Improving Patient Care in Healthcare Organizations

Project Name

PATIENT CARE 1
Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Service Evaluation.................................................................................................................................4
Option Justification..............................................................................................................................10
Service Evaluation...............................................................................................................................10

PATIENT CARE 2
Introduction
To improve efficiency and quality of patient’s management in the healthcare organisation
National Health Service Improvement has redesigned their process by developing patient
pathways. Improved quality and service of patient care will help patients and staff members
in meeting their needs (Teitelbaum and Wilensky, 2016). The quality and service patient’s
care can be achieved through remodelling and evaluation of existing patient processes which
will help health organisation in eliminating those steps which do not add value to the patients
experience and by focusing on patient’s as a customer (Teitelbaum and Wilensky, 2016). Due
to changing problem of disease and demographic changes the NHS has experienced an
increase in demand for those services which increases the expenses (Maguire, Dunn, and
McKenna, 2016). Even though the NHS is experiencing increase in demand of service, the
government of England has reduced NHS funding, although the focus of government remains
headed for improved quality, better efficiency, improved capacity and abridged waiting times
(Anandaciva, 2018). Extended waiting lines are the main reason behind the patient
dissatisfaction (Zhenzhan and Calvin, 2017). To measure performance and patient
satisfaction it is important to identify waiting time (Anandaciva, 2017).
In Accordance of the National Framework for Radiology Service Improvement, this new
process of service redesigning will emphasis on unnecessary waiting time experienced by
outpatients of General Practitioner and Orthopaedic in the general department of X-Ray of a
local hospital (NHS Modernisation Agency, 2003). The main aim of this service redesign is
to decrease waiting time, minimise patient complaints, improves staff motivation (appendix
1) and to reduce disturbance to scheduled orthopaedic clinics (appendix 2) (RCR, 2014). The
general X-Ray department works on FIFO system that is first in first out (The Health
Foundation, 2013) from Monday to Friday between 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, for outpatients of

PATIENT CARE 3
both General Practitioner and Orthopaedic who are referred for X-rays. However, at the same
time the appointment of Orthopaedic Clinic are scheduled. Previously the department of
General Practitioner had a particular slot but due to lack of ability and patient grievances
about extended waiting line department has adopted FIFO system. Sometimes it happen that
many of Orthopaedic patients request management to consider them on priority over General
Practitioner patients, which lead to increased waiting line and restricted access (appendix 3).
A Team is trying to control the system but there are numerous complaints were receive form
Orthopaedic consultants and patients which leads to a reduction in staff productivity and
morale (appendix 3). In 2017, The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has inspected all
hospital services and rates them and also mentions if they required improvement (appendix
4), (CQC, 2018), and this is an indication for specific department to evaluate and make the
require changes to improve the quality of services delivered. There are two Digital
Radiography X-ray rooms in the radiology department for emergency and for general X-ray
department of General Practitioner and Orthopaedic there are one Digital Radiography room
and they can also use Fluoroscopy room if it is free (appendix 3). In the general X-ray
department on an average 4 staff members work all days (appendix 5), staff also needs to
wait in a line for the room which decreases patients movement, waste time and reduces staff
efficiency (Dixon, 2010). The Government has decided a target of four hours for the patients
in care of accident and emergency but there is no specific waiting time target for general X-
ray patients (NHS, 2017). However, the patients who are waiting for their chance have a valid
anticipation that they will be seen in a sensible time period but their expectation shattered
when they have to wait for more than 2 hours to be X-rayed (appendix 2) is intolerable
(National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2018).