Releasing Time to Care (Lean Nursing) in New Zealand

Here is a nice little (under 2 minutes) news video from New Zealand talking about one hospital (in Auckland) and their implementation of the “Releasing Time to Care” program that was started in the British NHS. Other hospitals across New Zealand are doing this too, apparently

The story talks about how nurses were spending on 33% of their time with patients at the bedside. It’s such a systemic problem – the interruptions and waste – that the number is almost always between 30 and 33% in studies done around the world.

But it’s possible to double time at the bedside with this Lean-based program.

The story, “Nurses back by the bedside” highlights getting staff involved in identifying waste and improving processes. Before, patients were sometimes afraid to call the nurse because they saw the nurses were so busy. That changes with RTtC.

“The nurses appear happier and the ward seems less rushed and the patients feel like they’re getting better care,” says one nurse. One hospital also reports a 10% shorter length of stay, as a result.

Watch the video by clicking on the photo below:

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.