The current challenges in unscheduled care and efforts to try to resolve them were discussed at a staff engagement event to mark the launch of ‘Getting ForthRight’ – a new improvement programme. The event was introduced by NHS Forth Valley Chief Executive Cathie Cowan and Medical Director Andrew Murray who highlighted the current difficulties and the importance of working together to drive forward improvements.
The event was an opportunity to raise awareness of the 12 month improvement programme and colleagues from Hairmyres Hospital, NHS Lanarkshire came along to share some of the ways in which they have overcome similar issues.
Senior Charge Nurses Graham Hunter and Nicola Doonan, along with Clinical Manager Donna Clark, spoke about the difference that Dynamic Daily Discharge had made on acute and community wards. Clinical Manager Ricky Bell shared learning from a recent discharge mapping exercise, including the development of a personal patient care plan to increase patient and carer involvement in the discharge process.
Following presentations, staff moved into five workshops aligned to the new workstreams that will drive the unscheduled care improvement plan. These workstreams, Community and Whole System, Emergency Department, Receiving Units, Downstream Wards and Specialty Pathways, aim to bring staff together across different disciplines to improve patient and staff experience. Staff then had the opportunity to put forward ideas for improvement and the top three were fed back during the final plenary session.
Leads for each workstream are currently being agreed and staff keen to support a particular workstream should contact Chris Bernthal, Unscheduled Care Programme Manager (chris.bernthal@nhs.net) or Lynsey McCloy, Improvement Advisor (lynsey.mccloy@nhs.net) who will provide further information. Drop in sessions will be held on Thursday mornings for staff to gain support from each other and the Improvement Team when necessary. Further information on these sessions will be circulated to staff in due course.
