NHS Dumfries and Galloway case study: balancing capacity with demand

Engaging Staff

The Project Manager, Patsy Pattie and Senior Charge Nurse, Vicki Nicoll met in August to discuss the plan for Daily Dynamic Discharge. Subsequently, all staff were invited to a meeting, as Vicki explained:

"Staff were invited to share their frustrations and challenges around admissions and discharges and to provide feedback on the Daily Dynamic Discharge plan. They spoke about high levels of admissions and discharges late in the day and on Fridays. We showed them the data confirming this. There was recognition that there was work to be done which brought the multidisciplinary team together with a shared sense of purpose."

Staff who were unable to attend the initial meeting were given the opportunity to share their views so that everyone felt included. There was a degree of resistance and scepticism from some staff who believed the new approach would increase their workload. The team met with these people individually and invited them to give the process four weeks, after which it would be evaluated to see if it had made a difference. Everyone agreed with this approach.