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It’s Your Turn!

It’s Your Turn!

Russ King

As co-writer on <a href =“http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.co.uk%2FAll-Fall-Down-Constraints-Healthcare%2Fdp%2F0566087359%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dbooks%26qid%3D1219843829%26sr%3D1-10&tag=wwwpronursean-21&linkCode=ur2&camp=1634&creative=6738”>We All Fall Down I knew very little about the healthcare system before I wrote it, so the credit for the management theories goes entirely to my co-writer Julie Wright. Between us we created a textbook written in the style of a thriller novel where the reader follows the progress of Beth, a NHS hospital Admissions Manager as she tries to do something about the fact that she always has more patients than available beds.

When I am describing the book to people I meet they invariably respond with at least one of the following comments:

1. They have a broad opinion on what is causing problems with the NHS as a whole.
2. They have an anecdote of an example in a hospital when they saw an obvious problem that often has an easy solution.

I tend to just nod sagely with the first comment. It’s too big a subject to cover over a pint in the pub. However, I am now more aggressive in my response to the second comment and tend to reply something along the lines of:

“You were in the hospital for a few hours, just think how many problems the nurses can see and could solve if they were given the opportunity!”

We can all make small improvements in our work areas. It’s like the small steps we can take to improve our health. Eating five portions of fruit and veg a day can be daunting for some, but eating one more portion is easier and is a step in the right direction. Once you get used to this it is easier to fit in another portion.

If the improvement you want to make needs input from your manager you need to explain it to them in a way that shows them the benefits. Everyone is busy and change for change sake is never welcome.

In our book our characters sat down and listed all the problems or the things they wanted to change. It will probably be no surprise to hear that in this exercise the best suggestions come from the ‘rank and file’ staff who knew the most about the routines and problems.

Some things are easier to change than others, but continual improvement can be made with relatively little effort. Of course, the goal is to find the core problem, the one that is creating all the little (or big!) problems. Until you find that, it is like a patient eating their five portions every day, but smoking 40 cigarettes a day!

Why not take some time to think about some of the problems and issues you encounter in your working day and get your direct reports to do the same. Once you have a list you can prioritise them and see if you can solve them.

Check out our forum to add your issues to the lists there and see if someone has already posted a potential solution. While healthcare facilities have many differences they also have more in common than you might realise!

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