Source:  Ledbury Reporter

WARD nurses and assistants at Bromyard Community Hospital will be able to spend more time directly aring for patients after a successful initiative.

The Releasing More Time to Care Programme, devised by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, has seen staff recording the work of nurses and assistants minute-by-minute over an entire shift.

This information was then analysed to identify where time can be saved through rearranging or changing systems, processes and the working environment.

At Bromyard Community Hospital, more than an hour and 22 minutes has been saved each day by reorganising filing systems, workstations and store cupboards to make essential, daily processes more efficient. The team believes that it can save more time by making other changes to their environment, which can then be spent with patients.

Richard Carroll, interim managing director of provider services, says: “I am delighted that even at a relatively early stage the benefits are already being demonstrated. Such is the success of this programme we are actively looking to see if we can roll it out to our community services.”