NHS Lanarkshire is asking the public to support Operation FLOW – a positive and ambitious plan to improve patient care and experience.
A key part of Operation FLOW is a “firebreak” to rapidly relieve pressure in Lanarkshire’s three university hospitals – Hairmyres, Monklands and Wishaw. It begins on Thursday 23 February and runs until Friday 3 March.
People in Lanarkshire can help by ensuring they only attend accident and emergency units when necessary in the event of an emergency – and being aware of the range of other services available including NHS 24 and the NHS Inform website.
Families and carers are also being asked to help where necessary if a loved one, friend or someone they care for is being discharged from hospital.
Professor Jann Gardner, Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Operation FLOW is a massive opportunity for us to work together to make a real difference to our patient and staff experience.
“Plans for Operation FLOW have been developed in recent weeks by the whole health and care system in Lanarkshire, working even closer with key partners in North and South Health and Social Care Partnerships and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“Thank you to everyone involved for the huge amount of work that’s taken place to prepare for the firebreak. We are now asking for the support and understanding of the public to help make this as big a success as possible.”
Flow refers to the way patients move through a hospital, from admission to discharge. Improving hospital flow can lead to better patient outcomes, increased capacity, improved staff satisfaction, and improved patient safety. It can also help reduce wait times and improve overall patient satisfaction.
Dr Chris Deighan, NHS Lanarkshire Medical Director, said: “As flow is both about patients being admitted and discharged from hospital, the public can help us in two key ways. Firstly, please visit the NHS Inform website at www.nhsinform.scot to check the best place for you to be seen for your symptoms to ensure our emergency departments are kept free for those that really need them.
“Secondly, families and carers can really help by being flexible, responsive and supportive as possible when it is time for patients to be discharged. Minimising unnecessary time in hospital is important for a patient’s recovery as well as helping the hospital function well for everyone’s benefit.”
Operation FLOW (Focused, Lanarkshire, Optimal, Whole System) is divided into three stages: Stage 1, Preparation & Reset; Stage 2, Firebreak; and Stage 3, Maintaining Good Flow, which will involve resetting the system to improve flow through the acute hospitals.
Professor Gardner said: “While we will be focused on the firebreak over the next couple of weeks, it is what comes after that is most important to ensuring we have a well-functioning system in Lanarkshire.
“By decompressing our services, the firebreak will free up the space and energy to reset our system. We are already working on the next stage to come after the firebreak – a new model that supports good flow through our hospitals. This will help people to be seen faster and ensure we have robust and effective services to provide the best care we can.”
During the firebreak, staff will be implementing the ‘Flow Foundation Bundle’ – a combined set of tried and tested approaches for all receiving and inpatient wards to improve patient flow and prevent unnecessary waits for patients.
The bundle includes:
- ‘Discharge beat’ for each ward – which is the number of discharges a day that need to take place in each ward to maintain a healthy flow through the hospital and keep overall occupancy at a safe level. Daily reports will provide wards with the information they need to achieve and track their discharge beat.
- Multi-disciplinary team board rounds – which are three-times-a-day meetings to ensure a structured approach to supporting the day-to-day running of the ward and to help the ward team manage patients safely and effectively.
- Planned date of discharge to establish a clear date of when someone will go home (or to a community setting) – at the earliest possible stage during their stay in hospital.
- Patients going to the discharge lounge on the morning of their day of discharge from hospital. Making use of the discharge lounge provides an appropriate and comfortable environment for patients while helping hospital flow by freeing up acute beds for patients awaiting admission.
Further information is available on the NHS Lanarkshire public website at https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/operationflow/
