Gavin Hookway

This book takes the reader through the process to plan, deliver, and follow-up a weeklong Lean Quality Improvement event, usually termed a ‘Rapid Improvement Event’ or ‘Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW).’ Drawing on the experience of conducting over 100 of these workshops, the book gives readers the information to plan and run their own event. It describes how RPIWs fit in to wider improvement processes and how the reader can maximize these processes in their own organization. These weeklong improvement events are popular in health and social care, but there are no textbooks available to support them. There are several books that describe the use of shorter Kaizen events in health care, but none that describe the process of delivering weeklong events. The events have a rhythm specific to the one-week format, and the book seeks to help people to make use of best practice and to avoid common problems. Based on the experiences of the authors, this book includes an introduction to Lean concepts linked to the relevant part of the process description; examples and templates of forms that can be used in workshops; and photographs of actual events.

This book takes the reader through the process to plan, deliver, and follow-up a weeklong Lean Quality Improvement event, usually termed a ‘Rapid Improvement Event’ or ‘Rapid Process Improvement Workshop (RPIW).’ Drawing on the experience of conducting over 100 of these workshops, the book gives readers the information to plan and run their own event. It describes how RPIWs fit in to wider improvement processes and how the reader can maximize these processes in their own organization. These weeklong improvement events are popular in health and social care, but there are no textbooks available to support them. There are several books that describe the use of shorter Kaizen events in health care, but none that describe the process of delivering weeklong events. The events have a rhythm specific to the one-week format, and the book seeks to help people to make use of best practice and to avoid common problems. Based on the experiences of the authors, this book includes an introduction to Lean concepts linked to the relevant part of the process description; examples and templates of forms that can be used in workshops; and photographs of actual events.

Organizations around the world are using Lean to redesign care and improve processes in a way that achieves and sustains meaningful results for patients, staff, physicians, and health systems. This book systematically describes how NHS Highland uses Lean principles and mindsets to improve safety, quality, access, and morale while reducing costs, and increasing capacity. Existing books often describe the gains obtained by using Lean methods, but often do not describe the underlying concepts and methods in details. Other books describe continuous improvement work, or specific techniques such as daily management in detail. This book seeks to occupy a middle space by providing an overview of the range of Lean ideas applicable to healthcare with sufficient examples and cases studies from NHS Highland and partner organizations so readers can see them in use and practice.

Organizations around the world are using Lean to redesign care and improve processes in a way that achieves and sustains meaningful results for patients, staff, physicians, and health systems. This book systematically describes how NHS Highland uses Lean principles and mindsets to improve safety, quality, access, and morale while reducing costs, and increasing capacity. Existing books often describe the gains obtained by using Lean methods, but often do not describe the underlying concepts and methods in details. Other books describe continuous improvement work, or specific techniques such as daily management in detail. This book seeks to occupy a middle space by providing an overview of the range of Lean ideas applicable to healthcare with sufficient examples and cases studies from NHS Highland and partner organizations so readers can see them in use and practice.