Healthcare
Demand and Capacity Scheduling
Demand and Capacity Scheduling
Develop Consulting supported a fully elective specialist orthopaedic hospital, operating 12 theatres with 12 wards, to design a scheduling process to match demand with the available capacity.
Results
- Removed the requirement for theatre rental from private sector.
- Reduced the need internally from 12 to 10 theatres.
- Delivered a cost saving in excess of £1m (£1.3m in the first year).
- Reorganised staff levels & improved the skill mix of theatre staff.
- Implementation of PMO & Visual management systems.
- Implemented electronic booking system (booking 6 weeks in advance with theatre list lock down 2 weeks prior to theatre date).
- Level loading of theatres.
- Understood & defined further project for years 2 & 3.
- Outpatients (New build of department).
- Pre-operative assessment (£250,000 actual saving).
- Wards (£750,000 actual saving).
- Improved communications between management and clinical staff.
- Patient access (Medical secretaries reduced from 40 to 16)
Approach
- Remove the need to rent additional theatre time & space from the private sector.
- Engage with Informatics & IT to define & obtain accurate baseline data in a usable format.
- Develop effective communication systems through reports, meetings & escalation structure etc.
- Agree baseline costs and financial targets / ROI etc with Finance department.
- Process & value mapped pathway from referral to clinical outcome.
- Match demand to capacity.
- Performed diagnostic activities to understand current situation including Capacity, demand & actual Activity.
- Gap analysis
Solution
- In depth stakeholder engagement, defining current & future state.
- Financial & operational analysis and proposals validated by senior executive team.
- Develop, deliver and agree conclusions and proposals.
- Develop implementation plan.
- Lean academy approach to coaching & mentoring nominated staff to lead workstreams.
- Develop blended training package to roll out through the trust.
- Train the trainers – work stream leads to have the ability to deliver their projects and become self sufficient in project management.
- Coach & mentor.
- Developed & implemented PMO & governance structure.
- Implement theatre scheduling system incorporating level loading of demand
