In May 2019, CEO Juha Tuominen launched the preparation of a productivity program and appointed a working group for that purpose. A productivity program was needed because our productivity trend has peaked and fallen short of the targets set. The deadline for completing the design of the productivity program was the end of 2019.
The task of the working group was to design a model for a long-term productivity program, to chart and present the projects to be included in the program in the first instance, and to chart and present the concrete indicators and reports with which we can improve productivity monitoring.
The conceptual goal for this effort was to improve our input-output ratio, i.e. to identify things with which we can achieve our current production at lower costs or increase our production at the current costs.
The working group invited HUS management and experts and representatives of personnel organizations to submit proposals for productivity projects. A productivity survey was circulated among personnel to probe their thoughts on how to improve productivity, which things could be done smarter and which things might be unnecessary to do at all. The survey was also circulated among members of the customer panel, who returned their views on how productivity could be improved from the patients’ point of view.
Finally, the working group listed 29 proposals for improving productivity, with the responsible parties identified, to be included in the HUS productivity program:
- Processes: 12 actions
- Personnel: 5 actions
- Facilities: 2 actions
- Supplies and equipment: 8 actions
- Other: 2 actions
Progress with the productivity program will be reported to the HUS Executive Group three times a year.
Traditionally, productivity has been measured at the profit area level at HUS and at the department level at Helsinki University Hospital, in both cases on a monthly basis. However, in the interests of day-to-day management we need production line specific and unit specific indicators for personnel productivity.
Having information that is up to date and relevant from the unit’s perspective allows the unit management to take immediate operational action to improve the productivity trend as necessary.