The NHS is under huge pressure to perform - to do 'more' with 'less'. This is challenging both the systems and approaches that have traditionally worked, and also the staff, who are under huge stress as they try and work with outmoded approaches and systems to get results those systems were not really designed to deliver.

The techniques we teach can bring a fresh perspective onto these difficult problems, and allow all sides in a debate to truly analyse what is going on and put in new solutions which are capable of delivering the results needed without destroying the 'team' in the process.

We have worked with several NHS hospitals over the last few years and hence have first hand experience of the issues which hospital management teams are constantly grappling with.

Perhaps the most striking thing we can say about a typical NHS Hospital environment is that, whilst the problems are severe, they are not unique or new.

We see the same issues in other business environments, with the same or very similar symptoms. Yes, the 'language' used to describe the problems is different, but the underlying issues are exactly the same.

A few examples to illustrate this:

These problems are not new, and there are solutions we offer which can deliver major improvements in a fairly short space of time.

We are not 'steeped' in NHS history, which we see as an advantage as we can take a more objective view on the issues. However, we understand the fundamental issues at work both in the physical side of the equation, such as supply synchronisation, patient flows and the importance of both the Patient Pathway and 18 Week RTT, and also in the leadership and management aspects.

If you would like to explore some of the programmes we can offer then follow the links on the right hand side of this page which will take you to the five major areas where we can provide training and knowledge transfer for you to generate the 'fresh start' which many NHS hospitals desperately need.

If any of the scenarios and questions below ring true, then follow the links in the box titles to find out how we can help you.

"I think we've got problems nobody else has - where can I find guidance?"
"How can I inspire my staff so that they buy-in to the changes we need to make?"
"We're finding it difficult to make decisions"
"We have to improve our performance even though our budgets are under pressure"
"How can I align the different areas of my organisation so that we're all working towards the right goal?"

"Why do we always seem to have far too many patients 'waiting'?"
"Why is it that patients are here for hours for a 5 minute appointment?"
"I seem to spend all my time fire-fighting and rescheduling to squeeze patients in"
"Are we really using the capacity we have in the right way?"
"Why is it that we constantly struggle to hit waiting time targets?"
"We're being pushed to 'improve' constantly but things only seem to 'change', they never seem to actually 'get better'. Are we addressing the right things?"

"We've got so many initiatives running I just don't know where to focus my effort"
"How on earth can I organise all this change with the limited resources I have?"
"We seem to succeed in some improvement areas only at the expense of others"
"We always end up compromising just to get finished on time"
"Even if I know what tasks are important I just don't seem to be able to get my team to focus on the same things"

"Why is it that we struggle so badly to make sure that 'common' items are always in stock when we need them?"
"We seem to have too much stock of what we don't want and not enough of what we do want"
"Finance want me to cut costs by reducing our stock levels, but if I do that, how will we be able to meet demand?"
"The forecasts we have to work to seem to be hopelessly inaccurate"
"Our relationships with our suppliers are always tense which puts stress on everyone"

"These day-to-day niggles are getting in the way of our real work"
"How can I help my team members work better together - we seem to spend so much time arguing!"
"My staff agreed to these changes, but now they're resisting them. What can I do?"
"I'd like to have an effective way of sorting out internal grievances which doesn't alienate both sides."

For this aspect we cover two distinct areas, the first is that of conflict resolution itself, focusing on the tools we use that have been developed over the last twenty years to great effect. Secondly, we run mediation and listening skills workshops for team leaders and managers who are often called upon to mediate and for which the ability to develop listening skills is paramount.