Making Waves October 07 - James Paget University Hospitals

O/A’s!
The Outpatient Assistants role was originally set up a few years
back in Medicine. The role consists of healthcare assistant and
administration duties. These team members undertake all the
responsibilities usually expected in terms of clinic support but
the multi skilling element provides greater flexibility and
enhances the way we deliver care, especially in the face of
staffing pressures caused by sickness or annual leave.
This role does not replace the need for trained nurses in
Outpatients but it does result in a shift to what we call our hub
and spoke approach, that is our trained nurses are free to
provide support suitable to their skills and to supervise the clinics
whilst our O/A team provide the important role of supporting
patients and consultants through the consultation and booking
process.
Whilst this sounds ideal I would emphasise that from the
lessons we have learnt from the past this is not an “overnight”
transformation, and special care has to be taken to ensure
training and support are maintained for our team. In order to
ensure this if offered our O/A’s have their own training and
education programme which has been led by nurse managers
Teresa Norton and Penny Cox. Particular thanks however need
to go to Ophthalmology Nurse Practitioner Bev Sharpe-Brash
who has driven the training forward and now regularly
organises training sessions delivered by specialist nurses from a
wide range of specialties. I’m really grateful for the work they’ve
done on this with support from the Nurse education
Department and our specialist nurse team.
New lead nurse roles
As part of the reorganisation we’ve also achieved the
development of two lead nurse jobs within Ophthalmology (Bev
again!) and the Colposcopy Nurse Practitioner in Gynaecology,
Lesley Crisp. These new roles that have been in post six months
now and form an important role in our strategy to develop
nurse led clinics with a particular focus on reducing Consultant
follow ups where appropriate.
Changing the way we work….
A number of the Outpatient specialties have been involved with
team sessions to map their work and to highlight some of the
constraints (and irritations they experience!) which are inevitably
faced across the service e.g. continuity of skill mix,
accommodation pressures, improving communication with the
wider organisation etc. We have tried to identify different way
of working and introduce support roles to help in these areas
where needed.
So what’s ahead?
The next phase is the refurbishment of main reception. You will
see a lot more of our Outpatient Assistant team over the coming
months working in this area. They wear a white uniform, and
they will be meeting and greeting patients, booking
appointments, dealing with enquiries, and providing a speedier
validation system for car parking for our disabled patients.
Although we are not investing any additional resource into
our staffing at the current time we have been able to identify
more innovative pathways in some areas. To support these
improvements we have recruited a small cohort of trained
nurses, mainly newly qualified staff to help us take forward our
www.jpaget.nhs.uk
plans by providing continuity to the clinics. In addition we
recognise that there is a need to support the Outpatient training
process for the next 12 months, and with this in mind, new O/A’s
will be recruited in the near future.
Breaking the boundaries…
Again following the theme of integrated working, health
records are now part of our service and we’re collaborating with
them on new roles that provide outpatient administrative
support for both health records and outpatients. This gives the
team in health records exposure to the frontline delivery of
outpatient services, and conversely, the staff in clinics learn
about what goes on behind the scenes. We’re only just starting
this, but I’m confident this will be an effective way of
developing staff and ultimately providing a better service.
So over the next sixth months, it’s a period of consolidation.
At the end of this time, we’ll have 20 new Outpatients
Assistants, fully conversant with their role and working flexibly.
Our structure will be fully in place and we’ll be providing a
much improved service to consultants and their secretaries.
Thank you!
❝ I want to thank everyone in the team – we’ve
achieved a waiting time of just 9 weeks for all new
outpatient referrals at the end of June. This was
with a momentous effort from all staff and it’s a
fantastic achievement. ❞
The team are extremely supportive of each other in focussing
on improving our wait times against all odds! Thank you finally
to all the associated specialties and departments who have been
patient during these changes.
A few quotes from our O/A team
‘The last 8 weeks have been really hectic! Having been used to just
doing the nursing side in our clinics we didn’t have a clue where to start
when we were put on the reception desk but I think it was the best
way for us to learn now.
I’ve really enjoyed learning all the new work on the computer and
what is involved when a patient arrives at the clinic reception desk.
What I like about the new role is that it is very varied and interesting
to see how other Outpatient areas work, plus it has given me a better
understanding of the type of patients illnesses are treated and all the
clerical work that goes on before each day’s clinic’.
Beverly Tindall – Outpatient Assistant
‘When I was first approached about the O/A role I was more than a little
apprehensive. I had been an HCA for more than 15 years in the
Orthopaedic OPD and enjoyed my job. I had not considered trying
anything new.
Once I started my reception training I began to enjoy the challenge
of learning something new. I did find it mentally exhausting but also felt
a sense of achievement when I first made an appointment or booked
transport for a patient without having to ask for help! It has been really
interesting learning what goes on in other outpatient areas. The people
that I have met have been friendly and helpful and have shown
exceptional patience with me! All in all it has been a good experience’.
Bridget Pratt – Outpatient Assistant
October 2007 Making Waves 9