NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde: getting it right one ward at a time

Getting It Right One Ward at a Time

In Summer 2015, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde ( NHSGGC) health board merged three ED departments and the inpatient services from five former sites into a new flagship hospital for Glasgow. The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is the largest acute hospital site in the UK, with 1500 beds, arranged across 40+ wards.

Bringing together staff from so many different hospitals, each with different cultures and different ways of working, proved to be a major challenge for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It has taken time for staff to adjust to new colleagues, a new environment and new ways of working.

The hospital adapted the Daily Dynamic Discharge model ^[1] from the Scottish Government's programme, 6 Essential Actions to Improve Unscheduled Care, rebranding it as Exemplar Ward. The aim was to improve patient flow and provide structure to the day-to-day ward routine. Rather than trying to introduce service improvements on all wards simultaneously, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital uses Exemplar Wards. Getting things right one ward at a time ensures the approach is cascaded to all of its wards in a measured and sustained way. This is their story…

The move to a brand new state-of-the-art hospital was an exciting opportunity for staff in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and a positive development for patients. But it was also hugely challenging, as Service Improvement Manager, Peter McInnes explained:

"It was necessary to allocate staff to wards to ensure an even mix of skills coming together from the original hospitals. At first it was difficult for them to establish a team ethos and develop leadership roles in a completely new setting. They were still being measured against all of the usual performance measures so it was important to establish the authority of Senior Charge Nurses as quickly as possible and to empower them to take charge of their wards and create a well-functioning and efficient environment. Pre-noon discharge was a key aim."

Ward 7B - Senior Charge Nurse Anne Green, Jackie Walker HCSW, Anman Mamhood Charge Nurse, Sehirish Rehman Pharmacist, Stephanie Greig Charge Nurse, Elise Inrig AHP, Anne Green Senior Charge Nurse, Evelyn Millar Consultant, Katherine Newton Deputy Charge Nurse, Mohammed Alahnie Junior House Officer, Anne Farrugia Senior House Officer and Josephine McLaughlin Ward Clerk.