| Process
Management for Business Improvement - ISO9000/2000
Clear
process management is the foundation for an effective and
efficient business. Whether used on its own to improve profitability
or in conjunction with an Accreditation exercise, mapping
processes adds value to the business operation.
ISO9000/2000
promotes the adoption of a process approach when developing,
implementing and improving the effectiveness and efficiency
of any business. Businesses are required to structure their
activities around processes, which can be identified and
developed as part of a corporate business improvement activity.
A process
map can be simply introduced, easily developed and immediately
effective in the workplace.
Defining
the process map will:
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Allow
you to identify each element of the process |
|
Add
information to any element |
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Ensure
that activities are carried out to the same standard
time after time |
|
Add
value to activities by re-assessing processes |
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Make
procedures and documentation relevant to the process |
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Identify duplication and waste |
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Reduce
time spent training new staff on how work flows |
Process
Management for Effective Healthcare and Controls Assurance
Standards.
The
Controls Assurance Standards and accreditation systems require
organisations to create numerous policies often difficult
to access and far removed from the task in hand.
By defining
the process or activity, attaching the relevant standards
to each element of the process and publishing on your network,
you can create corporate "how to do"s around the
task in hand.
Because
policies and standards are attached to the process, staff
have the relevant information at their fingertips.
This
rational approach identifies duplication, creates a focus
around the activity and reduces waste.
Process
Maps for Clinical Governance and Clinical Pathways
Defining
clinical activity is crucial to safeguard both clinicians
and patients.
The
process map of an activity will show the route the clinician
should take. Elements of the activity may be divided into
sub processes, but at each stage relevant information may
be attached, such as:
|
clinical
evidence |
|
professional
advice |
|
drugs
and their contra indications |
|
photographs
of complex equipment and instructions of use |
|
Departmental
guidance for sensitive issues |
Process Mapping
in Primary Care Trusts
Create
a corporate identity, with common elements accessed by all
the professionals across the Trust.
Develop,
agree and publish the Trust standards as they relate to
activities.Structure Clinical Governance and make the clinical
process transparent across the organisation.
Create
an information source for clinical pathways, which can be
easily accessed by all stakeholders.
Clinical Governance
for Sterile Services
Throughout
industry, businesses are chasing efficiencies to maintain
market position; some are improving quality to increase
market share. The EFQM Excellence model has been adopted
by many businesses to create focused organisational management
while others have adopted the new ISO 9000/2000 approach
to quality.
The
common theme is the sense of improvement embedded in the
business process, whether that is manufacturing or service.
Process Management has been fundamental to the success of
many businesses with the methodology developed in manufacturing
industry being used extensively in new industries such as
call-centres to provide up to date information and procedures
to telephone operators. The focus on process management
ensures a common corporate response to each customer, common
standards and safe business practices.
Policies
and procedures while well documented at Trust or Department
level are often filed away only to be brought out for an
annual review. Key to the maintenance of standards is up
to date information, which is easily accessible. Providing
relevant information to staff when they need it is essential
to the safe provision of services.
The
Controls Assurance Standards are a first step in setting
national minimum standards for the NHS, but communicating
the standards to staff will require a new approach to be
effective. Process and quality improvements are interdependent,
and few industrial areas are as critical as the Sterile
Services Department of a hospital.
Just
as process management adds structure to Clinical Governance
by linking best practice, evidence and national policies
to clinical activity, so a similar approach can be applied
to other sensitive areas such as sterile services where
quality is just as important to the patient.
Like
most Sterile Services Departments, output quality is paramount
to the Glenfield Hospital CSSD, linked as it is to patient
safety. The CSSD provides a wide range of specialist dressing
packs as well as pre-set trays of surgical equipment for
operating theatres. All instrument trays are bar-coded and
can be traced using a computerised tray tracking system
The
throughput at Glenfield is prodigious, with some 600 instrument
trays presently processed each week. The CSSD serves eight
theatres which includes three cardiac, one thoracic, two
general and two orthopaedic. The Department also provides
an ethylene oxide sterilisation service covering six counties
in the Midlands.
Every
step of the process needs to be quality controlled to protect
the sterile integrity of the product. With a clear focus
on quality, the Glenfield CSSD has been at the forefront
of the drive to meet ever increasing regulation and quality
standards.
The
Department gained ISO 9000 in August 1996 led by the CSSD
Manager George Needham who says " Following the discipline
of ISO 9000 accreditation was fundamental to maintaining
the levels of quality in our products in an ever changing
environment ."
Recognising
that the new ISO 9000/2000 standards required a different
approach, one where policies and procedures were linked
directly to the relevant elements of the process, George
attended a BSI open day on the new standards. BSI recommended
the mapping of processes and the attachment of policies
and procedures using the Process Expert software package.
Following
a demonstration, George purchased Process Expert, developed
a series of process maps and now has an integrated system
of process and quality control. The software allowed George
to retain his existing ISO policies and procedures and attach
them to relevant areas of the process.
Initially
there were four main structural elements to the process
map:-
Quality
Systems, which held the British Standards and their
relevant processes.
Standing
Operational Procedures, which provided an overview of
the workflow through the department including specifications
and policies for a variety of operational issues.
Training
Procedures for staff to link together the Investors
in People standard with statutory requirements for training
in Fire Safety, Health and Satety, Coshh and lifting and
handling.
Management
Structure to define a clear and open structure in the
department and show the individual responsibilities and
their interdependence.
The
new system based on Process Expert protected the considerable
investment in existing documentation and allowed process
and procedural documents to be separated, thus allowing
policy and procedure audit to be independent of process.
When regulations change, policies and procedures can be
amended and immediately available from the process map.
Access to change the process map and its attendant information
is controlled by comprehensive security and audit facilities.
Process
Expert allows the user to publish process maps and their
information across an Intranet, thus the integration of
CSSD and Clinical Governance can be achieved. The greatest
impact is that for the first time the information is able
to be shared between the whole team and easily accessible
from any desktop. At a glance, staff can see the elements
of the processes with which they are involved, and amendments
and their effects can be tried and tested for outcome benefit
before implementation.
The
next step for Glenfield is to determine process maps for
each of the work streams and attach photographs of finished
products. " Some sterile packs are complex to describe
to temporary staff, and a photograph of the finished tray
of surgical equipment is easier to visualise, " says
George Needham.
Process
Management has long been used in industry to improve quality
and efficiency. The principles identified at Glenfield can
be used throughout the NHS to raise the standards of quality
and care.
Ash
House will help you start the process mapping exercise and
show you how to draw, add information and publish your process
maps on your intranet.
For
further information telephone 01352 750300 or
complete the contact page.
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