SECAmb highly commended in two HSJ Efficiency Awards categories

27 September 2012

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, (SECAmb) has been highly commended in two categories at this year’s Health Service Journal Efficiency Awards.

The awards, which recognise healthcare efficiency and cost savings at the same time as maintaining the highest levels of patient care, were held in London on Tuesday 25 September. This year there were more than 300 entrants.

SECAmb was highly commended in the Efficiency in Estates Management category for its Make Ready initiative and in the Workforce Efficiency category for its Unit Hour Utilisation initiative.

SECAmb is in the process of rolling out its Make Ready initiative across its Kent, Sussex and Surrey region. The Make Ready system offers significant benefits for patients. Specialist teams are employed to clean, restock and maintain vehicles which means our ambulance clinicians, who routinely undertaken these tasks, can spend more time treating patients.

The Unit Hour Utilisation initiative has saved £25m over four years. Its premise is simple - making sure that the services’ resources match demand. This has been achieved by studying when the service is most and least required, and then forecasting future demand. Having this structure means that the Trust is able to plan staff rotas and distribute resources to accurately reflect demand.

SECAmb Head of Operational Planning, Rob Mason said: “Ambulance resources are placed on duty when emergencies are most likely to happen, with staff positioned so that they are near the patient before the phone rings. The close alignment of supply to demand, both by time and location, delivers some of the best response times in the country, contributing to more lives being saved.”

SECAmb Director for Estates, Geoff Catling added: “The Make Ready system is a catalyst to achieving economies of scale and efficiency. It ensures our vehicles are perfectly re-stocked and cleaned and that more time is released for front-line clinicians to spend on patient care. Safety for both patients and staff is improved.”

“Those of us that attended the awards were very proud to be there and have the opportunity to celebrate the success of the Trust, and the hard work which has resulted in this recognition.”