November was Kaizen month in the Emergency Department.
Kaizen (改善) Japanese for "improvement" or "change for the best" refers to a philosophy or practice that focuses upon continuous improvement.
A group of 30 individuals from all the disciplines required for the smooth running of the ED (including porters, radiographers, nurses, CSWs, managers, receptionists and doctors) spent 2 whole, chocolate filled, days looking at the ED performance data and eventually starting to formulate a series of solutions to the problems identified.
One of the key areas that we identified for improvement was communication between the different teams working in the ED. To take this forward we developed the idea of an ED Huddle. Ten minutes of time to give a sense of teamwork, solidarity and to improve the patient journey.
On Monday morning we gathered for the first time, a group consisting of representatives from Nursing, an ENP, an ED Consultant, a Radiographer, an Occupational Therapist, Porters and Reception Staff. Ten minutes of time but a huge amount of information shared. We all left knowing exactly what the staffing, department and hospital status was for the day and focusing on patient care. Every day should start this way…