Case study: Mercia Healthcare The following scenario is fictitious…

Question Answered step-by-step Case study: Mercia Healthcare The following scenario is fictitious…    Case study: Mercia Healthcare   The following scenario is fictitious and any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.BackgroundWest Mercia hospital is a private hospital providing a broad range of healthcare services to the West Midlands. The hospital is able to provide 300 beds for inpatients (those patients who need to stay in hospital) as well as 20 beds for patients who require monitoring after a routine minor operation, but are likely to go home the same day. The hospital also deals with out-patients. These are patients who have had routine procedures that do not require monitoring or a prolonged stay, for example X-Rays and MRI scans and consultations.The hospital employs 200 staff. The employees at the hospital are categorised as either clinical or non-clinical. Clinical staff (of which there are 120) are mainly comprised of nurses, doctors, consultants and physiotherapists with a few other specialist clinical staff such as dieticians, speech therapists and radiographers.  All other staff are non-clinical. The hospital has recently been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and it has been identified that there are a number of failings by the hospital, particularly in the area of patient safety. A number of recommendations from the CQC report has led to a prompt response from the Chief Executive, Andrew Davis who is assembling a project team, with a clear focus to improve patient safety. Patient safety issues identified by CQCWhilst there were a number of issues identified in the CQC report, the CEO has decided that inpatient tracking should be a priority. The report stated:”There were a number of safety concerns identified throughout our inspection. There were a number of instances where patient information and details could not be readily accessed. In addition to this the whereabouts of patients, and their movement throughout the hospital system could not be seen. Patients undergoing multiple procedures, or who are being moved from one ward to another could not be easily found using the current IT systems employed by the hospital. There appears to be no ‘real-time data’ or efficient systems in place to monitor the movement of patients”.The report recommends that there is a complete overhaul of the current system, and that a new system be developed for the purpose of patient tracking. This system should provide ‘live, real-time data. Patient-tracking solutionsThe CEO and the senior management team have therefore decided to make a considerable investment in solving the problem. Initially the CEO Invited tenders from third party organisations that could potentially solve the problem. After a number of companies were short-listed, a product called PatTracker© created by Pilkington Healthcare Products was decided as the product the hospital would use. PatTracker© is patient wearable device (much like a Fitbit) that not only tracks patient location through GPS, but monitors the patients vital signs such as blood pressure, heart-rate and Oxygen Saturation levels (SATS). PatTracker© is adaptable, in the sense that it can use the existing IT and communications network architecture within the hospital i.e. reducing the need for a completely new infrastructure. PatTracker©  also allows clients to add features, to provide a more tailor-made product, for example patient admittance and discharge records can be updated automatically when patients arrive and leave the hospital. Creating a project team The hospital does not have a dedicated project office, and in the past has relied on consultants to lead on projects. As such, the CEO has again recruited the services of APOS, a project management consultancy company, who are experienced at implementing software projects in healthcare settings. APOS have allocated their senior Project Manager, Richard Morris, to lead the project and ensure successful completion.Richard Morris has the difficult task of assembling a project team, using existing staff at the hospital. It is generally accepted that an allocation of 4 full time staff will make up the core of the project team, but other staff will join the team as and when they are needed. Richard will also have to take consideration of key stakeholders. Organisational cultureIt is expected that the project management team will meet some resistance when trying to implement the new system. In the past, frontline staff, such as doctors and nurses have been quite resilient to change. The last time a new IT system was introduced, nursing staff constantly found fault with the system, refused to adopt the new system, made numerous complaints to senior managers, and went off work citing work-based stress as the main reason. One of the main challenges Richard Morris and the project team face will be attitudes towards change. Project flexibilityGiven the nature of the project, there is a degree of flexibility when it comes to the product. As previously mentioned PatTracker© has certain core features, but can be tailored to meet local needs, a process called ‘localisation’. Senior managers however are concerned about project ‘creep’ and the resulting impact that this may have on the budget. Richard Morris is planning to take an ‘agile’ project management approach, however this is being met by some resistance from senior managers, who suggest a more traditional project management approach with clear objectives and scope.  Phase 1Given the complicated nature of the project, it has been decided that the project will undergo a test phase. One of the hospital wards will be selected to adopt PatTracker© and give feedback throughout the project. Once Phase 1 has been successfully completed, the project will be scaled up, and all wards at the hospital will be forced to adopt PatTracker©.   QUESTION.1. With reference to Kotter’s 8 stage change management strategy, describe, analyse and evaluate how Mercia Healthcare should manage the implementation of PatTracker©.  Your evaluation of Kotter’s model should highlight 3 benefits and 3 constraints, explaining how the constraints could be overcome.                                                                                                    Business Management Project Management ACCOUNTING 6022 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)