Lean Healthcare Academy celebrates 'coming of age'
The Lean Healthcare Academy has 'come of age' after recruiting its 21st member - NHS Leeds, formerly Leeds Primary Care Trust. The academy works in partnership with healthcare sector providers seeking to adopt and implement Lean working practices as a foundation stone for sustainable service transformation.
Established in 2006, the Ilkley, West Yorkshire-based academy works in partnership with healthcare sector providers seeking to adopt and implement Lean working practices as a foundation stone for sustainable service transformation.
Members include NHS trusts, acute trusts, care trusts, primary care trusts and district councils, who have access to a range of services enveloping staff training, development and implementation support, and flexible online e-learning programmes.
Many members have successfully introduced pathway projects that have streamlined working practices, dramatically reduced waiting times and improved levels of patient care and safety, also cutting costs.
As well as expanding its membership, the Lean Healthcare Academy has also launched two regional training centres at its founding partner Airedale NHS Trust's Airedale General Hospital, Steeton, and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust.
Judith Clarkson, divisional director of e-academies, said: "It is a major achievement to see the Lean Healthcare Academy coming of age with confirmation of our 21st member.
"Our membership base has built up steadily over the past two-and-a-half years and this level of success, notably in the current economic climate, is testament to the hard work put in by both the Lean Healthcare Academy team and the organisations we are proud to work with.
"We have ambitious plans in place to expand the academy further by opening other regional training centres and bringing on board more new members as we continue to develop our national footprint."
The Lean Healthcare Academy's team has itself expanded in tandem with the organisation's rapid progress, now comprising manager Wendy Gauntley, administrator Jennifer Calvert-Smith and facilitators Paul Brady, Mark Richardson, Abdul Ghani and Wayne Bilson.
Part of the Virtual College - a leading UK developer of e-learning solutions - the Lean Healthcare Academy this year won the "Partnership with the NHS" award at the Medilink Yorkshire and Humber Innovation Day and Healthcare Business Awards.
Championing Lean at NHS Leeds is Joanne Davy, service improvement facilitator for children's services.
Joanne, recently voted Lean Champion of the Year at the inaugural Lean Healthcare Academy awards for excellence in recognition of her work at Airedale NHS Trust, where she was formerly service improvement manager, said:
"Having experienced the benefits of working closely with the Lean Healthcare Academy in my previous role, I am keen to start our Lean journey at NHS Leeds.
"With Lean thinking already present, I am confident the Lean Healthcare Academy will be the vehicle that will help us to drive Lean forwards within care services, so that it becomes the 'normal way of doing things around here.'
"Our main objective is to increase our Lean capacity and capability on the frontline, where it has most impact on patient care, to ensure we can meet both patients' needs and commissioner requirements."
The Lean Healthcare Academy's website is http://www.leanhealthcareacademy.co.uk/