InTouchNow’s Post

Managing the morning rush is a key element of our daily discussions with practices on how to improve access and the overall patient experience. To help, we have put some key takeaways together to give guidance on what can be done. Reach out if you want to explore how we can help improve the reception operations of your surgery. #nhs #gppractices #morningrush #improvingaccess #patientexperience

"I CAN'T HANDLE THIS!" Ever felt like shouting that out loud? 😅 Don't worry, you're not the only one. I've been there too. One of the toughest aspects of being a med SLP is figuring out how to handle your crazy busy workload. And let's face it, mastering it overnight is just not realistic. It takes years of practice and learning from slip-ups to find your groove. Want to know what I think is ESSENTIAL for helping you manage all your responsibilities? ➡️ Your facilities triage system A well-thought-out triage not only ensures everyone's on the same page but also guarantees patients get the attention they need promptly, making your workload more manageable. If you're frustrated because your workplace lacks a proper triage setup, it's worth discussing with your management. Here are some suggestions you could make: ✨Require team members to discuss priority cases with the department head every morning to schedule their day most effectively. ✨Begin with clinical swallowing evaluations, focusing on patients pending discharge.  This ensures they receive necessary follow-up recommendations before leaving. ✨Schedule instrumental swallow assessments, whether it requires coordination with Radiology for video fluoroscopy or arranging FEES. ✨Move on to other communication or cognitive evaluations, prioritizing those without a current mode of communication and those nearing discharge. With a structured approach like this, you'll feel less overwhelmed and better equipped to handle your workload while ensuring your patients receive timely care. How's the triage system at your facility? #triage #medslp #slp #slpcare

That's our fourth and final day of Plus Size Patient Manual Handling CPDs delivered to the staff at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust as part of their Five Mobility equipment hire contract. It's been an absolute privilege and pleasure to work with such a passionate group of people. "Best training I've been on" was just one of the many positive comments we received 🥰 The day kicked off with a theoretical session where we discussed: ➡️ How the trust defines a plus size patient ➡️ How language can impact care and the scale of this issue ➡️ Plus size patient handling and legislation ➡️ The 5 body shapes ➡️ How to use 5 manual handling questions to help plan care Then we got practical, where everyone got to use the core equipment to carry out turns, repositioning, transfers from bed to chair and rehabilitation. Complete with empathy suit to help the staff understand the challenges of caring for a patient of larger size better, we explored: ➡️ VersaTech 1100 Ultra Low Bed ➡️ Aura II Bariatric Turning Low Air Loss Mattress ➡️ Bariatric Rise & Recliner Chair ➡️ UltraTwin Gantry system with Lift Pants* and Barivest *Contrary to their name, Lift Pants are not used for lifting, but to aid rehab, acting as a support for service users who can sit to stand.

TLDR: Focus on doing what's necessary and avoid what's unnecessary. In any system, most elements aren't the main limitations. Ignoring these less important elements affects the main limitations, leading to overall poor performance. Remember, the idea that "more is better" applies only to the main limitations, not the others. For these less important elements, more isn't always better; there's a tipping point. Determining this tipping point isn't just about looking at the less important elements alone; it depends on how they interact with the main limitations. Interestingly, what stops people from doing what they should isn't just being busy, but also doing what they shouldn't. Consider hospitals: their bottleneck is often the operating room. Despite this, the room is idle 40% of the time, due to inefficiencies in patient scheduling. This shows that focusing on what's necessary and avoiding unnecessary tasks is key to improving performance.

Monday Motivation ✨ As we dive into a new week, let’s take a moment to reflect on the journey ahead. This powerful reminder resonates deeply with us at The Jayne Sproson Consultancy. In the hustle of daily practice, it’s crucial to pause, breathe, and reassess our direction. Right now, as many NHS Principal dentists consider the transition to private practice, it’s even more vital to take that moment. Converting to private practice isn’t just about the destination – it’s about understanding the journey and the purpose behind it. Our Discover, Develop, Deliver Programme offers the reassessment you need, which enables you to gain back control of where you are going. Ready to embark on this transformative journey with clarity and confidence? Want the confidence that you can replace your NHS contract income within the contract notice period of 12 weeks? Find out how with #TheJayneSprosonMethod Click the link in our bio to book your FREE initial consultation with Jayne, our expert consultant. Here’s to a week filled with purpose, clarity, and meaningful progress! #thejaynesprosonmethod #businesstransformation #nhsdentist #privatedentistry

Training Tuesday: I was in a Fire/EMS system for 5 years, on two Mountain Rescue Teams for 15, and was an inpatient Neurosurgery PA in a large trauma system for 10, so training is near and dear to my heart. I have been responsible for medical training for three large organizations and it's something that passes my mind, if not daily, at least weekly. Training is the foundation of any good rescue team, and for those who have been around for a while, you can tell very quickly when you are working with a team that trains regularly together versus one that does not. I was working on my Training Tuesday post when the news from Baltimore flashed across my feed. My hometown is Washington DC, I got my start in EMS there, and Baltimore is near and dear to my heart. I have friends still in the fire service, and have reached out to check in. At this point there is nothing to say about this incident other than I have everyone working this incident in my thoughts. However this brings up what I think is a topical point - there are some things you can never really train or prepare for, and this incident falls into the far bottom right corner of the risk assessment matrix. What you CAN do is train with your team, make sure your communication infrastructure and procedures are solid, and drill on the basics. The foundation of good ALS medicine is good BLS medicine, and the foundation of managing complex multi-factorial incidents is good basic rescue and scene management skills. Lets hope for a good outcome on this one... #TrainingTuesday #incidentmanagement #ICS #Trauma #Traumatraining #WildernessMedicine

Whenever I talk with employers and staff about #directprimarycare, there will always be questions about what a #dpc can do in their office. This is my favorite part of the conversation. ❓ Can a #dpc prescribe? Yes! ❓ Can a #dpc order labs and imaging? Yes, and with low, upfront pricing! ❓ Can my #dpc draw blood? Yes! ❓ Will my #dpc do urgent care? Yes! ❓ Can my #dpc help with lifestyle, diet, and sleep? Yes, and since they have 30-60 appointments, they have time to experiment, find creative solutions, listen and search for root causes. Every #directprimarycare office is different, but each can handle a surprisingly large percentage of medical needs. #dcp for the win!

Helpful and practical guidance for GP practices is set out by Dr Mounsey in this article (shared by Derek Palmer) #inquest #coroner #GP ⬇️⬇️

As a Locum GP 🩺, depending on how often you work at the same GP Practice, it's not uncommon for everyday to feel like your 'first day'👶🏽 So, what does the day in the life of a Locum GP look like?...well let's talk about it! For context, this is based on a morning session whereby I am contracted to work from 9am - 12pm. Be sure to keep those hours in mind because those are my 'working hours'⌚... ⏱️8:25 🚗Arrive at the GP practice ⏱️8:30 🔒I can't get into the practice because I don't have an ID card so, I have to go find security to let me in ⏱️8:40 🔑I introduce myself and ask a member of staff to log me onto the desktop as I don't have access ⏱️8:45 🦥The computer is so slow (too slow for me to efficiently do my job) so I ask to move room, and I'm logged in again, this time on a faster PC 🖥️Sadly this PC has only x1 screen - you'd be surprised how much productivity is increased with a second screen! Anyway, I'm not one to complain so let's crack on... ⏱️8:50 📱I realise Accurx is not installed, an SMS software that I feel is essential to doing my job, so I download and install the software myself ⏱️9:00 👨🏽⚕️Right let's start the clinic. An example of a morning list for me is x17 patient contacts and x1 10 minute slot for admin - yes you read right, I've got a 10 minute slot to do all my admin. ⏱️9:00 - 12:00 ☎️I manage my patients which are a combination of telephone calls and F2F assessments, covering anything and everything 🎧Today, I don't have a headset meaning I'm either jamming the phone under my chin and talking whilst typing or using loudspeaker 👟With no way to call in my F2F patients from the waiting room, I have to walk to the waiting room to get them, but I have no key card to get back into the clinic area so I use my problem-solving skills...a table to prop the door open so it doesn't lock me out! 🏃Also the corridor is so long so I definitely got my steps in for the day, but you'd be surprised how much time is spent going back and forth to the waiting room! 🔓Oh, and remember how I said somebody had to log me onto the desktop...well if I'm away from the screen for too long, I'll get locked out and will have to get logged back in. 🥤However, this isn't my first rodeo and so I use my water bottle (which has not yet had its first sip) to jam down the space bar on the keyboard so it thinks I'm still there...genius I know. ⏱️12:00 - 13:00 📩I am now past my contracted hours, but I have so much admin to do including referral letters and requesting tests. ⌨️Annoyingly, I don't have access to Microsoft Office so cannot complete any letter templates, meaning I have to type it in a task for somebody else to do, increasing their workload! Now every GP practice is different, but one thing that is consistently inconsistent is standardisation amongst practices and the adoption of tech to improve efficiency! Let me know how you think we can improve primary care and feel free to share your experiences!

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