improvements to ye old nhs

wait what’s going on

well i got a conditional offer to work as a full-time hca in a&e at St Peter’s Hospital - wait how?. this one’s a ramble of improvements to the nhs

foreword

Why does it take crisis meetings to install change for the better? Why don’t we have PPE when another hospital may have bundles of it? Why can’t we wear masks in the green area? Why do we respond reactively instead of proactively?

Perhaps its human nature to want to survive rather than push ourselves to improve. Perhaps we don’t push ourselves because its just this reactive pervasive culture is now embedded in the very resource and budget-intensive world of the modern-day NHS.

But we can make improvements in our communication. Just by starting at a department-level, we can help prevent these dramatic breakdowns of trust. Here’s a few ideas from a newly appointed full-time healthcare assistant in A&E.

1. Regular Department Meetings to help resolve undiagnosed problems.

Representation of all Healthcare Professionals - Nurses, Doctors, HCAs, Porters, Cleaners, Radiographers, ED Management, all included. All elected and all respond to each other.

2. Team Culture and Morale Leaders

Lots of BankStaff, part-time staff, Agency Staff, re-deployed staff. Do they all really feel like members of the team? Who checks in on them when undertaking one of their first shifts in a new department? The ones who juggle multiple jobs, family commitments and now the anxiety of a fresh environment. They could benefit from someone checking-in on them during their first shift.

3. Rethinking Hospital Penalisation

Why do we need overflows - living rooms of patients waiting for results. Results that likely won’t come for hours. Results that likely won’t change their immediate management. Because hospitals get penalised for breeches.

The patients now have to wait longer and because of an underfunded department they will suffer the most. Oh, this is currently the story of every emergency department in the UK?

4. Rewarding Excellence Personally

Few things in life can be more rewarding than being recognised for your effort, especially in attendance with your peers. If a newly appointed full-time healthcare assistant can notice the work you’re putting in, hopefully senior hospital staff will or least they should! This isn’t a competitive Employee of the Month reward but how about a thank you for going above and beyond.

5. Feedback is the Hand-over of Champions

How did the patients who matter to us most feel? Were things explained to them? Were they thankful for their care? Could they see something that needs improving?

The sooner the team knows - sooner we can make actionable changes. It won’t take a prolonged DATIX, a chain of emails, crisis meeting to make changes