Hospital Support Services Process Improvement

Business Case

Support services teams were struggling to meet the contractual performance measures in a newly built and the largest hospital in the State. As a containment, large number of extra resources were employed which added further losses to the already stressed financial situation.

Due to the scale and newness of the operations, Leadership team needed expert support to quickly identify process inefficiencies, strengthen process capability and improve performance visibility and accountability.

Approach

Through initial stakeholder workshops and reviews number of contributing factors were identified including clarity on contractual obligations, unclear and overlapping responsibilities and lack of leading measures.

Gap in “contract” requirements and “current state” processes was established, which led to identification of in excess of 400 opportunities. These were rationalised and categorised into Quick Wins and Projects and prioritised with delivery teams’ input. Projects were delivered through structured PMO and using D-M-A-I-C approach. To sustain improvements, key metrics for governance were developed and implemented through tiered Visual Management System.

Results

• 22.4% reduction achieved in customer complaints
• $2.5M savings achieved through process improvements
• $500K in identified opportunities initiated and handed over
• Developed team capability in Lean methodologies & Problem Solving
• Improved communication, cohesive teams and clarity in roles and responsibilities
• Key metrics for all levels in place, with clear reporting expectations