Communications between clinicians and their patients

• More clinical staff engaged in improving pathways.
• Patients engaged in shaping services that they use.
• More same-day admissions.
• More daycases with staggered admissions.
• Reduced LoS.Improved communications between management and clinical staff.
• More structured approach to problem identification and data-driven resolution.

Design and implement a communication strategy and structure to enable staff and patients to engage in the transformation programme in order to:

• Improve patient experience, quality and reliability of patient care.
• Reduce operational costs.
• Build in sustainability and a culture of continuous improvement, skills transfer and ownership to the pathway teams.

Develop Consulting developed a Governance structure comprising clinical, nursing and management representatives to review individual pathway services. It also incorporated patient views to shape improvement activities:

• Steering Group – Direction setting, progress monitoring, clinical and management input.
• DGM, Divisional Nurse Manager, Divisional Consultant Surgeon and Anaesthetist.
• Delivery Group – Reporting to Steering Group, project monitoring, implementation & delivery.
• DM, Lead consultant (pathway), Business Manager, Matron (pathway).
  Workstreams – Reporting to Delivery Group, day-to-day project activities, local improvements.
• Consultants, nurses, theatre and anaesthetics staff, admin staff.

In undertaking the workstream activities, clinicians were involved through different workshops and activities:

• Initial data requirements identification.
• Surveys through focus workshops and interviews.
• Clinicians, management and admin staff.
• Patients and/or carers.
• Using questionnaires, one-to-one interviews and focus groups.
• Data review and analysis.
• Pathway, HRG, consultant performance and survey data was provided.
• Identify target areas for improvement.
• Data dissemination.
• Presented data to pathway staff during launch events.
• Current and future state mapping to identify process issues, develop solutions/targets and deliverables.
• Patient case study/role play used.
  Reporting back on progress, risks and issues to Delivery Group