4 minute read
Changing times
Healthcare can be transformed through change management, says Linea CEO Ian Chambers
Health and social care organisations have faced operational challenges for several years as a result of budgetary constraints and a demanding push for continual e iciency gains. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic further amplified these historic issues, resulting in significant caseloads and backlogs, creating workflow challenges and strain within teams.
The cessation of elective service provision at the height of the pandemic has meant that in many countries more than 10 per cent of the population are awaiting treatment. Care providers are having to tackle these backlogs while working within budgets that were set three years earlier without the realities of the pandemic in mind, resulting in increased spending and reduced governance.
Similarly, their workforces are o en not large enough to cope with these challenges, leading to sta exhaustion and the need for further expenditure resulting from overtime, shi premia and temporary resource.
Accelerating recovery
Despite all this, by taking the opportunity to re-align services as part of the post COVID renewal programme, recovery can be accelerated. Health economies can create extra capacity (buildings and workforce) in a manner that is least disruptive for service users by separating work into discrete locations, still easily accessible to the local population, but able to act as ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ sites in an emergency, such as a pandemic.
In-depth activity modelling supported by workforce optimisation can identify the best configuration of services to gain the maximum utility from scarce resources. In addition, these activities can form the foundation of critical incident planning so that business continuity can be assured.
Furthermore, seeking di erent models of care is essential in overcoming the various patient and sta challenges. One such possibility is a greater adoption of community-based care as it provides many
Ian Chambers CEO Linea
benefits to patients while reducing pressure on acute care hospitals and minimising healthcare costs for service commissioners. Options include Hospitals at Home, Virtual Wards, acute remote monitoring and anticipatory care or complex care with high risk of deterioration.
Our agile approach to problem solving and workforce solutions through the creation of new roles and di erent working patterns has demonstrated that waiting lists can be swi ly reduced and activity increased, while the long-term strategy is developed and agreed. The holy grail of a patient pathway which facilitates a seamless journey from primary care to secondary or tertiary care could be within sight if the strategic direction is established now.
Creating transformational systems
At Linea, we have years of experience delivering change management support for the health and social care sector and appreciate the unique challenges they face. We believe every organisation has infinite potential, and provide the tailored guidance and hand-on support required to deliver a sustainable model of care for the communities served.
Healthcare change management is vital at a time when organisations are facing unprecedented challenges, resulting in leaders juggling multi-dimensional problems through the need to do more with less. We know these di icult & complex challenges can be overcome which is why we work closely with organisations to deliver e ective change management solutions which address the root-causes of these problems. These include:
• Developing a coherent approach to backlog management by maximising existing utilisation, enhancing productivity and identifying additional ways to create new capacity by ‘sweating assets’ while developing innovative working processes to transform culture. • Bringing spending cultures and unsustainable expenditure back under control through a careful balance of
operational understanding and sound financial planning. • Helping healthcare organisations develop a more agile and flexible organisational culture, adept at quickly understanding and resolving complex problems through periods of unprecedented challenge. • Creating a plan for managing workforce capacity and expanding the resource pool to meet demand, considering the need to avoid overworking frontline sta and the longer-term impact of Brexit on the free movement of international labour.
By providing strategic guidance and business transformation, we help healthcare organisations redesign and improve processes, ensuring they are truly patient-centric. By guiding teams through a significant and carefully balanced programme of system and organisational transformation, we resolve problems, to create a solid foundation for future growth and ongoing stability.
It comes down to understanding the issues and then utilising our expertise and significant resources to work through problems and create sustainable solutions. In doing so, we aim to drive patient-centric care and organisational sustainability by carefully balancing finance, performance and quality dilemmas. We’re well aware of the complex challenges our clients face, and by providing strategic insight and increased operational/clinical capability, we assist in improving accessibility, maximising outcomes and enhancing care quality. We also help clients eliminate the sta shortages that compromise sustainable demand management and first-class patient care.
I’m delighted to say we have an excellent track record of sustainable improvement in healthcare. By working together in partnership with our clients, we transfer knowledge and build capability to ensure organisational self-su iciency and improve sta work/life balance, ultimately building a sustainable healthcare system for future generations.
Contact Information
info@linea.net www.linea.net
