21st May 2015
“We need a new way of working and a new way of thinking to face the future with confidence and hope.
“We need leaders and you need to be part of this.”
Tim Davison, Chief Executive
Attended by around 90 staff from across NHS Lothian, the Clinical Change Forum discussed the need to change and the recognition that this must start with specialist multi-disciplinary teams and spread across the organisation.
Chief Executive, Tim Davison, outlined the challenge of changing our culture while still having to deliver services and meet targets.
He acknowledged that our organisational strategy has been based on the configuration of services and sites but our new strategy is about organisational culture and behaviours - focusing on how we work together to improve quality while using resources sustainably at the level of the multidisciplinary team.
He said: “We need to achieve a balance between standardisation that minimises waste and unwanted or bad variation and bespoke patient centred care that puts informed patients at the heart of the clinical process.”
Dr Nikki Maran, Associate Medical Director for Safety, Dr Simon Edgar, Director of Medical Education and Dr Brian Cook, Medical Director, Acute Services, presented on a new approach to quality. They challenged the audience to question who, as individuals, is prepared to change and highlighted some examples of good practice from around the globe, including the work of Intermountain Healthcare in the USA.
One of the key discussion points was around the need to collect and be able to analyse accurate data to help reduce bad variation and drive out waste.
The need to resource this new strategic direction was also recognised and Tim Davison committed to a seven figure investment in quality improvement infrastructure and capacity.
The final half hour of the event focused on supporting patients to make informed decisions about their care and what is best for them as individuals. Dr Caroline Whitworth, Consultant Nephrologist at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, challenged the group to think about choosing wisely for their own patients and how we change our culture to reflect this approach.
There was some time for discussion at the session but not enough time to capture all the points people wanted to make. To make any comments or suggestions on the presentation, please email OurHealth.OurFuture@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
