Optimizing Hospital Operations and Services

This assignment provides a detailed analysis of the importance of managing hospital operations and logistics systems. The report concludes that TQM, JIT, and Lean management are essential in achieving customer satisfaction and maximizing productivity within an organization. It also emphasizes the need for organizations to focus on maintaining quality services and minimizing wastage to drive growth and success in competitive industries.

Understanding Operations,
Logistics and Supply Chain
for Watford General
Hospital

Table of Contents
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................1
RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

ESSAY
Operation management can be said that all those business functions that perform the
various activities such as planning, classifying, leading and monitoring the resources needed to
produce goods and services. As such, it is related to the delivery-focused that ensure success for
an organisation. The inputs themselves would signify anything’s turns as ideas to final outputs in
proper manner. This must represent some vital aspects such as materials, equipment and
technology to manage various human resources such as staffs and workers. It has been seen that
there are major two important terms that can be taken into account such as “supply chain
management” and “logistics”. It is the primary role of manager to make analysis of each and
every area that are valuable for the company. Understanding of international trends in context to
supply chain management in respect to fulfil customer demand is often crucial. With the use of
logistics, the proper care and focus must be given on the resources as well as the cost-
effectiveness. Logistics is basically the systematic information about organisations and designing
complex operations. It is the management of flow about various products or equipment among
the point of origin to the consumption in order to meet various needs of patient and other
corporations (Ahmadi, Seifi and Tootooni, 2015).
This particular essay is all about providing specific information about the overall
administration of operation, logistic and supply chain management within “Watford General
Hospital”. This particular hospital was developed at the foundation of National health services.
The important part of this hospital is that it consists of 600 beds and 9 theatres as public NHS. It
uses to manages beyond their safe capacity with having appropriate design for around 30,000
attendances every year but often receive more than 80,000. It is at the heart of trusts which is
having emergency services. The core areas for inpatient emergency care and for every patient
those who need any specialist facilities would be transferred to major district general hospital.
They also used to provide elective care in case riskier patient together with entire range of
outpatient. Watford is also aims to “Trust women’s” and “children services” that consists of new
care. In 12/2011, they increase total capacity on Watford site by introducing with a latest Clinical
decision units and 18 beds for surge wards. The maternity services are one of the largest in
south-east England. It consists of total 6000 deliveries per year. It is crucial to determine the key
areas those are vital of the hospital such as “managing the quality” and “JIT & lean” ( Cozzolino,
2012). These two areas are more targeted as because most of the issues is being areas in the
1

overall quality they are delivering to their patient in the form of care and treatment. The other
think is related with the JIT & lean that consist of information related with delivering the stock
equipment to the hospital, the network they are using. Different ways to control stock as they are
adopting for moving all equipment to various department of hospital (Christopher, 2016)
Managing quality (TQM):
It is considered as one of the important approach that is for an organisation those are
cantered on quality that are based on participation of various members that aims at attaining long
term success. It can be achieving through provide proper satisfaction to the patient and benefits
to various members of “Watford General Hospital” as well as other communities. The major
focus is given on the proper customer satisfaction. Deliver best quality of equipment at minimum
possible price and prevent defects, targets as zero faults. “Watford General Hospital” can
implement best TQM for regulating proper growth and resolving services that is being provided
to the patient within this particular hospital. In order to make further development in healthcare
sectors, it is essential to make continuous quality modification which can be vital for attaining
more reliable profit during the time (Hingley, 2011).
There are certain principles that is related with the quality improvement, customer targets
focus and teamwork ability. “Watford General Hospital” can make use of TQM tools and
techniques to maintain better quality of hospital equipment and other services before delivering it
to the patients. Some of the vital components of TQM are checklists, Pareto evaluation, cause
and effect diagram. Flow chart as well as gap analysis can assist an organisation to examine and
collect data regarding quality issues that would make impacts on the overall growth and
sustainability within an organisation. The patient satisfaction is the one which is being targeted
by the hospital manager. The benefits of using TQM must be deliver to the customer according
to their demand. The primary aim of using TQM within “Watford General Hospital” to improve
the quality and techniques of treating patients that will determine the best measure that would
match the satisfaction and expectation level of patients. These issues can be resolve through
identifying TQM intervention. Like for examples, in this hospital, TQM used to for the purpose
of reducing the waiting time through changing techniques of appointment (Li, Liu and Chen,
2011).
Through this, satisfaction between customers get increase as they cannot have to wait for
maximum time for taking appointment with the doctors. This seems to be helpful for analysing
2

external and internal facts of hospital that can be evaluated through enhancing quality of hospital
services to various patients. Certain challenges are being faced within hospital premises that are
associated with the cost and drastic growth in technology. Because of this, organisation is having
wide number of pressure to make utilisation of tools that assist in proving high quality services to
the patients. In accordance to overcome those issues that is being faced through hospital TQM
tools can be taken into account. For the safety point of view in health care security, attitude of
staffs and responsible of doctors must be analyse accordingly. In order to minimise the cost and
increase efficiency of the “Watford General Hospital”, it is necessary to give superior quality of
case to the patients. By doing so, profitability gets increased and overall sustainability would also
have maintained effectively. In context to the health care system, TQM can be considered as
vital part of the hospital sectors for the purpose of attaining maximum competitive advantage.
The process method, continuous improvement, effective leadership and focus on patient.
By giving patient primary focus the “Watford General Hospital” always tries to determine the
current and future requirements of patient and tried to meet all their needs and wants. The efforts
must also be facilitating care for patient. Hospitals and various healthcare organisation across the
nation have been targeted to provide attractive services through adopting TQM to overcome
costs, improve efficiency and deliver upper class quality to the patients. Control chart is an
important tool that would indicate, whether a process is in control or not being handled by the
staffs of hospitals. Through using samples of a process and detect possibility of process that is
being out of control by the support staff’s member of hospital. This can be considered more
effective as specific information about upper and lower limit of patient health can easily be
determine through using this control system. In order to get better profit and services within the
healthcare institution, the manager need to make use of attractive systems that are helpful them
out to overcome all kind of issues that are being faced by the patient. It has been observed that
TQM is largely used in clinical areas with appropriate outcomes (Croucher and Baker, 2014).
JIT and lean:
In order to provide more effective services to the patient, it is essential to adopt JIT) Just-
in-time) management system. It is valuable aspect for the hospital staffs or manager to make use
of data connected with MIS system. This particular technique is considered as one of the fastest
version of just in time. These are basically related with the stock valuation as well as control
them in proper manner (Diabat and Govindan, 2011).
3

The just-In-Time system is defined as the technique that help in managing and
maintaining resources for minimising wastage and increase productivity within an organisation.
It play crucial role in hospital industry for achieving goals and run its operations in well manner.
For implementing the JIT, Watford general hospital required to commit with number of
suppliers, where vital information are to be shared regarding operation and function as well. JIT
is very beneficial for hospitals in managing entire operations because it has ability to slash costs,
utilise of equipments, increase the productivity level, reduce the need for certain indirect labour
like material handlers so that maximum profits can be get. In the JIT management system,
Watford general hospital consider the ideas regarding inventory that should not be overstocked
as these must be delivered at the right time to the right place. Therefore, just-in-time
management are essential in managing productivity as well as waste in an effective manner.
There are limited scope where it focus on application in a manufacturing operations. With the
help of implementation of just-in-time tool in the Watford general hospital, they can get number
of advantages and benefits within organisation that facilitates in achieving higher growth and
competitive advantages with effective manner. Hospital can reduce the other costs or any
overhead expenses by ensuring its service quality which are giving to the patients for better
improvements. It is essential tool for the Watford hospital in providing excellent services to the
customers so that they will be attracted towards hospital and get treatments to improve health
condition. This tool handle the supply chain and logistic management which helpful in providing
low costs services or facilities so that they can afford such treatments and hospital can get
competitive advantages in an effective way. Therefore, Just-In-Time is more suitable tool for the
hospitals that support in increasing market shares and build strong relationship among customers.
Watford general hospital can consider more quick or fastest services such as medical facilities,
treatments, operations , surgeries, therapies and many more as per the patients requirements to
meet their needs or demands with better ways (Schönsleben, 2016).
Lean management is generally used for creating values without any wastage. In other
words, lean included several activities that add customers values by getting expands as well as
coordinated with optimal way. The basic principle of lean management can be applied in various
circumstances of a hospital or other clinic whenever required. Lean principle is an important tool
for the hospital in serving better quality of services and medical facilities to the patients with
effective and efficient manner. By considering the lean principle, Watford general hospital can
4

improve its quality of healthcare services such as therapies, surgeries and many other treatments.
There are less impacts of any harmful aspects due to preventable errors techniques within
hospital. This is beneficial for minimising more wastages and reduces the stress level of
employees while performing their tasks so that they will be able to spend more times as well as
put their efforts into patients treatments for improving their health conditions and remove
deceases with appropriate manner. Lean principle must be adopted by the hospitals industry that
facilitate in achieving long term benefits and build trust among customers so, it directly affect on
the hospital reputation. Hospital can get maximum benefits through lean because it support in
reducing capital costs as well as overhead expenses by utilising available resources in an
efficient way. Therefore, it can be analysed that lean and JIT are best tools or principle for
hospital industry as Watford general can increase its size and wealthy by managing entire
operations and workforce in well manner.
Triple Bottom Line
Triple bottom line is the system which is used by Watford General Hospital to ascertain
the income which they are making from their sustainability process. This concept allows an
organisation to look beyond the typical bottom line and facilitates to earn profits from social,
environmental and economic aspects. This system can also help this hospital to ascertain the
degree of sustainability their operations incorporate. The main aim of this concept is to include
triple dimensions and go beyond the traditional measures of profits and return on investment.
The above mentioned hospital has adapted TBL to make more profit. It is an accounting
framework which measures performance through these 3 elements.
Social sustainability measures the profits in human capital. In this case, hospital staff
such as doctors, nurses and others are the human capital for Watford General Hospital. If this
hospital is having efficient and beneficial labour then it can be said that organisation is having
high profit earning through corporate community involvement. This aspect will help in creating a
link between the hospital and the society. According to environmental sustainability of the
organisation, hospital needs to use less natural resources in order to maintain a balance in
ecology. The fewer natural resources used by the hospital, the more growth and development
attained by them. Ascertaining the profitability achieved by this element of sustainability is an
expensive and time consuming task. The last approach of triple bottom line is economic
sustainability in which impact of an business is measured on the economic environment. Here,
5

Watford General Hospital uses this approach to ensure that they are not implying any negative
influence on the economy. This system helps in providing strength to economy and to the
hospital. Triple bottom line method fulfils the needs of healthy workforce and effective supply
chain manage of this hospital (Tang and Musa, 2011).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Watford General Hospital provides medical and pharmaceuticals services to the
community and serving their best. By incorporating various theories such as total quality
management and triple bottom line they can do better by enhancing the quality of medical
operations. This hospital has incorporated triple bottom line in order to ascertain profit from their
sustainability services such as economic, social and environmental. This hospital is using
concept of JIT which helps in creating a link with MIS system, in order to improve their logistics
system organisation should appoint a team which can look after the effectiveness of just in time
management. Another recommendation for this hospital is that the TQM method should be
applied in all the operations and activities and not only in few of their departments.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above project report that management of operations plays
an important role in achieving huge customer strength for an organisation through availing
products and services in market which are more in demanded by targeted customers. For this, the
management need to focus on maintaining quality of services so as to maximises the satisfaction
of customers. In addition with this, just in time and lean management facilitates an organisation
in managing and maintaining resources for minimising wastage and increase productivity within
an organisation. It will be more helpful in driving an organisation in achieving growth and
success in competitive industry for longer period of time.
6

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ahmadi, M., Seifi, A. and Tootooni, B., 2015. A humanitarian logistics model for disaster relief
operation considering network failure and standard relief time: A case study on San
Francisco district. Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation
Review. 75. pp.145-163.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Cozzolino, A., 2012. Humanitarian logistics and supply chain management. In Humanitarian
logistics (pp. 5-16). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Diabat, A. and Govindan, K., 2011. An analysis of the drivers affecting the implementation of
green supply chain management. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 55(6).
pp.659-667.
Hingley, M., and et. al., 2011. Using fourth-party logistics management to improve horizontal
collaboration among grocery retailers. Supply Chain Management: An International
Journal. 16(5). pp.316-327.
Li, Y., Liu, X. and Chen, Y., 2011. Selection of logistics center location using Axiomatic Fuzzy
Set and TOPSIS methodology in logistics management. Expert Systems with
Applications. 38(6). pp.7901-7908.
Rushton, A., Croucher, P. and Baker, P., 2014. The handbook of logistics and distribution
management: Understanding the supply chain. Kogan Page Publishers.
Schönsleben, P., 2016. Integral logistics management: operations and supply chain management
within and across companies. CRC Press.
Tang, O. and Musa, S. N., 2011. Identifying risk issues and research advancements in supply
chain risk management. International journal of production economics. 133(1). pp.25-
34.
7