Introduction
The Francis Report (2013) is one of the national drivers in recent years highlighting the importance of effective teams in delivering high quality, safe and effective patients care. This assignment will examine the relationship between leading effective teams and the delivery of patient care.
It would be true to say that health care delivery has not always been considered a team activity, but increasingly healthcare teams are viewed as an integral feature of the changing face of NHS service provision responding to the challenges of caring for patients with increasing complex co-morbidities, an expanding body of clinical knowledge/research evidence, new technologies and the drive for financial sustainability (Mitchell et al, …show more content…
Katzenbach and Smith (1993 p.45) define a team as: “A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” They continue by suggesting that through a team’s commitment, cooperation and their interdependency a collective synergy can be harnessed leading to improved effectiveness. Cohen and Bailey (1997 p.241) similarly reference interdependency but expand further highlighting that teams are “...seen by others as an intact social entity embedded in one or more larger social systems, and who manage their relationships across organisational boundaries.”
The benefits of team effectiveness
Pearson and Spencer (1997) in their work relating to teamwork in Primary Care reported the evidence demonstrating teamwork positively impacts on patient care was limited. Conversely the author would assert there is a plethora of evidence linking team effectiveness to quality of patient care more generally. A literature review by Mickan (2005) summarised the outcomes of team effectiveness under the four headings of organisation, team, patient and individual team member benefits. The author will use these headings to highlight the benefits of team effectiveness that have been identified by research.
Organisation …show more content…
West et al (2011), continue further by referring to a ‘spiral of positivity’ linking levels of staff satisfaction to patient satisfaction.
As demonstrated above, there is a significant volume of research relating to team effectiveness in health care that has particularly focused on ‘frontline’ clinical services. While acknowledging that there have been some studies including West et al (2002) and West el al (2006) that examined the effect of HR practices on quality of patient care, the author has observed that overall there is a limited body of research relating to support services in health care.
Within the author’s team that provides a learning and development function for the organisation, the connection between effective team working and high quality patient care has been visualised, through the recognition that providing high quality learning and development opportunities for staff they equip staff with the knowledge, skills and competence to deliver safe and effective patient care which West et al (2006) have linked to lower patient mortality rates. However, the team have also recognised that improved team effectiveness can lead to improved cohesion, role clarity, wellbeing and increased satisfaction that should invoke the ‘spiral of positivity’
The Francis Report (2013) is one of the national drivers in recent years highlighting the importance of effective teams in delivering high quality, safe and effective patients care. This assignment will examine the relationship between leading effective teams and the delivery of patient care.
It would be true to say that health care delivery has not always been considered a team activity, but increasingly healthcare teams are viewed as an integral feature of the changing face of NHS service provision responding to the challenges of caring for patients with increasing complex co-morbidities, an expanding body of clinical knowledge/research evidence, new technologies and the drive for financial sustainability (Mitchell et al, …show more content…
Katzenbach and Smith (1993 p.45) define a team as: “A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” They continue by suggesting that through a team’s commitment, cooperation and their interdependency a collective synergy can be harnessed leading to improved effectiveness. Cohen and Bailey (1997 p.241) similarly reference interdependency but expand further highlighting that teams are “...seen by others as an intact social entity embedded in one or more larger social systems, and who manage their relationships across organisational boundaries.”
The benefits of team effectiveness
Pearson and Spencer (1997) in their work relating to teamwork in Primary Care reported the evidence demonstrating teamwork positively impacts on patient care was limited. Conversely the author would assert there is a plethora of evidence linking team effectiveness to quality of patient care more generally. A literature review by Mickan (2005) summarised the outcomes of team effectiveness under the four headings of organisation, team, patient and individual team member benefits. The author will use these headings to highlight the benefits of team effectiveness that have been identified by research.
Organisation …show more content…
West et al (2011), continue further by referring to a ‘spiral of positivity’ linking levels of staff satisfaction to patient satisfaction.
As demonstrated above, there is a significant volume of research relating to team effectiveness in health care that has particularly focused on ‘frontline’ clinical services. While acknowledging that there have been some studies including West et al (2002) and West el al (2006) that examined the effect of HR practices on quality of patient care, the author has observed that overall there is a limited body of research relating to support services in health care.
Within the author’s team that provides a learning and development function for the organisation, the connection between effective team working and high quality patient care has been visualised, through the recognition that providing high quality learning and development opportunities for staff they equip staff with the knowledge, skills and competence to deliver safe and effective patient care which West et al (2006) have linked to lower patient mortality rates. However, the team have also recognised that improved team effectiveness can lead to improved cohesion, role clarity, wellbeing and increased satisfaction that should invoke the ‘spiral of positivity’