Every day in our hospital, staff undertake complicated tasks to provide patient care. Our quality and patient safety programme provides staff training to ensure that all the steps in the various processes across the organisation link up to provide high quality effective care to our patients.
We are passionate about continuously improving the care we provide. Our journey started in 2002 when we introduced the Six Sigma methodology. At that time we were the only hospital in Ireland using this method to reduce variation in the way we provided care across the hospital. In 2008, we also added the Lean tools and philosophy to reduce waste. The combined Lean Six Sigma approach has been used since then to ensure we provide more reliable systems of providing care to our patients. We have achieved national recognition for the improvements we have made but recognise there is still a lot more to do.
In TUH, there is a culture of learning and innovation. Our department has a number of Quality training programmes to build quality capacity among front line and senior staff, both clinical and non-clinical. These include Process Mapping, Meeting Facilitation Skills, and Change Management Workshops. Our core training takes place in Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training which is data driven and evidence based. Teams agree an area that they want to improve, a project lead attends training and with their team, they complete the project within 120 days. Coaching sessions are provided to assist each project lead in completing their project. A central repository of improvements is maintained and available to all staff. Below is the cycle we follow for each project.
So how can you help us or get involved?
- One of the ways to assess our quality service is to ask patients about their experience. Patient Satisfaction Surveys provide us with the information we needs to improve the care provided. We also need to know when things go wrong. We value your contribution.
- We use co-design/co-delivery as a means by which patients can get actively involved in projects providing their experience and perceptions of the care provided and improvement suggestions. All Lean Six Sigma projects start by collecting the “Voice of the Customer” and translating that from “Critical to Quality”.
- When you feeling better you might like to be a patient representation on one of our committees.
Contact Us:
Mary Hickey, Quality Improvement Lead telephone (01) 414 2854
Sinead Palmer, Clinical Audit Manager (01) 414 2855
Marie Petiet, Quality & Safety Manager (01) 414 3372
Averil Larke, Senior Policy Officer (01) 414 4807
