Capacity at a Glance – A Variance Response Management tool for Allied Health
Leanne Browne1, Becca Hammond11Te Whatu Ora Waitematā
Abstract
Variance response management is about developing a set of tools and processes to assist healthcare organisations to identify and fluidly respond to changes in capacity and demand, both in the moment and over time. The Aotearoa New Zealand Care Capacity Demand Management (CCDM) programme recognises that “determining the capacity required to meet service demand is a core feature of an allied health staffing model and is fundamental to the attainment of clinical outcomes and staff wellbeing”.
In 2021 Te Whatu Ora Waitematā set out to improve their allied health Capacity at a Glance (CaaG) screen and variance indicator tools across their inpatient wards. The quality improvement project took place in three stages. The first was the development of a new interactive and intuitive digital tool to improve the way capacity was measured. The second was to add demand measures to the tool (which historically had not been recorded). The third stage was to develop engaging and accessible reporting tools of the data over time. End users were engaged with every aspect of development, testing and implementation at all three stages.
The successful implementation has enabled consistency in the way allied health measure capacity and demand across the teams and services Staff report that the tools are more accurate and provide granularity that was previously unavailable. The allied health CaaG is viewed and discussed daily at the ‘hospital operations huddle’ where senior leaders can quickly access high risk areas and drill down for meaningful data on the drivers and response management plan. Teams and services are able to use the retrospective data to provide in-depth analysis and inform future service development and staffing needs.
Acknowledgements to Becca Hammond, Clinical Lead for the project and to the national Safe Staffing Healthy Workforce Unit for their support
Biography
As an allied health quality improvement leader at Te Whatu Ora Waitematā, Leanne is committed to excellence and quality in healthcare for all. Leanne leads a variety of projects that focus on improving health outcomes for our communities, increasing efficiency and effectiveness and improving the patient and healthcare workforce experience. Leanne has a background in management, leadership and clinical practice, always promoting safe, ethical and equitable care. As a trained coach and professional supervisor, Leanne strives to facilitate an organisational learning environment that supports professional and personal growth.