The Porters work often starts before and after any clinical intervention and requests for a Porter by Service Users on a Ward or Department were made verbally to the Facilities Supervisors over the 3 sites.
Challenges:
• The activity was not being captured so although the porters were very busy, and there was a feeling that there was a need for more porters, we did not have the evidence to support this none of this activity was recorded.
• Issues around expectations not being met
• Scarce porter resource was not being used to its full potential.
• Inequitable split of workload with no prioritisation or recording of activity data.
We knew it had to change and any new system had to be SMART:
• Specific about request
• Measurable so that we could demonstrate to the organisation the levels of activity
• Achievable expectations
• Relevant for the Patient and Service users
• Timely ….this is the dilemma of Efficient v Effective service delivery
We introduced an electronic system at a cost of £9k on an invest to save basis, which tagged onto the current Switchboard system, (Durapage) and centralised the allocating of the job requests to Porter allocators.
Initially Service Users telephone their requests to the allocator who logs it manually. A second allocator types it on to Durapage but the system ONLY allows us to do this when a porter becomes available. Whilst this met many of our needs, it involved lots of duplication from the telephone request of the users to logging the job with a porter on the computer.
The final phase was to move to a purpose designed system shaped where the service user can log their request directly onto the system using a simple pre-set drop down set of data, including collection and delivery points, specific requirements, i.e. bed, drip stand, any issues i.e. Dementia patient, Barrier PPE needs and see when the job has been allocated to a porter.
The system electronically links to the Porters mobile phone and they can advise ‘the system’ that they have arrived on the ward or department that they have started and completed the job allocated. They can also submit delays i.e. Patient not ready so everyone is informed of the progress of the journey.
Outcomes:
• Activity is accurately recorded
• Ward & department staff can see that their porter request has been logged and assigned, so are able to keep their team and patient involved in progress of their request
• Porters are able to respond in a timely manner, thus ensuring patients do not miss appointments, or get discharged appropriately
• Significant time saving on wards from telephoning and chasing progress of porters, as well as savings in the duplication of information.