Ash Hall Surgery - Essay Example

?First part of the work: Following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission the practice manager at Ash Hall Surgery has to introduce better regular communication between the clinical and administrative staff and herself. Currently she has very few practice meetings and nothing is recorded. Clinical meetings are very infrequent. This essay will focus upon two aspects of Ash Hall Surgery. The first part will focus on the implementation of a new communication system within the organisation and what the practice manager faces while implementing it. The second part will cover different issues that might arise while the organisation is planning the vaccination campaign and the steps taken by the practice manager to overcome them. The last part this essay states how, through efficient management skills, the manager is able to eliminate the negative aspects of the organisation and increase the productivity of its employees. Communication is a very important part of a healthcare organisation. Miscommunication between staff and the manager can lead to misunderstandings and poor productivity within the organisation. However, by communicating with a specific purpose in mind, the management will aim for good results as well as to build up strong relationships with members of the organisation (Richards). This part deals with the problem regarding communication within Ash Hall Surgery and also states the different strategies of communication which were implemented. It also discusses the final strategy and challenges facing them while implementing the new communication system. There are different types of communication strategy from which Ash Hall Surgery is able to choose. Open communication is one such option in which all the members of an organisation are able to share in a process of feedback. This ‘feedback’ system will take the form of suggestions, which can be used for the betterment of the organization or it may relate to the problems, which the organisation is facing. For example, the practice manager should take the initiative in order to build up an environment of trust among the employees (Richards). Since Ash Hall Surgery follows a cohesive and compact set-up relating to the number of employees (only around 20 employees), it is easier for them to follow this suggested communication system (case study). The second option available to improve communication is that of ‘inclusive’ communication. Through this effective strategy, the organisation will make the employee feel that they are an important for the organisation. In this communication system employees are involved in taking decisions, which affect their day to day work (Richards). Since Ash Hall Surgery has a relatively small number of staff, it is easier for the top management to involve employees in discussions, so that a new effective communication base is implemented. This will increase efficiency while they are working together (case study). The process of ‘Two-Way Communication’, by which the flow of information passes in two directions, creates effective communication between the top and the bottom layers of management, so that discussions become, in effect, a ‘two way ticket’. ‘Two-Way Communication’ develops a culture that improves the sense of inclusiveness of the employees within a particular organisation. This positive feeling aims at success within the organisation in the form of achieving good results. In the ‘Two-Way Communication’ process, the top management listens to the employees further down in the body of the organisation and takes ideas from them in the form of shared thoughts in order to improve the products, services and culture of the organisation. This kind of employee involvement is a key factor in the success of any organisation (Richards). All the employees of Ash Hall, especially the doctors, nurses and administrative staff are educated and capable enough to understand their individual problems within the organisation regarding lack of apparatus medicines etc. If these types of effective communication methods are in place, the clinical department is capable of conveying their problems to their management and administrative departments and are also able to justify such requirements so that the necessary arrangements can be made. So ‘Two-Way Communication’ is ultimately good for an organisation, as it creates an ambience of mutual understanding among the employees of different divisions within that organisation. In addition, many organisations run their communication systems by what is known as a ‘Result Driven’ strategy, especially health care organisations. This strategy addresses the knowledge requirements of the employees while working in that particular organisation. It is good in theory, but it quite often happens that employees within an organisation do not match up to the required parameters. These matters may generate a conflict between the culture of the organisation and the behaviour of the employees. In this strategy, it is the organisation which sets the parameters, but they are often seen as unacceptable by the employees themselves, particularly as they have been forcefully imposed. For this reason the ‘Result Driven’ strategy is not always a successful way of setting up a proper communication base (Richards). It is also worth mentioning that Ash Hall Surgery has some members of staff who are not full time employees. So, if the practice tries to set up two different standards, one for the part-timers and one for the full-timers, this creates a double system within the practice and creates an unnecessary division between employees’ full timers and part timers. This dual system may result in poor standards among the part-timers, for instance, since they may not receive some of the benefits that the full-timers usually do (case study). Moreover, in order to increase the effectiveness of communication within a practice, many people should be involved. So to overcome this, the practice should implement a multi-channel communication system. Messages between different departments may, thus, be delivered properly as a result of this system, so that communication can be achieved in the correct way (Richards). Ash Hall Surgery is a small practice in terms of size and number of employees; so there is no need to involve extra people in order to circulate any messages. This implies that there is no need for the afore-mentioned company to shift to the multi-channel method of communication. A Communication Strategy for Ash Hall Surgery As we have already mentioned, Ash Hall Surgery is a small practice. It consists of twenty members of staff including six doctors, three practice nurses, one healthcare assistant, eight members of administrative staff and a cleaner (case study). An open and inclusive communication system would be easy for the practice manager to establish within the practice because the number of employees is very small and, as a result, there are no disturbing levels of hierarchy. It would, therefore, be easy for the new practice manager to communicate with her subordinates as well as receiving their feedback. This kind of a two-way communication strategy can be effective in this situation. In this way, the clinical and administrative staffs would be able to solve any communication related problems. This is, in fact, a two way process of communication and the new practice manager is able to learn from her staff, which, as we have seen, is an effective method of communication. To put into practice the above type of communication system, the practice manager will first face some obvious difficulties. In the current situation, she does not have many practice meetings and these are not recorded (case study). Even the clinical meetings are few in number. The time allocated for interaction between the practice manager and her subordinates from the clinical and administrative departments seems inadequate. The lack of time allocated to staff meetings would ultimately lead to a communication gap. The members of staff in the practice do not have enough time allocated to them in order to convey to the practice manager any problems facing them in their work. In order to overcome the above mentioned problem, the practice manager must take the initiative because she is both a full-time employee as well as at the top of the management structure. According to the Care Quality Commission, the implementation of an adequate system of communication to ensure the smooth running of practices is therefore her responsibility. First of all, she should make it her business to know about any problems that might arise between her two departments – the administrative and the medical teams. In order to establish a new regular communication system within the practice, she therefore needs to open discussions with her doctors, nurses and administrative staff so as to take stock of what might be required. She should, therefore, suggest that these two teams hold discussions face to face and share their ideas. This will ultimately result in improved levels of efficiency and productivity within the practice. As a result of implementing this new type of communication system, the administrative staffs are expected to inform the clinical department of their requirements and vice-versa. This will again increase co-ordination between the two groups which make up the staff at Ash Hall Surgery. The two way communication can help in reaching out to the potential patients and make them aware of the equipments and service delivered by the vaccination campaign. Availing some names of the potential patients in a certain locality for vaccination and then a one to one communication to spread the awareness might help. For this there needs to be effective cooperation between the administrative and the clinical teams. When the potential patient is brought to the hospital, the clinical team might talk to them to make them aware about the process and its importance. The shortfall in the number of patients who actually came for vaccination might be addressed in this way. Moreover, an open-door policy should be established. It is the best way of improving communication between different levels within an organisation. Through this policy, the practice manager can always welcome new thoughts and ideas from her employees. When the employees are able to share their individual concerns with the manager, they have a sense of empowerment. If the practice manager only sits behind a closed door in her office and checks things on her own, then she will be unaware of the issues arising in the organization and there will be a communication gap between the clinical and administration departments. This policy not only helps in terms of communication but also benefits the entire organisation in terms of better coordination, cooperation and output (Goessl). Fostering a team environment is another way in which communication may be improved. Under the aegis of this type of policy, the practice manager should consider herself to be a part of the entire team including both clinical and administrative departments. She should consider both departments to constitute a single unity. When she plays an active part in the daily activities of the practice and maintains a devoted interest in the daily work of her employees, the staff within the practice will feel more comfortable about approaching their manager. Also, the manager is able to diagnose the precise problem arising between them while they are working and to offer an effective solution. This will contribute to the building of an efficient team environment and will constitute an ideal atmosphere in which to work (Goessl). Another important way in which the manager can improve communication within a practice is by establishing regular staff meetings. These kinds of meeting will be held so that the staffs are able to share their thoughts and ideas. Additionally, they will create an opportunity in which everyone can raise their individual concerns. When the staffs see that they have a common platform on which to share their views, communication levels with inevitably be strengthened. There is yet another way in which the manager can increase communication. Involvement of a third party means that a neutral party may be able to offer an effective solution. Sometimes the staff of an organisation cannot speak out about a particular problem because of the fear of losing the good will of the management. If a member of staff makes a complaint concerning a particular grievance against someone else, misunderstandings may arise. In cases such as these, the involvement of a neutral party can be helpful because the team can point out the root of the problem without any kind of fear. So it is the responsibility of the practice manager to involve a neutral party, who is able to mediate with her concerning problems related to failed communication between clinical and administrative staff, for instance (Goessl). In addition, the practice manager must take responsibility so as to motivate her staff so as to establish an effective system of communication. This type of environment stimulates excitement and enthusiasm among the staff, and leads to the creation of proper communication paths between the departments. When proper communication is maintained, the organisation is able to eliminate many stressful issues (Goessl). When the practice manager nurtures such an environment, which supports open and truthful communication, the whole organisation will benefit from it as well as its employees. The above section therefore summarizes the effectiveness of communication between the administration and the clinical department and its importance to the work of the practice manager of Ash Hall Surgery in implementing the vaccination process. Both the departments are indispensable with respect to the operations and implementations of clinical processes. The role of the practice manager becomes essential here in facilitating such efficient communication process. Second part of the work: Quality Outcome Framework (QOF) points for the annual flu vaccination are not being met. Less than 40% of eligible patients are taking up offer of vaccination. The partners at Ash Hall Surgery have asked the practice manager to devise a plan to promote the winter 2012 flu vaccination programme that commences on 15 October 2012. This essay discusses the aims and objectives of a winter 2012 flu vaccination camp, which will be organised by Ash Hall Surgery. It also deals with how the practice manager planned for this campaign and the challenges that the practice manager will face while making preparations. Influenza, known more commonly as ‘flu’, is a highly infectious disease. It is caused by a virus, which can affect people of all ages. The flu normally results from infections caused by viruses in the respiratory tracts, which might be categorised as A, B and C. In many cases, the victims might recover in a couple of weeks but at times they tend to develop certain clinical complications which might cause life hazards such as pneumonia. This is especially the case with people aged over 65 years as well as people who have serious medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Annual influence vaccination can prevent this problem to a great extent (Definition of Flu). ‘Flu’ occurs mostly in the winter time. In order to protect their patients from ‘flu’, many health organisations arrange an annual vaccination campaign. Ash Hall Surgery is one of these. This practice is planning for their campaign which will be launched on 15th of October, 2012, which is an appropriate time for a vaccination campaign because, after that, the winter sets in bringing with it potential annual ‘flu’ epidemics. Ash Hall Surgery is aiming to increase awareness of the importance and benefits of a vaccination against ‘flu’. Last year less than 40 percent of the potential patients have availed the offer of vaccination against influenza. This is particularly the case with people who are aged over 65 years and those who are at risk owing to a particular medical condition, examples of which include diabetes and heart disease. Another aim of the surgery is to raise awareness as to who is entitled to receive the vaccination and this is free for people above 65 years of age. Additionally, the practice wants to include the highest number of people from the groups which they have targeted for inclusion in the vaccination programme (Health Promotion Agency). This is important for the hospital and therefore for the reputation of the practice manager because the Quality and Outcomes Framework (the yearly compensation and inducement framework) projects a GP contract which was initiated in 2004 in England as a voluntary process. This programme evaluates how well the chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes is tackled and how the practice is managed within an institution. The experience of the patients during surgeries and the extent of extra services other than surgeries also determine the evaluation (The Quality and Outcomes Framework). The practice manger, who is a member of the top management of the Ash Hall Surgery, has a lot of responsibility in terms of the correct planning of the campaign. Indeed, in order to carry out the campaign effectively, the manager must follow a number of steps. First of all, the practice manager has to find out the area of the population which will be targeted for inclusion in the vaccination campaign. As patients must be made aware of its importance, Ash Hall Surgery must organise publicity regarding this campaign, partly through the distribution of pamphlets and, partly, by sending messages to their patients via telephone, e-mail etc. In addition, after that, the clinical sites must be identified. These sites should be prioritised by availability of area, location points and patient accessibility. The next step the manager must take is to estimate the size and type of the target population who will visit the campaign site and, if Ash Hall Surgery is intending to plan for the campaign over a number of sites, then they should consider each and every site according to their target population. Also, so that the manager is able to plan everything effectively, she will need to involve a large number of staff while planning this programme. If the practice manager thinks that the existing staff are not capable of handling the targeted number of patients, she will need to hire extra staff for the campaign, for example agency staff employed on a temporary basis or staff from voluntary organisations. In order to achieve this particular step, an efficient staffing plan will be required, which includes the identification of the voluntary sources. This particular aspect of the programme will involve contracts with outside personnel, agencies or community vaccinators in order to provide sufficient staffing levels. Lastly, the practice manager, in conjunction with permanent members of her staff, will need to teach the temporary health-care workers the vaccination process, so that, if need be, they can carry out the vaccinations as well (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention). There will be problems for the practice manager while planning the campaign and steps must be taken to overcome them. There are various difficulties involved in terms of staffing, the segregation of different areas within the campaign for different functions etc. For example, the first problem to be overcome is the ignorance of patients regarding the necessity of the vaccination programme. Most people are, in fact, not aware of the importance of this kind of programme. Owing to an apparent lack of available of time because of demanding work loads, people remain oblivious to the fact that it is extremely important. Indeed, many people believe that they have a lot of other essential commitments to which they give priority instead of participating in the vaccination programme. This being the case, the practice manager and her team must promote the campaign in such a way that it will catch the attention of the target populations, namely the elderly and those with other impairments to their state of health, such as those with diabetes and heart disease. Reaching the potential patients might be conducted via the websites, distribution of informative leaflets, and hiring a survey team to get hold of the list of potential patients for such vaccination. The health department must, therefore, take steps to convey in detail the potentially damaging effects of the flu, should these target populations become ill with the virus, emphasising that their patients will have immunity to this type of sickness if they receive the vaccination. The next problem is to decide the area where the campaign will be held. If the practice manager of Ash Hall Surgery chooses an inaccessible location, then the programme will fail to attract the requisite numbers required to fulfil the Quality Outcome Framework requirements. The opinion of the majority of patients is, therefore, essential because, if the population is large and the area of the campaign is small, then the management of the practice will face many difficulties while accommodating and managing the numbers of patients. The practice manager must therefore estimate the number of people interested in participating in the campaign. As we have already said, staffing can constitute a major problem during this type of campaign owing to potential patient numbers, and its correct handling is one of the chief responsibilities of the practice manger. Extra staff must be recruited from personnel agencies or from voluntary committees and, in addition to training the existing staff, the new staff must also be trained so as to ensure the success of the campaign. These lessons will consist in patient care before the necessary vaccine is administered. Before vaccination, for instance, patients have to go through a number of medical check-ups, such as measuring the body temperature, the blood pressure, testing for allergy and weighing the patient etc. In order to accommodate all these elements, the practice manager must allocate particular rooms in such a way as to avoid confusion. People, who are seriously ill or at risk owing to a particular medical condition, will be allocated a more spacious room with various facilities including a bed and machines for monitoring their physical health. During the campaign, the organisation must also to concentrate on hygiene-related matters because good hygiene and cleanliness will give a good impression of the surgery among the visitors to it. In addition, in order to run a campaign such as this successfully, as well as making sure that an adequate number of staff is employed, the practice manager must know how to involve different staff in different ways. For instance, doctors will be involved in order to vaccinate the patients. Nurses are required to do the initial testing before the vaccination takes place and they may also help doctors at the time of patient vaccination. Then there are the health-care staffs like minor technicians and sometimes the customer care teams who are involved as helping hands to the doctors and nurses. They inform people where to go and what to do during the vaccination programme. The coordination between doctors, nurses, health-care staff and patients is the most important ingredient for a successful vaccination, or any sort of health-care campaign. Conclusion In conclusion, we should note that the productivity of a practice depends not only on communication within the set up but also on provision of appropriate and adequate staffs, training the employees effectively and allocating rooms and space for the campaign ot be implemented in practice. This new system can also be helpful for organising a vaccination campaign because it requires the participation of the employees at the surgery who will contribute a number of different new ideas. If clinical and administrative staff feels free to contribute positive ideas to the management or organisational activities, then they will feel an essential part of the organisation and give their best. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2009 H1N1 Vaccination Campaign Planning Checklist, June 23, 2102 from: http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/vaccination/statelocal/planning_checklist.htm Definition of Flu, Medicine Net, 2012, July 3, 2012 from: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3482 Goessl, Leigh, Improving communication between management and employees, 2009, June 23, 2102 from: http://www.helium.com/items/1037599-improving-communication-between-management-and-employees Health Promotion Agency, Public Health Agency: Promotion Details, June 23, 2102 from: http://www.healthpromotionagency.org.uk/Work/healthprotection/flu/campaign.htm Richards, Leigh, Communication Strategies in an Effective Organization, June 23, 2102 from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/communication-strategies-effective-organization-826.html Employee communication, CIPD, 2012, June 23, 2012 from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/employee-communication.aspx Open Door Policy for Business and Management, Human Resources, 2012, June 23, 2012 from: http://humanresources.about.com/od/opendoorpolicy/Open_Door_Policy_for_Business_and_Management.htm The Importance of workplace meetings, June 23, 2012 from: http://www.flexstudy.com/catalog/schpdf.cfm?coursenum=96026 The Quality and Outcomes Framework, NHS, 2012, July 3, 2012 from: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework Improper Staffing, 2011, June 23, 2012 from: http://www.freemannursingabuse.com/nursing-home/improper-staffing-at-nursing-homes-ca Scharfenberg, Donna, Six Ways to Create a Motivating Environment, 2009, June 23, 2012 from: http://servicestrategies.com/blog/six-ways-to-create-a-motivating-environment/ Read More

 

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