Kirklees takes lead in community care transformation
Kirklees CHS is a pioneer in the field of Lean - and well ahead of the game in beginning to meet its PCSP obligations.
Kirklees Community Healthcare Services (CHS), the provider arm of the local primary care trust, NHS Kirklees, is well ahead of the game following the launch of a ground breaking NHS-wide initiative set to transform community care.
Already a Department of Health "Transforming Community Services" award winner, Kirklees CHS is taking a national lead, as it rolls out 'Lean' training to enable the organisation to better respond to the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement's new Productive Community Services programme, which came into effect last month. (Oct)
A partnership involving all NHS community health services providers, the programme is designed to provide an evidence-based approach to improve the way the NHS works across the whole range of services and pathways of community care.
It focuses on those areas for improvement that can make the biggest difference most quickly for the largest number of patients, clearly recognising that providers must drive up quality, innovation and productivity in community services to meet the challenges of rising consumer expectations.
After a valuable initial boost by the Lean Healthcare Academy on initial training provision and delivery, Kirklees CHS has customised the training to its own specialist needs and is now running it entirely in-house through a pioneering 'train a trainer' programme, with staff who have completed their training now delivering it themselves to new trainees.
It's the first time the Lean Healthcare Academy, leaders in the field of training, implementation and sustaining improvement activities across the whole health economy, has been involved with this innovative approach to service improvement delivery.
Kirklees CHS began its Lean journey in January this year, with specialist training delivered to teams of district nurses, health visitors, school nurses, sexual health, intermediate health and continence personnel.
Service Development Manager Kath Evans, the Lean lead, comments: "As a direct result, improved working practices and operational efficiencies have since been implemented across many areas of our work, saving both time and money, boosting staff moral and confidence, and enhancing the professionalism of the organisation in the eyes of patients."
The initiative has been well received. Kath Evans notes: "Our people have quickly taken on the principles of Lean and are very positive about what we are doing. They are really engaging in the training - and have gone away buzzing with new ideas.
"In addition, some of our staff say they feel far more empowered and are increasingly confident in their ability to effect changes for the better. They now realise they can actually do something about it themselves - that they can make a real difference.
"Lean has definitely changed our approach to the way we operate. We are now working smarter - not harder. Senior managers are sitting up and taking note of what we are doing and achieving - they are really pushing Lean across NHS Kirklees in general."
Looking to the future, Kath reports: "We picked up on Productive Community Services from day one and are looking at how we can best fit it in to our working practices, at the same time identifying any gaps in provision that need to be addressed and adjusting what we are doing in order to fill them.
"We have set ourselves a clear target - that 75% of all Community Services teams - there are 120 teams in total, 35 of whom are up to speed at present - should be fully aware of and competent in the requirements of the Productive Community Services programme by January, 2010. It is a big ask, but a challenge we are definitely up for."
Wendy Gauntley, manager of the Ilkley-based Lean Healthcare Academy, comments: "It is the first time we have adopted this method of service improvement delivery. It is an innovative approach and one that we feel can be held up as shining example of best practice worthy of adoption by other NHS providers across the country."