

A diagnostic assessment of the Trust was completed to establish the maturity of the continuous improvement methodologies, spanning process, people, infrastructure and tools. This involved engaging more than 350 employees at all levels of the organisation to gain a complete picture. 

Following this, Unipart Consultancy established a number of priorities that would enable the implementation of a continuous improvement culture, to maintain and enhance the quality of patient care and ensure it remained at the heart of the organisation.

The priorities included:

  • The transfer of skills and capabilities to Trust employees
  • Leadership development and management skills training
  • End-to-end patient pathway optimisation
  • Redesign and implementation of a new organisation structure.

In partnership with the Trust’s Executive Team, key clinical staff groups, and the continuous improvement culture transformation team, Unipart Consultancy led an array of improvement projects across patient pathways, theatres, patient administration services, outpatient booking and scheduling, medical supplies management, and HR processes, to deliver the priorities within 18 months.

£3.5m

Reduction in costs

The Impact

Implementing the continuous improvement culture delivered the following benefits:

  • £2m reduction in operating costs as a result of reduced lengths of patient stay, increased theatre utilisation, and lower spend on medical supplies
  • £1.5m reduction in payroll cost as a result of reduced need for temporary staff
  • 27% reduction in length of patient stay 
  • Patient satisfaction increase to 94% (from 84%)
  • Success in building employee engagement, resulting in improved absentee rates that have helped boost productivity and reduce the need for overtime
  • By the programme’s conclusion, the Trust was achieving the highest staff attendance levels of any hospital in its region.

The Trust is now looking to enhance further and accelerate the improvements in light of elective care backlogs and budgetary pressures.

Senior patient with neck collar and his doctor analyzing medical report while walking through hallway at the hospital.

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