Process Mapping in the NHS

21st October 2024

by Craig Willis

Discovering the value of process mapping in the NHS is an obvious step for many Trusts looking to address challenges. From improving patient communication and engagement to staff productivity and morale – the drive to spot opportunities for change has never been stronger. Process mapping is a clear and effective way to see the bottlenecks impacting both patients and staff alike. In this blog, we’ll examine the basics of process mapping in the NHS and also explore how the NHS can improve their processes to benefit both patients and staff.

What’s the challenge for the NHS?

Healthcare organisations, particularly the NHS, are constantly facing challenges when it comes to delivering efficient and effective care to patients. Processes can be slow, cumbersome, prone to errors and often manual, leading to delays in treatment and a decrease in overall patient satisfaction. This is where process mapping improvement can help revolutionise the way healthcare is delivered in the NHS.

One of the main issues within the NHS is the lack of coordination and communication between different departments and healthcare professionals. This can lead to important information being missed or delayed, resulting in poorer experiences for patients. Clinical treatment for patients is often second to none, but it is the admin side that is often where patients experience a below standard experience. Often the processes that describe these admin steps are confusing, out of date and hard to find plus many could be improved to remove unnecessary steps and provide clarity to staff.

What is process mapping in the NHS?

One way to address these issues is through process mapping and improvement. Process mapping involves visually mapping out the current processes within an organisation to identify areas of improvement and inefficiency. By analysing each step in a process, healthcare professionals can identify where bottlenecks occur and how to streamline processes for better patient communication and engagement.

Process mapping can be used for many different reasons:

• helping you with any major change and transformation projects
• identifying automation opportunities
• implementing a new software system
• organisational design
• work standards
• compliance
• continuous improvement of your teams.

To truly understand your organisation’s issues, you need to first find the areas for improvement or discover the issues that are impacting your patients and staff.

Benefits of process mapping in the NHS

Through process mapping, the NHS can improve communication and coordination between different departments, reduce unnecessary steps in processes and ultimately provide more efficient and effective care for patients. Identifying the manual and redundant steps in processes, makes it clear and simple to spot automation opportunities.

Not only that, running an effective process mapping workshop is a great way to bring together different team members (either face to face or online) to build relationships and understanding.

Longer lasting results

Process mapping and improvement initiatives should also last. If you have the right tools then your process maps should stand the test of time, becoming the backbone of your organisation. Investing in process mapping means your NHS staff gain an up to date and easy to read training and onboarding bible where every process can be included. By addressing these challenges head-on and implementing process mapping, the NHS can better serve the needs of patients and improve overall healthcare outcomes.

Help demanding budgets

One of the key benefits of process mapping for the NHS is the ability to reduce costs. By optimising processes and eliminating unnecessary steps, the NHS can save resources and allocate them more effectively to more value-add tasks. This not only improves the overall quality of care but also helps the NHs stay within budget constraints. Your process mapping should allow you to create analytics to help you decide where to allocate staff resources and finances.

Improving patient care

Additionally, process mapping can help the NHS improve patient outcomes. By identifying bottlenecks in processes and addressing them promptly, healthcare professionals can ensure that patients receive the care they need in a timely manner. This can lead to faster recoveries, reduced hospital stays, and ultimately, better overall health for patients.

Process improvement tools designed for NHS needs

In the fast-paced world of healthcare, it is crucial for organisations to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of patients. With process mapping and improvement tools, like Liberty Spark, our process improvement tool, the NHS can not only improve their processes internally but also improve patient experience.

By leveraging technology to drive process improvement, process mapping in the NHS can deliver better patient communication and help patients be more involved with their healthcare journey which can ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes. The world has moved on from static, difficult to update flowcharts, a fit for purpose process mapping and improvement solution means that NHS teams won’t waste resource remapping and redoing processes every year.

“Looking ahead, the potential for process mapping within the NHS is immense. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, process mapping will remain a critical tool in driving efficiency, enhancing patient care and fostering innovation.”

Craig Willis

Head of Client Solutions – Process Improvement, Netcall

By embracing technological advancements and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, the NHS can harness the full potential of process mapping, ensuring that it remains responsive to the needs of patients and providers alike.

A strategic approach that navigates NHS complexities

In conclusion, process mapping is more than just a tool; it is a strategic approach that empowers the NHS to navigate its complexities with precision and clarity. If your NHS Trust or Board needs to improve your processes to deliver better care to patients, consider implementing Liberty Spark.

Designed to be used and understood by everyone in your Trust, Liberty Spark’s user-friendly interface is engaging and clear. Process maps that can capture the smallest detail up to the highest-level means that process mapping initiatives can be shared with everyone, at every level of the organisation. Its powerful analytics provide insights to help you make the right decisions to improve efficiencies.

Liberty Spark is aligned with healthcare professionals who are looking to drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. Give your organisation the edge it needs to succeed in today’s healthcare landscape and make a difference in the lives of your patients.

Want to learn more? Get in touch with one of our experts today.