A recent project led by Ward Sister, Sonia Couto, has improved efficiency and delivered significant cost savings for the Trust.
Sonia looked at why endoscopy evening clinics were finishing earlier than scheduled. Designed to run from 6pm to 9:30pm, many sessions were finishing early, leaving colleagues within the team underutilised, which impacted morale.
Sonia noticed a mismatch between patient and staffing levels, which meant the extra support from an external provider, originally brought in to help manage long waiting lists, was no longer needed. By ending the contract with the provider, UHL was able to make a significant cost savings while still maintaining appropriate staffing levels.
Sonia’s project also prompted a wider review of evening clinics. With new facilities opening at the Leicester General Hospital, daytime capacity is expected to meet patient needs, making evening sessions potentially unnecessary.
Sonia said: “I wish I had known about QI (Quality Improvement) sooner because we could have solved this problem earlier.”
Sonia’s work highlights the power of QI in making and shaping smarter, more sustainable healthcare services.
This project is part of myQI: your care – our campaign that shines a light on the everyday improvements our teams are making across UHL for the benefit of our patients.
The myQI campaign shares stories from our teams who have spotted opportunities to make things better and acted on them – bringing real benefits to patients, as well as the colleagues who care for them.