A prescription for change

“many hospitals suffer from excessive waiting lists, cutting cycle times also leads to improving throughput”.

Considering that many hospitals suffer from excessive waiting lists, cutting cycle times also leads to improving throughput and ultimately increasing access to care.

Another powerful element of Lean philosophy is the concept of a rapid cycle improvement, known as a Kaizen event. Literally translated from Japanese as “good change,” Kaizen events are designed to empower employees to drive immediate improvement, cutting through bureaucracy and inefficiency. Kaizen events are a great way to build momentum and have proven the ability to generating significant benefits both in terms of financial and customer impact.

It’s easy to identify examples of Lean’s applii cation in healthcare value streams. From speeding up admission and discharge processes to reducing turn around times for tests and X-rays.

Other opportunities include demand based resource scheduling, improving bed turn around time and optimising inventory levels….the opportunities are abundant. The biggest step towards implementing Lean in a healthcare system is a willingness to get started. The Lean journey can start with a single Kaizen event in an individual departt ment or as a transformation strategy for senior leaders.

In a time where the NHS is under such immense financial pressure, using Lean to improve healthcare efficiency will drive real benefits that can be translated into a financial return on investment. More than just providd ing people with tools, methods and a roadmap, Lean also instils a strong culture and sense of empowerment at the local level.

It’s time that Chief Executives and other senior leaders take notice and look at how they can drive value into their organisations.

by Scott McAllister BMG