Virtual College’s Lean Healthcare Awards recognise efficiency and improvements in patient experience.

Representatives from NHS hospital trusts and private healthcare organisations gathered at the Marriott Hotel in Leeds on Thursday 6th February for the Annual Lean Healthcare Conference and Awards.Providing a platform for healthcare organisations to celebrate and share best practice, the conference and awards is the only event of its kind in the country dedicated to Lean working methodologies in healthcare.The Lean philosophy, traditionally associated with Japanese car manufacturing, has evolved from a tool designed to improve operational shop-floor performance. Now, a growing number of forward thinking hospitals, community health services, back office workers and senior healthcare executives are increasingly applying Lean, waste reduction techniques and continuous improvement in their everyday work.Over 100 entries from healthcare organisations went through the independent judging process, which saw a total of twenty four short-listed healthcare organisations exhibiting and presenting their Lean projects in a series of workshops throughout the day.Lean Healthcare AwardsJudith Clarkson, Director of the Health and Social Care Division of Virtual College said: "The quality of submissions we saw this year is a great demonstration of the commitment and passion in healthcare, despite a difficult year. All projects have made a positive impact on patient experience."Ashford and St. Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust, winners of The Productive Series Award,, focused strongly on ward processes. The project resulted in 11 minutes more in every hour for nurses to spend directly caring for their patients, representing an average increase in direct patient care time by 18%. Other side-effects have been increased staff satisfaction leading to improved patient experience, the key driver for change in Francis’ Recommendations.Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, (CMFT) winners of Improving Services through Training and Development created a bespoke online training programme for international doctors recruited to the UK, providing information and knowledge on social, ethical, legal, professional and patient safety aspects of patient care and clinical practice in the UK before any new international doctor joins the trust. 95% of doctors found the training useful in enhancing the patient care they provide. The online training also proved to be an efficient way of delivering training, again, releasing more time for patient care.The event closed with an awards dinner speech from Nick Rich, Professor of Operation Management at Swansea University, who spoke passionately about high performance Lean operations and how they enhance patient safety. The Lean Healthcare Academy runs free quarterly Lean Healthcare sharing forums. For more information visit the Lean Healthcare Academy website. www.leanhealthcareacademy.co.ukWinners of the 2014 Lean Healthcare Awards Best Impact on Patient Experience: Midland’s Psychology Community Interest CompanyTransformation of a Clinical Service to Children with Autism through Whole Service RedesignSustained Improvement: South Tees Hospital’s NHS Foundation TrustCreating the Perfect Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Patient PathwayLean Champion of the Year: Heart of England mental Health Research NetworkCarly CooperProductive Series Award – England: Ashford and St. Peter’s NHS Foundation TrustA Trust-Wide Approach to Releasing Time to CareProductive Series International: Sligo Regional Hospitals GroupRoom to Care: A Productive Ward ProjectEmbracing Technology: South Tyneside NHS Foundation TrustElectronic Referral and Caseload Scheduling for District NursingSharing Best Practice: North Tyneside Clinical Commissioning GroupLean Training in GP PracticesImproving Service through Training and Development: Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustCMFT International Programme: An Innovative Training & Support Programme for Internationally Qualified DoctorsPeople’s Choice. Voted on by all delegates during the days’ conference: South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustDischarge Improvement Workshops