There are many occasions when I observe teams that are dysfunctional and not producing the results anticipated. So it was a delight to have experienced first hand a team that through great management, understanding of what needed to be done and an ability, of the whole team, to explain to outsiders what was happening.

A Great Team
Not for the first time (Two years ago I dislocated my shoulder) I find myself in complete admiration for the doctors, nurses and assistants in the UK’s National Health Service. Last week my Mother suffered a heart attack and had to be rushed into hospital. For relatives under such circumstances it’s a frightening time for the patient and an anxious time for relatives.

From the motorbike paramedic to arrive first, to the ambulance crew, A&E staff and cardiac recovery team at the Royal Glamorgan Hosptal everyone worked in calm, professional and well rehearsed precision. As a result my Mother is still poorly but out of danger.

Business could profit from studying the technique
Business could profit from taking lessons in the training, management and delivery of the service that our professional medical teams deliver to their customers.
So it’s a Thank You from me 

The report showing serious concerns raised by the NHS care regulator about the way some hospitals in England look after elderly patients highlights a problem in the management of health care for the elderly. But is this a general problem of management in the UK?

The Care Quality Commission said three had failed to meet
legal standards for giving patients enough food and drink and treating
them in a dignified way. Not surprising then that people are puffing out their cheeks and saying that it’s disgusting and that things must change.

Rules, rules  and Regulations
The problem is, how? The UK and much of Europe is weighed down and being murdered with regulations on this and directives on that. Indeed one of the explanations we all understand for people prevented from doing something quickly is “Health and Safety mate”. We shrug our shoulders and accept the inconvenience.

This was demonstrated to me twice yesterday when, funnily enough, I was visiting a hospital to talk to some executives and offered a cup of tea. I picked up the pot from the counter to pour the cup for myself to be told that I had to allow my host to pour it in case I spilt hot water over myself, “Health and Safety”. After being handed the cup of hot liquid to hold I marvelled that I was allowed to drink the dangerous liquid on my own!

The second situation I came across was the location of a lead free electric kettle. “Which shouldn’t be too close a sink in case the water from the sink caused an electric shock”. Again Health and Safety was quoted!

Statistics before customers
I agree that business needs to record information, particularly for those in hospital that will aid recovery but this shouldn’t be at the expense of providing the service that the customer or patient expects? Would it not be possible to design a system that allowed nurses more time to administer care as opposed to filling out forms?

But hospitals aren’t the only area where this question could be applicable. Too often in business we record statistics, create and follow procedures and are constrained from giving a good service because the rules don’t allow the time to allocate towards giving the customer what the customer wants.

Sign above the door
It reminds me of the time when a company wanted to increase customer handling and I asked a Director about the policy for making customers feel welcome. The answer was, “We have a sign above the door “Welcome to the store” and every receipt has “Thank You” printed on it”.