Transforming the NHS patient journey using time-based analysis

Summary

Robert Barker, author of the book, 'The Time Based Organisation: Recreating and Transforming Existing Organisations', highlights how time-based analysis can be used in the NHS to transform the patient journey.

Content

Huge amounts of untapped potential and waste exist in the NHS, yet all the equipment, assets and infrastructure are already in place. Overall patient journey throughput times are currently too long, but the combined strengths of time-based analysis, which looks at value adding processes through the lens of time and NHS staff who know these processes better than anyone else, can transform the NHS patient journey.

In the example below, you will see large amounts of non-value adding time (wait and queue). The value adding time here is around 8%.

The NHS patient journey typically reflects the management structure where specialists control the treatment islands of efficiency but nobody is responsible for the non-value adding time gaps. Hence long waits and queue times.

Tracking a patient journey using the lens of time identifies a lot of non-value adding time and additional costs that impact both the patient’s health and costs. Analysing the flow of patients is undertaken by value adding staff, your best consultants.

Transformation of the treatment process journey is needed now more than ever, since it will include “What stops staff doing the best days work they can”.  

Note – Time-based transformation is driven by value adding employees not management consultants, but it requires support from NHS leaders.