Journal of Public Policy and Administration

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Enhancing Team-Work and Supportive Working Environment of the Admission and Transfer Processes in Rural Mental Healthcare Services Using Lean Philosophy

Received: Mar. 18, 2019    Accepted: May 08, 2019    Published: Oct. 20, 2019
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Abstract

Aim: To improve team work through joint development of clinical processes between regional, rural community mental health teams and rural hospitals using Lean philosophy. Background: There was lack of clarity of the roles and responsibilities of staff in the admission of mental health consumers in rural hospitals and in their transfer to regional acute mental health inpatient unit. This resulted in cross departmental animosity in Central Queensland health services which further led to compromised provision of consumer care. The impetus of this paper; therefore, is to present the application of Lean to the admission process in rural mental healthcare services as well as transfer to the regional acute inpatient unit in order to enhance teamwork and supportive working environment to improve consumer outcomes. Methods: The study utilized a qualitative approach where an online survey monkey was used to capture an in-depth understanding of the perceptions and experiences of the hospital and mental health staff pre- and post-implementation of the new processes. Key results: The participants reported improved collaborative working among the staff which resulted in more effective care provision for mental health consumers. Conclusion: Lean philosophy was successfully applied in creating effective administrative and clinical processes in rural and remote mental health services. Joint development of procedures and processes enhanced adherence to standards, improved teamwork and, consequently, ameliorated consumer outcomes.

DOI 10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11
Published in Journal of Public Policy and Administration ( Volume 3, Issue 3, September 2019 )
Page(s) 61-75
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Lean, Hospital Admissions, Teamwork, Service Capability Framework, Patient Transfer

References
[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2018). Mental health services in Australia 2007–08. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra
[2] Graban, M. (2009). Lean hospitals. New York, NY: Productivity Press.
[3] Liker J. (2004) The Toyota Way - 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
[4] Womack, J. and Jones, D. (2003). Lean Thinking: Banishing waste and create wealth in your corporation. New York: Free Press.
[5] Brandao de Souza, L, & Pidd, L. (2008). Exploring the barriers to Lean Healthcare Leadership in Health Services, 22 (2), 121–139.
[6] Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2). pp. 77-101. ISSN1478-0887
[7] Maxwell, J. A. (2008). Designing a qualitative study. In D. J. Rog & L. Bickman (Eds.), The handbook of applied social research methods (2 ed.) Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
[8] Yin, R. K. (2008). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
[9] Tharenou, P, Donohue, R, and Cooper, B. (2007). Management Research Methods. New York: Cambridge University Press
[10] Boyatzis RE (1998) Transforming Qualitative Information. Sage: Cleveland
[11] Taiichi Ohno, (1988) The Toyota Production System – Beyond large scale production, Portland: Productivity Press.
[12] Black J, Miller D. (2008) The Toyota Way to Healthcare Excellence: Increase Efficiency and Improve Quality with Lean. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press; 2008.
[13] Graban M. (2012) Lean hospitals: Improving quality, patient safety, and employee engagement. 2nd. New York: Productivity Press/Taylor & Francis; 2012
[14] Martin, B. O, Kolomitro, K, & Lam, T. (2014). Training methods: A review and analysis. Human Resource Development Review, 13, 11-15.
[15] Hummel, J. J. (2016). Impact of a process improvement program on healthcare staff: A qualitative case study (Doctoral dissertation). Available from Proquest Dissertations and Theses.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Brian Mayahle, Stephen Parnell, Rob Rolls, Anthony Welch, Jennifer Barr, et al. (2019). Enhancing Team-Work and Supportive Working Environment of the Admission and Transfer Processes in Rural Mental Healthcare Services Using Lean Philosophy. Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 3(3), 61-75. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11

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    ACS Style

    Brian Mayahle; Stephen Parnell; Rob Rolls; Anthony Welch; Jennifer Barr, et al. Enhancing Team-Work and Supportive Working Environment of the Admission and Transfer Processes in Rural Mental Healthcare Services Using Lean Philosophy. J. Public Policy Adm. 2019, 3(3), 61-75. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11

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    AMA Style

    Brian Mayahle, Stephen Parnell, Rob Rolls, Anthony Welch, Jennifer Barr, et al. Enhancing Team-Work and Supportive Working Environment of the Admission and Transfer Processes in Rural Mental Healthcare Services Using Lean Philosophy. J Public Policy Adm. 2019;3(3):61-75. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11,
      author = {Brian Mayahle and Stephen Parnell and Rob Rolls and Anthony Welch and Jennifer Barr and Fumiso Muyambo},
      title = {Enhancing Team-Work and Supportive Working Environment of the Admission and Transfer Processes in Rural Mental Healthcare Services Using Lean Philosophy},
      journal = {Journal of Public Policy and Administration},
      volume = {3},
      number = {3},
      pages = {61-75},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jppa.20190303.11},
      abstract = {Aim: To improve team work through joint development of clinical processes between regional, rural community mental health teams and rural hospitals using Lean philosophy. Background: There was lack of clarity of the roles and responsibilities of staff in the admission of mental health consumers in rural hospitals and in their transfer to regional acute mental health inpatient unit. This resulted in cross departmental animosity in Central Queensland health services which further led to compromised provision of consumer care. The impetus of this paper; therefore, is to present the application of Lean to the admission process in rural mental healthcare services as well as transfer to the regional acute inpatient unit in order to enhance teamwork and supportive working environment to improve consumer outcomes. Methods: The study utilized a qualitative approach where an online survey monkey was used to capture an in-depth understanding of the perceptions and experiences of the hospital and mental health staff pre- and post-implementation of the new processes. Key results: The participants reported improved collaborative working among the staff which resulted in more effective care provision for mental health consumers. Conclusion: Lean philosophy was successfully applied in creating effective administrative and clinical processes in rural and remote mental health services. Joint development of procedures and processes enhanced adherence to standards, improved teamwork and, consequently, ameliorated consumer outcomes.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    AU  - Brian Mayahle
    AU  - Stephen Parnell
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    AU  - Jennifer Barr
    AU  - Fumiso Muyambo
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    T2  - Journal of Public Policy and Administration
    JF  - Journal of Public Policy and Administration
    JO  - Journal of Public Policy and Administration
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20190303.11
    AB  - Aim: To improve team work through joint development of clinical processes between regional, rural community mental health teams and rural hospitals using Lean philosophy. Background: There was lack of clarity of the roles and responsibilities of staff in the admission of mental health consumers in rural hospitals and in their transfer to regional acute mental health inpatient unit. This resulted in cross departmental animosity in Central Queensland health services which further led to compromised provision of consumer care. The impetus of this paper; therefore, is to present the application of Lean to the admission process in rural mental healthcare services as well as transfer to the regional acute inpatient unit in order to enhance teamwork and supportive working environment to improve consumer outcomes. Methods: The study utilized a qualitative approach where an online survey monkey was used to capture an in-depth understanding of the perceptions and experiences of the hospital and mental health staff pre- and post-implementation of the new processes. Key results: The participants reported improved collaborative working among the staff which resulted in more effective care provision for mental health consumers. Conclusion: Lean philosophy was successfully applied in creating effective administrative and clinical processes in rural and remote mental health services. Joint development of procedures and processes enhanced adherence to standards, improved teamwork and, consequently, ameliorated consumer outcomes.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 3
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Author Information
  • Rural and Indigenous Mental Health Services, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services, Queensland, Australia

  • Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services, Queensland, Australia

  • Central Queensland University, Mental Health Discipline Head, Queensland, Australia

  • Central Queensland University, Deputy Dean of Research, Queensland, Australia

  • Central Queensland University, Deputy Dean of Research, Queensland, Australia

  • Disaster Management Training and Education Centre (Dimtec), University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

  • Section