Thought leadership and case studies

NHS Bedfordshire, Reducing ‘did not attend’ (DNA) rates by 32%

BDO and Influence at Work were engaged by NHS Bedfordshire to use social influence techniques to reduce DNAs across two GP surgeries.

By implementing two small changes which made patients more involved in the appointment making process, the number of wasted appointments reduced by 18%. The changes were to ask the patient to note down the details of their next appointment themselves and in the case of telephone bookings, ask the patient to repeat back their next appointment.

In addition, when the practices involved advertised the number of people who do attend their appointments on time, DNA’s reduced even further to 32% in one surgery.

NHS Acute Trust,  Organisational Transformation

BDO and FranklinCovey were commissioned by the Trust to improve the performance of two divisions by strengthening clinical engagement and developing the skills and behaviours required by staff to deliver transformational change that would ensure the long-term viability of the Trust.

Our approach to this project included a number of interventions including:

• One-on-one meetings with senior staff to develop a shared understanding of the Trust’s history, past change initiatives and to prepare a bespoke project plan
• Drop-in sessions on wards to understand the current culture, generate awareness and harness front-line staff’s ideas and enthusiasm
• Strategic workshops and focus groups with managerial and clinical staff to develop an envisioned future state and specific action plan and to build commitment and accountability to the process
• Leadership and Speed of Trust training for senior staff
• Change management training  for front-line staff and project managers.

The client commented that the project has improved relationships, morale and collaboration between clinical, nursing and managerial staff and across the divisions. This has led to tangible cost savings as a result of streamlined processes, reduced bureaucracy, increased speed of decision making and a willingness to share learning across divisions. Over 200 new opportunities were identified and improvement plans worth £6m created.

CCGs and EU procurement law

BDO has been at the forefront of discussions about the impact of EU procurement law on clinical commissioning groups with a paper published in the BMJ which sparked wide-ranging interest and debate in the media, political circles and among eminent healthcare professionals. Click here to view the paper.