Winning organizations recognize the importance of learning. Companies that don’t learn new ideas don’t change to meet the demands of those they serve. When an organization doesn't change to meet new demands, it eventually fails. That is why we set aside time for learning.
Last Thursday, GBMC leadership had a marvelous day of learning with our teachers from Next Level Partners who taught us about focused problem solving to get better execution of meaningful change.
The former President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Dr. Don Berwick, says there are three important factors required for improvement:
1. The will to change
2. Ideas
3. Execution
I have no doubt that at GBMC our people want to change. They embrace our vision of providing the care that we would want for our own loved ones to every patient, every time. We have the will to change.
I know that GBMC has a workforce made of many intelligent individuals with great ideas to improve our processes. I also know that with the Internet, many solutions are just a few clicks away. So, there is no lack of great ideas.
Our dilemma is number 3: execution. Healthcare in general has not been particularly good at executing change. Many healthcare service processes haven’t changed much since the mid twentieth century. Many companies have unwittingly instilled the notion into their people to hold on to the status quo, and to learn to deal with systems that don’t work, rather than getting them the idea that not only is it their right to fix broken systems – it is their duty.
We are implementing Lean Daily Management to change this. Since we started this technique last April, our senior team visits departments and units every day. On our daily walk, members of the unit and department teams tell us about the performance of key indicators from the day before. They tell us about the reasons why goals were missed and about their problem solving to improve the process.
A great example of excellent problem solving can be seen in the work done by both the Emergency Department and inpatient unit teams, including doctors, nurses and techs, with the help of housekeepers and transport aides, to move patients more quickly from the ED and into a hospital bed. We have reduced the time in the ED of patients admitted to the hospital by more than two hours.
So, our friends at Next Level Partners taught us more of the science of improvement to help us execute faster. It was a great day of learning for GBMC leaders. Such offsite trainings make us stronger as an organization and make our people more skilled. We all came back to work more inspired and better prepared to move us faster toward our vision.
Tina tries... facing her running demons
I can’t express how much I hate running (and rain). As far as I’m concerned it’s the devil’s exercise – I’m still haunted by the schoolgirl memory of running 400m, then throwing up at my PE teacher’s feet.
But the time came to face my fear. Lloyd, my personal trainer, suggested I try a form of exercise that’s easy to do outside of our gym sessions. And even after telling him of (yet another) class of ‘86 drama, he seemed willing to take on the challenge of getting me running again.
Lloyd explained that for a newbie it’s not all about pounding the tarmac for minutes on end. He wanted to set an initial pace that wouldn't scare me, so I can build on it in time. We began with a 10-minute warm-up of fast walking, then set to work on 40 minutes of walking and running at a 2:1 ratio – two minutes of fast walking, then one minute of running. He explained how important it is not to fly off too fast at the beginning as you’ve got to keep going for the 40 minutes. ‘Easy!’ I hear you cry, but those 60-second bursts of running felt longer and longer. I did make it through, though, with a small sense of achievement and a very fetching pair of rosy cheeks – thankfully there was no vomiting.
Go on, then, I'll admit it wasn’t that bad, even in the rain. (Did I just say that out loud?) I can only think this was down to Lloyd keeping my spirits up. He also pointed out that varying the terrain and running on softer ground is a lot less stressful on your joints. It was a great way to get into running and I’ll be intrigued to see if I'm ever able to complete a parkrun (parkrun.org.uk) without stopping…
So, the big question: would Tina try it again? Yes, I already have! With the help of my very patient, marathon-running boyfriend, I upped the ratio so I can now run for longer and walk for shorter periods. And after a particularly frustrating train journey out of London at the weekend to visit my folks in Suffolk, there was nothing for it – I had my trainers and the countryside on my doorstep: I was going for a run.
I even stopped the obsessive 60-second-clock watching. Not that this particular run didn't come with its share of danger moments: farmers with guns, dog walkers, a fallen tree in my path and, worst of all, forgetting to put a bra on! But all my train traumas were soon a distant memory. How satisfying.
I now have to clean my trainers for all the right reasons (NOT because I've been doing the gardening in them). I may need a second pair – I may even have to venture into a sports shop. Note to self: pick up a sports bra while I’m there.
NEXT TIME: Tina tries those big scary machines at the gym
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