Members of the Oxford Health NHS FT Productive Programmes Team recently hosted a visit to showcase and share local improvement work with overseas visitors from Ontario, Canada. Care teams across the organisation are introducing an exciting programme developed by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. Front line staff are supported to examine and reflect on the care they deliver to patients and introduce new and innovative procedures to maximise the time they can spend caring, while reducing unproductive background processes.

Crystal Houze, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive and Pat Pearce, Director of Knowledge and Innovation from the Chatham–Kent Health Alliance, Ontario, Canada, spent an afternoon with Maggie Morgan-Cooke, Head of International Relationships, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, frontline staff and members of the Trust Productive Programmes Team.

Staff from Didcot Community Hospital showcased their ‘Productive Ward’ sharing examples of the outcomes achieved from this powerful programme. Milly Candelent, Deputy Ward Manager and Programme Facilitator, commented that since introducing this programme the ward was calmer, tidier and patients reported improved satisfaction with care. Additional benefits included having protected time for patients to enjoy their meals without interruptions. Staff wanted to spend even more time with patients and this had been made possible by refining many of the ward processes and procedures to eliminate wasted time.

Edith Hipwell, District Nurse from Abingdon District Nursing Service, shared an in-house video demonstrating improvements made by the team to increase efficiency and free up more time for face-to-face patient care. By re-designing equipment used to support home visits the team has released further time for patient care. The visitors remarked on the professional appearance of the carry bags and appreciated how this would also free up space for staff in their car boots.

The visitors enjoyed learning about the positive changes being made by Oxford Health NHS FT, commenting that this was a “great initiative” with clear “benefits for patients”; they felt the staff should be “very proud of what they had achieved”.

Staff from OHFT welcome visitors from Canada.