Development of Business continuity services for Ealing General Practices
Introduction
Davies Management Consultancy have been working with the Health sector for nearly 20 years. During this time we have accessed various funding to develop customer service and management programmes.
This case study demonstrates how Leadership and Management funding together with the support of the PCT has been used to enhance the skills for Managers and GP’s in Primary care and enabled them to produce effective Business Continuity and Flu Pandemic Cluster Plans. This has ensured that practices are prepared for emergency situations and that and that patients receive continuing care.
Issue
The local PCT did not want to force GP’s to work together.
There were limited funds available to support the programme.
GP’s needed facilitation to work together and explore some difficult issues.
GP’s were unaccustomed to this level of working together and for some of them they did not know who the neighbouring practices were.
Solution
The PCT fully embraced a unique consultancy programme and provided financial support so that each practice could have their needs meet.
We worked the individual practices to access the Leadership and Management funding to develop Business Continuity and cluster / buddy plans.
A programme of learning and development was then embarked upon which included:
- Action learning session to explore ideas for Business Continuity and staff training and development
- Coaching sessions for Practice Managers and GP’s
- Facilitate cluster group sessions to look at:
- Priority services
- Staff contacts
- Key contacts
- Emergency box
- Risk assessment for Fire, IT / Severe weather / Loss of utilities
- Lead clinicians
- Suitability of premises
- Isolation arrangements
- Staff training - Infection control training and audit conducted for each practice to ensure the business protected its staff and patients from further infections
- Facilitated meeting to look at issues connected to IT as GP and staff may be used in other practice.
Key people in the Practice Based Commission groups encouraged other colleagues to join the programme and work closely together.
DMC consultants worked with each group in a different way according to their individual needs. They also supported each practice within the group according to the requirements of the practice and the individuals. By looking at where the practice was and identifying where it needed to be the consultants were able to provide tailored solutions.
Outcome
Practices have buddied up and formed cluster groups.
They are now better placed to work together on other service for the future
PCT have list of Practices who are working together with leads and practices that will stay open during a pandemic where is has been identified.
One of the Practices Managers phoned on the 29th December 2009 to say that they arrived at the Practice and found they had no power or water. They were able to immediate put their plan into place and contacted other practices in the cluster and were seeing and speaking to patients within half an hour. They admitted that they had not ever thought that they would need to implement the plan and considered it to be a tick box exercise that had to be done however they admitted the only way the practice was able to cope with this emergency and offer the services as normal to its patients so quickly was due to the fact that they had all the numbers and contacts and knew what to do. They were able to contact their cluster buddies and work together for the good of the local population!
Quote from Practice Manager
“This programme has helped me to see outside of my own practice. Until I started working with other practices I was not aware of how working together could be of real benefit to us all”
For more information on this or other services offered by Davies Management Consultancy Ltd. please contact Jeanne Davies MSc on 07747 028866 or email jdconsultancy@btinternet.com
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